Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has addressed the club’s January transfer window plans with FFP in mind, and provided insight on who could leave this month.
Villa are having an excellent season thus far, as we sit second in the Premier League table while having also advanced in the Europa Conference League and FA Cup.
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Importantly, we have key players returning from injury this month which will undoubtedly help us in our bid to sustain our fine form through the second half of the campaign, but with the transfer window open for business, naturally there is focus on what activity we might see from the club to strengthen the squad.
Based on Emery’s comments below to the media on Friday, it doesn’t sound as though we should expect too much in the way of incomings, as the Villa boss was keen to focus on those at his disposal already while highlighting the impact of FFP and how that will limit our ability to bring in new faces without making sales first.
Further, he went on to seemingly rule out the likelihood that Jhon Duran will depart this month amid speculation over his future, but the Spanish tactician did confirm that Villa are willing to listen to offers for both Bertrand Traore and Calum Chambers, as they appear set to move on.
“Of course, we have to accept the rules and have to accept, for example, if we want to sign someone we have to let one leave from our squad,” he told the media, as per BirminghamLive. “Then, with Financial Fair Play we will have to accept the rules and how we are.
“Progressively, with the owners and our work here, every moment we are having, we are going to increase getting better our demands to improve the squad.
“Now we are second in the table, in the next round of the Conference League and the FA Cup, I believe in our players. We are playing getting stronger, more comfortable with more confidence.
“Of course, always we are going to try and improve our squad. There are two players, I told you, can leave. Others maybe can also leave but right now it is not so clear. With Chambers and Traore, their situation is clear. The possibility to sign players to replace them, we are analysing players to do that.”
On Duran, Emery added that his ‘commitment is progressively better’, and ultimately with the need for a back-up option as well as a player capable of providing a different dynamic in the final third, the Colombian international has a vital role to play for us between now and the end of the season.
“He is playing and he is being important, he is young. We need experiences and he is here having experiences with us,” Emery added in his pre-match press conference. “We need a second striker because we have to try to be strong in our squad with two players per position. It is Watkins and Jhon Duran. I am working with him a lot, his commitment is progressively better.
“When we talked about the decision to sign him one year ago, the process we are doing with him is it.”
On one hand, it’s both disappointing and frustrating to hear how FFP will continue to limit us compared to the more established clubs in the league, as this window will have been seen by many as a big opportunity to really make a splash and cement our chances of at least qualifying for the Champions League.
However, while Emery will likely be eager to strengthen despite what he says, he does make a valid point on the strength of this current group and how important it will be to get injured players back who can act as reinforcements in their own way.
Both Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans are expected to return this weekend against Everton, with Lucas Digne likely to be back by the end of the month. That will make us a more complete unit as we’re still waiting to see the best of Alex Moreno and Jacob Ramsey this season after their long-term setbacks too.
Combined with players such as Duran who still have real room for improvement and can contribute so much more, there is a lot of untapped potential and quality in this squad that can continue our progress.
With Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings facing a longer road to recovery and potentially being out for the season, we still have to consider their impact when they do return, and so we must continue to be meticulous in our transfer dealings and only sign players who significantly improve what we already have.