After a busy month of transfer dealings, the question for all concerned now is, is the Aston Villa squad stronger now compared to how we started the January window?
There were five incomings in total, while we approved some significant exits and a string of loan deals as we continue to manage the squad and our finances as effectively as possible.
IN: Donyell Malen, Andres Garcia, Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, Axel Disasi.
OUT: Jhon Duran, Jaden Philogene, Diego Carlos, Emiliano Buendia, Kosta Nedeljkovic, Joe Gauci.
READ MORE: Villa chiefs issue touching messages in assessment of transfer window
The transfer window began with the signing of Donyell Malen, and combined with the departure of Jaden Philogene, Villa successfully balanced our spending and upgraded simultaneously.
While it had been hoped that Philogene would flourish after Unai Emery wanted him back last summer, it ultimately didn’t work out as desired as the talented youngster looked short of confidence and conviction in the final third.
To receive a significant fee for him and bring in Malen, a player with experience at the top level for both club and country and with levels to reach still in his career, that has to be seen as a win for a Villa coach and management team eager to win as soon as possible.
Following on from that, we finally saw our right-back issue addressed, but it came in the form of a gamble in Andres Garcia, who was plucked from the second tier of Spanish football, with all concerned seemingly convinced of his talent, potential and fit for Emery’s defence.
We certainly needed another option in that position given Matty Cash’s ongoing injury troubles, and shifting Ezri Konsa across isn’t the ideal solution. While it had been hoped that Kosta Nedeljkovic would provide that particular solution, it wasn’t to be as the talented youngster will hopefully now shine during his loan spell at RB Leipzig.
Emery was clear in emphasising that it was Diego Carlos who wanted to leave to join Fenerbahce, and so although there were concerns over his age, contract, salary and being injury and error prone, the Brazilian centre-half still played an important role in providing competition and depth in defence.
Nevertheless, to get a decent fee for him and wipe his wages off the books was a smart move that hopefully contributes to our increased flexibility moving forward.
The big sale was still to come though as Jhon Duran sealed a €77m+ move to Al Nassr. While it was a shame to lose such an exciting talent so early in his career, speculation and contention never seemed to be too far away from the Colombian international.
Although Emery had hoped to have him and Ollie Watkins at the club for years to come, it was too good an offer to refuse, as it armed us with significant funds to reinvest, and will hopefully help to keep other fundamental figures for the longer term such as Watkins, who remained committed to Villa despite reported interest from Arsenal.
As the more complete, polished and best-suited option to lead the Villa line for Emery, albeit without the longer-term assurances Duran might have provided, with might being the key word there, it was a sensible move for a win-now approach.
That felt like a significant catalyst for our transfer campaign, as it opened the door for our loan swoop for Marcus Rashford, with an option to buy worth £40m being included in the agreement with Man Utd.
Of course, it could turn out to be an expensive gamble as we cover a significant portion of his wages until May, but the 27-year-old was badly in need of a fresh start having fallen out of favour at Old Trafford, and he’s now got one under one of the best coaches in the game at getting the best out of his players.
Now it’s down to Rashford and Emery to make it click, and he could turn out to be another dangerous weapon in our attack. Alongside the likes of Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers and Watkins, that has the ability to be a devastating frontline.
It was sad to see Emilano Buendia depart, not least due to having spent the best part of £100 getting the new Villa shirt with his name on the back last summer, but also because it’s a shame that his injury has derailed his time with us having established himself as a key figure for Emery prior to that setback.
Time will tell if we see him in a Villa shirt again as Bayer Leverkusen could make his move permanent in the summer, but his departure opened the door for Marco Asensio to arrive, with the Spaniard bringing experience, quality and a winning mentality after what has been a glittering career thus far with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
While Villa boast pace, power and direct play through Ramsey, Rogers, Rashford, Watkins and Leon Bailey, we need more of what Malen and Asensio can offer, with their creativity, technical ability and flair in the final third adding a different dynamic and option to unlock stubborn defences.
It’s hoped that he can settle and adapt quickly as it’s just a short-term move, but he could prove to be another astute addition.
Then came the final piece of the puzzle. Villa left it late on transfer deadline day, but we were fortunately able to land our top defensive target in Axel Disasi, who similarly will stay with us until the end of the season on loan before returning to his parent club.
On paper, it doesn’t strike us as the best option we possibly could have got, but the Frenchman was a clear priority for Emery given he emerged as our top target and we didn’t relent in our pursuit of his signature. It’s hoped that he proves to be the exact presence we need at the back to shore up what has been a leaky defence.
With his physicality, height, imposing style and composure in possession, he does seem to tick a lot of important boxes, but it was absolutely critical that we got someone in amid exits and injury issues in the heart of our backline.
It ended up being a thrilling transfer window for Villa, with the likes of Monchi and the management team working tirelessly to get our priority targets. We strengthened, addressed key needs, landed top Emery targets, all while balancing our spending with PSR in mind both this month and in the summer. That in turn makes it a successful and positive month.
As Villa’s President of Football Operations noted on social media though after the deadline had passed, “results will determine whether the work has been good or not”, and so now it’s over to Emery and his new-look squad to deliver on the potential it has.