O'Leary In New Players Plea

“In the summer we will have 14 players, including two goalkeepers. There is no getting away from it – bodies need to be brought in here," the Villa boss said after the 3-2 home win against Chelsea kept alive Villa's hopes of a qualifying for a European place.

“It is the type of bodies that you bring into the club which will decide the kind of ambitions that the club have.

“I know I can’t have an absolute abundance of players but I do know we cannot operate on as small a squad as we have.

“We have to remember that we have been lucky with injuries this season and in general have lost only a couple of players at the same time.

“I don’t want 22 players but we need at least four more to make us a squad of 18, which is still not massive in any way.”