Southampton striker would be decent signing for Aston Villa this summer

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Aston Villa ended their three-year exile from the Premier League on Monday by defeating Derby County in the Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley.

Dean Smith’s team went on a superb run towards the end of the season and that saw them gatecrash the top-six and ultimately win back their top-flight place.

The challenge now is to re-establish their place among the country’s elite teams and ensure they never slip towards Championship obscurity ever again.

In order for Smith and his coaching staff to achieve that they will need to add some players to a squad that already possesses some real quality.

Some big-money signings could arrive at Villa Park, whilst Smith might look to top up his squad with a few bargains.

One player who might relish the challenge of putting Villa back on the map is Southampton forward Charlie Austin. The 29-year-old is almost certain to leave St Mary’s this summer; having fallen out of favour under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Austin has 34 goals in 106 games in the Premier League during his career but the work he does for his team-mates shouldn’t go unnoticed.

With Tammy Abraham returning to Chelsea after the end of his loan, Smith will certainly be seeking striker options for the 2019/20 campaign.

Of course, Villa won’t place their trust in Austin for the entire campaign, but the capable striker would be a relatively cheap option to complement the squad.