Villa have never automatically qualified for Europe since the Colombian striker arrived from River Plate in January 2001, although they did manage that objective four years ago via the UEFA Intertoto Cup under John Gregory - only to fall at the first hurdle.
David O'Leary's side briefly threatened to climb in to the top six towards the end of the season before falling away, eventually finishing in mid-table. Angel, who having scored just seven Premiership goals last term can not be absolved of blame for the insipid performance, signed a new four-year deal last summer and insists he is happy at Villa despite a disappointing campaign - but he is desperate to have a crack at Europe.
“When you play in Europe you compete against the best and you get the chance to prove yourself to the rest of Europe and the world,” the 29-year-old said, reminding us all about the heady days of Helsingborg IF and Trabzonspor. “But we haven't done that which is frustrating for the whole team. It's certainly frustrating for me. When I joined Villa I wanted us to be in the UEFA Cup. I have three years left of my contract and I would love to have the chance to play in Europe. I'm a footballer and you never know. I don't know what's going to happen. I will answer questions about my future in 12 months time, though. Let's just see what happens.”