Aston Villa's top priorities as they prepare for the Premier League

Villa should be wary of repeating the mistakes Fulham made year when building a squad for the top flight

By Martin Laurence for WhoScored

Aston Villa are back in the big time after three seasons in the Championship. Their 2-1 victory over Derby in the play-off final banishes the memory of their trip to Wembley last year, when they were as flat as Frank Lampard’s side were on Monday. Jack Grealish performed well in that 1-0 defeat to Fulham but the boyhood Villa fan and academy graduate was carrying an ageing side that ultimately ran out of steam.

It was a different story this time around. Grealish had one of his quietest games of the season against Derby, while numerous others stepped up. This crop of players are more prepared for a return to the top flight, though there is work to be done over the summer.

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from Football | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2JPZqV1