Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has outlined the club’s approach for the rest of the transfer window, as he left the door open to further signings.
Villa have made three additions so far this summer, with Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby joining the club to bolster key areas of the squad.
Sign up for the new Talk Villa newsletter, a free weekly Villa round-up delivered straight to you!
Ashley Young, Marvelous Nakamba, Morgan Sanson, Viljami Sinisalo and Jed Steer have all departed through a combination of releases, permanent exits and loan deals, and further activity is expected in the coming weeks.
Emery has always insisted that he will only sign players who significantly improve us, and while we’ve done that so far in this transfer window, it’s hoped that we continue to strengthen ahead of the new campaign as we look to compete on multiple fronts and for silverware.
Speaking at the weekend, the Spanish tactician suggested that he was happy with the current balance in the squad but didn’t rule out any more signings, and he has echoed those thoughts ahead of our next pre-season friendly against Fulham in Orlando on Wednesday night.
“We have to analyse everything and we have another minimum of 30 or 40 days to finish the transfer window and we are open to adding a few players and as well we are open to allowing some players to leave who are in the squad now,” he said, as per BirminghamLive. “If we can improve, we have to do it and we have to have a lot of information about how the transfer could leave us something more and we are ready for it.
“We can have the possibility of some players to leave, and of course, we have to be open if we can add some players really helping us in the squad to do it.”
In terms of players leaving, there are arguably some more obvious candidates who don’t appear to have a future at Villa, with Kortney Hause, Wesley and Keinan Davis expected to move on from those currently listed in the senior squad.
Additionally, there are others who may struggle for playing time this season or who have already been linked with an exit, including the likes of Bertrand Traore, Leon Bailey and Leander Dendoncker, but Emery will want to be sure that capable replacements who represent an upgrade are ready to come in to fill those voids if they open up.
Villa have done a lot of positive work in the transfer market thus far, but it’s important to balance that with sales of players deemed surplus to requirements, while it’s hoped that we can add more quality to help us become increasingly competitive at the top level moving forward.
There are seemingly some specific positions that require attention still in terms of adding competition and depth, most notably goalkeeper cover and at right-back, but Emery will know what we need and will undoubtedly be backed by the club to address it, as they have done so far this summer.