With the Football League fixture lists announced today, it's a big season for Aston Villa. Failing to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking was a blow but not doing so this time around could spell a long stint in the second tier for the former top-flight mainstay.
While a woeful start under Roberto Di Matteo held them back, at no point did Villa really threaten to mount a realistic charge for the play-offs last season. Steve Bruce will be under no illusions that that must change this season and will face former employers Hull in an eye-catching opener, but before then there is still considerable work to be done on a muddled squad.
Their interest in signing John Terry is a statement of significant intent, but it doesn't directly address the one glaring issue from the previous campaign.
Villa's form at the turn of the year took a nosedive and while many attributed that to the absence of star striker Jonathan Kodjia due to AFCON duty, the fact that it coincided with a spell on the sidelines for Mile Jedinak masked an even greater problem. In the absence of the Australian's authority in the middle ground an expensively assembled side looked like they'd never met before, let alone trained for such an eventuality.
The veteran's importance to the team was total, and he has quickly become a fan favourite for a support base that admittedly appreciates strong facial hair more than most. The likes of Olof Mellberg and Carlos Cuellar have become icons in recent memory, while Peter Withe - the scorer of Villa's most important goal - also boasted a solid beard. All pale in comparison to Jedinak's glorious chinwear.
It adds to an aura of dominance over a group that were simply lost without him, and while the pursuit of a player with Terry's character and leadership is logical, finding a stand-in for the increasingly injury-prone midfield destroyer should be the priority this summer.
Jedinak is a player that not only strikes fear into opponents but also his teammates. The 32-year-old is not a man you want to disappoint and his grit and no nonsense approach won over the Villa faithful in time after a relatively slow start.
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While he's far from easy on the eye from a technical standpoint, Jedinak's ability to organise a midfield and lead by example was crucial to Crystal Palace's return to the Premier League and could yet be for Villa too. As a result, the most recent injury that ruled him out of the Confederations Cup could be taken in two ways.
The fact that he isn't playing more games ahead of the new season is a bonus but that he has failed to shake off a groin injury is a real concern. The Aussie missed 13 league games in the previous campaign after all, with his impact on results abundantly clear.
Villa won just once when Jedinak didn’t start in the Championship last season, while recording 15 wins in 33 matches with their commander-in-chief. In said outings the club conceded just 0.91 goals on average compared to 1.38 without him. His average of 6.1 aerial duels won per game was the most of any midfielder in the league by a country mile and further highlighted his dominance in front of the back four.
So far Glenn Whelan and more recently Joe Ledley have been linked, with Bruce recognising the fact that he needs cover for the 2016 summer signing. Neither rumours have caused a stir among the fanbase and there’s a real sense that the club could do with a younger heir apparent.
John Terry is undoubtedly the target that the supporters are getting most excited about so far, but Villa need another ball winner in midfield more than a centre-back right now. Fail to find one and the pressure will be on Jedinak to play through the pain barrier next season.
