Staunton appeals to Villa board

Skipper Steve Staunton has urged the Aston Villa board to release money to manager Graham Taylor to bring in new faces this summer – and he warned: “If you are not signing players, then you are standing still.”

Taylor is unlikely to be given a large transfer budget unless he can off-load the likes of Alpay, Juan Pablo Angel and Bosko Balaban – who between them cost the club £22m (€31m) in transfer fees.