The task Aston Villa find themselves with this summer is a monumental one.  After such a dire season in the Premier League that saw them amount a measly 17 points in 38 games, the Villa fans have not only become disgruntled with the performances on the pitch, but the actions off it as well.

It has been well-documented that owner Randy Lerner wants to sell the club and he looks to have found a buyer in Tony Xia, a Chinese investor, who will arrive in England this week to complete the takeover.

Nevertheless, the ownership under Randy Lerner last season was something of complete chaos at Villa Park with protests galore.

It included throwing tennis balls on the pitch during the game, with walk-out protests and empty seats a key theme throughout the season - most notably in the latter stages of the season - at Villa Park.

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the club at the moment is in fact the squad. Their performances received criticism that was definitely deserved and fans at Villa will be worried as to whether they can actually hold their own in the SkyBet Championship.

That may sound ludicrous, but the gap between the Championship and the Premier League is narrowing each year with the money coming into the lower divisions.

Thus, there is a lot that needs to happen at Villa this summer to not only ensure financial stability but, firstly, their status as a Championship club. From there, the club may be able to rebuild but only with certain things happening over the summer.

FootballLeagueWorld writer Reece Chambers identifies the FOUR things that must happen at Aston Villa this summer.....

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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE FOUR THINGS!

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Building bridges with the fans

One of the main issues at Villa Park last season was the trouble between fans and owner.

As we all know, Aston Villa are a huge club with a wide fan base.

On good days, the Villa faithful are right behind their team as they sell out a 42,785 capacity Villa Park - inspiring their team to victory.

However, the Villa fans were understandably angry for the majority of the last campaign amid speculation that Lerner was not investing in the squad, and instead cashing in on the likes of Christian Benteke for his own financial gain.

As a result, there is a wide gap between fans and owner and that is something that needs to be resolved.

The task that Villa face would be tough enough with the fans onside, but the fact that they are clearly not on the club's side is problematic.

Consequently, Xia will need to build bridges between his staff and the fans in order to have any chance of succeeding at Aston Villa.

The one thing that successful clubs are built on is a loyal and happy fan base. Thus, Villa must make the fans happy during the summer if there is to be any sort of resurrection of the old Aston Villa we all knew.

 

Find players who know the Championship

It has been proved in the past that to get out of the Championship you need to have players who have done it before.

This is certainly the case with Burnley who were promoted last season - managed by Sean Dyche who guided them to promotion in 2013/14.

As well as this, they had key players such as Tom Heaton who hold tremendous experience to help see them over the line.

Therefore, I think it is key that Villa follow in their footsteps and try to bring in players who know how to get out of the Championship.

They had fallen for a similar mistake last season when they tried to bring in foreign signings instead of players willing to fight for Premier League safety.

Despite recent discontent at Villa Park, a new owner and new manager may start to fill the place with some positivity and from there players will see the club as much more of an attraction.

Consequently, it is imperative that over the summer the club recruit well in order to start the season well before fans can jump on their backs to increase the pressure even further.

A restoration of club identity

Aston Villa have always been a club with great history and therefore respected all around the country.

Villa Park is one of the most historic stadiums in English football and one of the very few 'traditional' style grounds.

However, the unfortunate events that unfolded at the club last season overshadowed the reputation the club and so admirably achieved for itself in years before that.

Last season, sides turned up to Villa Park with an easy three points in their heads - and that was not far from being wrong!

The summer ahead is therefore a vital time to reinstate some respect and identity back into the club - rather than an ex-Premier League side who are unable to get back to where they were.

Perhaps the big name signing of Roberto Di Matteo is the start of that reinstatement of their big club label as they aim to return to the Premier League as soon as possible.

 

Ensured stability

Perhaps the most sought after thing for Aston Villa fans is stability.

This is due to the fact that it could be quite easy for them to keep decreasing in quality and slowly become a regular Championship club.

Although there has been mass spending in the top end of the Sky Bet Championship in recent years, stability is not always something that comes with huge spending.

You only have to look as far as Leicester to see that the right signings under a positive manager can allow you to achieve things.

At Villa, though, the task is to ensure the club does not plummet even further into distress.

As a result, the work of Roberto Di Matteo will be key this summer to make sure the right foundations are laid out for the season ahead.