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Ellis upbeat over Villa progress
Aston Villa, 13:47, June 25, 2009 ,
Doug Ellis believes the future looks bright for Villa but feels Martin O'Neill will need to replace Martin Laursen and Gareth Barry.
The former chairman, now 85, remains confident that he sold the club to the best man in Randy Lerner and feels the American owner and O'Neill can take Villa forward.
Ellis is keen for Villa to strengthen their squad this summer and believes the club are in a good position to build on last season's successful league campaign.
Speaking to the Birmingham Mail, Ellis said: "There are grounds for optimism. I certainly don't think anyone should be negative about the future of Aston Villa.
"It is on a stable footing. It has a good manager and good coaching staff and in addition they have some good youngsters coming through."
He added: "They need to replace Martin Laursen, in particular, and Gareth Barry because they were two of the most important players we have had in the last year or two. I'm sure they will replace them."