Breaking Down the Impact of Carles Gil's Arrival at Aston Villa

Aston Villa have made their first acquisition of 2015, signing young winger Carles Gil from Valencia. Gil, who played alongside Villa’s standout midfielder, Carlos Sanchez, for a pair of seasons at Spanish side Elche, is a talented player who addresses an immediate need for Villa.

Paul Lambert has signed a number of players over the course of his three seasons at Villa Park, but he has been rightfully criticized for failing to find a creative midfielder or dangerous winger to create chances for others or score goals themselves.

The manager believes he has found his playmaker in Gil, stating as much upon confirming the signing of the Spaniard on Tuesday: "We've been on the lookout for a creative player, and he will certainly bring that extra element to the side. ... He can create chances and get those chances put away. He has a lot to offer, and I know we can get the best out of him."

The signing of Gil is a positive one that could introduce the creativity Lambert craves, but the fans must remain realistic and patient with the Spaniard and give him time to fully settle. As evidenced by the experiences of his former teammate Sanchez, it isn’t always easy for even more seasoned players to immediately adjust to a new team and league.

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Sanchez was a key member of Colombia’s World Cup squad and was a standout in La Liga. Nonetheless, he featured only sporadically during his early time at Villa Park after being signed last August and made many critical mistakes when he did finally play. However, with time to acclimate, Sanchez has become one of Villa’s best performers and is now fully living up to the expectations set for him.

Even greater patience must be afforded to Gil. As a younger and less experienced player, the 22-year-old cannot be overly derided if he takes time to fit in. In addition to transitioning to a new team in a foreign country, Gil is still growing as a player. Although Villa desperately need immediate help offensively, it will not be the sign of a failed signing if Gil does not instantly increase Villa’s goal tally.

Through his stints on loan at Elche, as well as his time with Valencia, Gil has shown himself to be a lively player with the willingness to attack defenders and an unselfishness to create for others. His end product will need to improve, but it is not difficult to understand what Lambert and co. saw in Gil to take a chance on him.

Gil will almost certainly be immediately judged based on his ability to get to the byline and whip in crosses. Villa have lacked such a player since the departures of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing, and their physical strike force, led by Christian Benteke, will be crying out for service through the air.

The signing of Gil will have immediate ramifications for the players most likely making way for the Spaniard: Andreas Weimann, Charles N’Zogbia and Joe Cole. None of these men have overcome the criticism aimed at them and have all been at least partially responsible for Villa’s attacking woes.

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Weimann has been exposed as a technically limited player on numerous occasions. Despite constant faith from Lambert, Weimann has failed to consistently make a positive impact on the pitch over the past two seasons. His poor technique has killed off many Villa attacks and he offers little besides the occasional, opportunistic finish.

N’Zogbia has been even more frustrating to watch being consistently included among the starters. The Frenchman has undeniable talent, but his decision-making and effort levels have been completely unacceptable. He has been Villa’s worst player this season—and the less time he gets on the pitch, the better.

Cole has, unfortunately, fulfilled many expectations of him at this stage of his career by failing to stay fit and looking sluggish when he does play. The 33-year-old can still turn in valuable performances sporadically, but the former English international can no longer be viewed as a regular contributor.

One unfortunate side effect of Gil’s arrival concerns the playing time of Jack Grealish. In his first full season in the squad, Grealish has struggled to consistently get on the pitch for Villa’s first team, and Gil will likely be another player selected ahead of him. Still, Grealish is full of potential and should continue to be considered for selection.

Lambert’s work does not seem finished for the month, which will be welcome news among the Villa fans who have lost faith in their manager's ability to lead the team. The Guardian's Stuart James has reported that Lambert has targeted Scott Sinclair as another potential addition to the squad.

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Sinclair proved his ability to be an impact player in the Premier League while at Swansea City and he would be very successful if he could replicate that form for Villa. However, he has been completely out of the picture at Manchester City and was similarly ineffective while on loan at bottom-dwelling West Brom last season. 

For a small fee and reasonable wages, taking a chance on the relatively young Sinclair would be worth the risk, but Villa must hold firm and not become desperate enough to overpay for the services of a 25-year-old who has not been a first-team regular in three years.

With other rumours likely to materialize over the coming weeks, Villa fans can retain hope that their team will find areas to improve in. Ultimately, it is up to Lambert to fulfill at least some of these expectations and to continue to put all of his efforts into making another signing or two to strengthen the team and help Villa get back on the right track.