Just like 12-months ago, everybody in the Sky Bet Championship will be expecting Aston Villa to compete for promotion and a return to the Premier League in the new season.
Last season, Villa failed in their quest for the top-six, with Steve Bruce eventually guiding the club to a disappointing 13th in the table.
The experienced manager will be hoping he can lead Villa to a more successful campaign in 2018, and has approached the transfer window with the target of adding more experience to his squad, with a view to putting another promotion on his impressive CV.
Bruce has brought experienced central defenders, John Terry and Chris Samba to Villa Park, but more telling about his strategy this summer has been the recruitment of Ahmed Elmohamady and Glenn Whelan.
Elmohamady and Bruce have previously worked together at both Sunderland and Hull City, with the duo helping the latter to promotion on two occasions.
The 29-year-old made 41 appearances during the 2012/13 campaign for Hull to help them to promotion, and then featured on 44 occasions during the 2015/16 season, again guiding the Tigers to the top-flight alongside Bruce.
Like Elmohamady, Whelan also brings a wealth of experience to Villa’s squad, and despite his nine-and-a-half years at Stoke City mainly coming in the Premier League, the Irish international was part of the squad that helped to Potters to promotion in 2008.
Whelan only arrived at Stoke in Janaury 2008, but in his first five-months with the club, the midfielder had made 14 appearances and guided The Potters to the Premier League.
Bruce’s signing of Terry has made most of the headlines this summer at Villa Park, but the addition of Elmohamady and Whelan shows that the Villa manager is taking a tried and trusted approach into the 2017/18 campaign.
The activity of Bruce in the transfer window so far is looking shrewd, and there is every chance Villa will find themselves fighting for promotion in May with Elmohamady and Whelan in the team.