Journalist Dean Jones believes that there will be ‘quite a lot of exits’ at Aston Villa this summer after their slow start to life under new manager Steven Gerrard.

The Villans are currently in a bad run of form after experiencing an initial bounce following the change in leadership, leading to questions being asked over several members of the first-team squad.

What is the latest news involving Villa?

A 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion in Gerrard’s first game at the helm was quickly followed up by another win against Crystal Palace.

Villa then saw off Leicester City and Norwich while falling to title-challengers Liverpool and Manchester City in their next four outings, completing a promising beginning to Gerrard’s reign following his arrival from Rangers.

However, things have not gone to plan since then for the 41-year-old as his side have come unstuck on a number of occasions.

Consecutive defeats to relegation-threatened Newcastle United and Watford in recent weeks have condemned the Midlands outfit to just one win in their last eight fixtures in all competitions.

Elanga SAVES Man United! Full reaction on The Football Terrace...

That run has seen Villa exit the FA Cup in the third round while falling to within seven points of the Premier League relegation zone.

The club’s supporters even booed their team off the pitch at the final whistle after they lost to the Hornets last time out, with Gerrard admitting his side ‘deserved’ the angry response.

What has Jones said about Villa?

Villa have spent a vast amount of money on new signings since returning to the top-flight of English football for the 2019/20 campaign, but not all of their acquisitions have been a success.

And Jones believes Gerrard ‘will almost demand’ several departures when the market reopens in order to imprint his ‘personality’ upon the playing squad.

He told GiveMeSport: “I think there will be quite a lot of exits at Villa. I think that Gerrard will almost demand that because he needs to get a grip on this squad and have it reflect his own identity and personality.”

Who could leave Villa Park?

Former first-choice left-back Matt Targett joined Newcastle on loan in the January window and has been tipped to make the move permanent ahead of next season.

Meanwhile, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano (via The Sun) has revealed Arsenal ‘have an interest’ in star midfielder Douglas Luiz, who has entered the final 18 months of his contract.

Out-of-favour winger Bertrand Traore is another player who could seek a new challenge after Football Insider claimed Villa ‘will listen to offers’ for the 26-year-old.