Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins and manager Unai Emery will not hesitate to upgrade Unai Emery’s squad in January if the opportunity arises.
However, this is a very difficult thing to achieve during the winter transfer window.
Emery said he expects more competition for all positions in the squad, working closely with the club’s recruitment team, led by president of football operations Monchi.
They are making plans for the season ahead and have been in contact with Nassef Sawiris as Emery, who secured a place in the last 16 of the Europa League earlier this month, aims to qualify for and win the Champions League this season.
Villa are currently eight points clear of the top five and the January transfer window will allow the club to strengthen Emery’s squad.
They made two signings last January, with Emery helping to change the team’s style of play alongside Alex Moreno, while John Duran has shown signs of improvement in his first 12 months at the club.
Don’t forget Villa paid a huge fee for the youngster. The deal could rise to £18m if certain conditions are met.
Villa did well in the summer transfer window, signing Pau Torres, Youri Tielemans and Moussa Diaby on a permanent basis, while Nicolo Zaniolo and Clement Lenglet improved their depth in the club’s first European campaign in a decade.
Despite finishing the year in the top four and securing a place in the last 16 of the Europa League Conference, that doesn’t mean Villa will be emptying their wallets to sign cheap players mid-season.
Very tall. Villa may not currently have access to Champions League revenue or the most lucrative commercial deals compared to the Big Six, but FFP must be factored into every deal the club makes.
Last summer Villa had two options. Sell key players for a lot of money or sell some academy graduates for a lot of money.
Monchi have decided to sell Cameron Archer, Aaron Ramsey and Jaden Filogen for £40m, with the club monitoring their futures with a relevant buyout clause.
V Sports have spent more than £500m on transfers since the club won promotion to the Premier League and are committed to supporting Emery over the next few years, but January is always a difficult month.
Emery said of the owners: “They are always loyal to me, us and Aston Villa.”
“They want to enjoy every moment and see how they can support us, how we can improve and raise the level.
“They always try to share with us the possibility of adding or signing a player next month in the transfer window.
We talked about this opportunity in January, but it’s not an easy window like last year.
“Ollie Watkins and Aston Villa’s Unai EmeryAston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Unai Emery
One position where Villa are on fire is up front and Duran is the only player who can replace Ollie Watkins or try to change the game.
The Colombia international did just that in the club’s match against Crystal Palace earlier this season, with Villa turning the game around after Duran’s stunning goal from Holte’s finish.
When asked if he would like to add more competitions in the coming months, Emery explained: “I’m really excited about Ollie Watkins.
When I arrived a year ago, his service was questionable. A lot of people doubted Ollie Watkins.
“He worked, worked, worked and was very demanding. He has now cleared all his doubts about himself.
So we added a young player in John Duran, but of course he needs time.
“We are trying to support him and help him. I talk to Ollie Watkins a lot because I know it’s not easy to add something to make it better.
That’s why we try to lead the team, but in those situations it’s very difficult for a player to improve us.
“And in this transfer window it is even more difficult. For example, in January last year we thought about many things, but the most important thing was to reduce the number of players.
“Then we added two players, Alex Moreno and John Duran, and the guys we had were successful and still are.”
I want to increase the level of selection with the current players.
Some are playing well, some are improving, some are playing less, but I believe in every player on this team.
