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Aston Villa ended up having a busy January transfer window
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Aston Villa ended up having a busy January on the transfer front. They brought in Donyell Malen, Andres Garcia, Axel Disasi, Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio to bolster their ranks.
The Midlands outfit also cut ties with Jhon Duran, Jaden Philogene and Diego Carlos to free up space and funds. Meanwhile, the likes of Emi Buendia, Lewis Dobbin and Joe Gauci went out on loan, among others.
Unai Emery’s side are sat in 8th place in the Premier League and remain in the Champions League and FA Cup. They are aiming to get into the top four once again this year like last year.
Aston Villa’s goalkeeper and defence
Emi Martinez has been Aston Villa’s number one over recent times. The Argentina international has been on the books of his current club since 2020 and has since made 191 appearances in all competitions, 32 of which have come this season already.
At right-back, Matty Cash is their strongest option and the former Nottingham Forest man has fresh competition for his position from Garcia. On the other flank of defence, Luca Digne probably gets the nod ahead of Ian Maatsen due to his superior experience.
Ezri Konsa is a key member of the starting XI and when fit, Tyrone Mings usually joins him. However, with Mings out injured, they have other options to pick from at their disposal including recent recruit Disasi.
Aston Villa’s midfield
Youri Tielemans has established himself as a crucial asset for Aston Villa. He linked up with them from Leicester City and is expected to line up for them alongside John McGinn, with Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley, Boubacar Kamara and Lamare Bogarde ready to step up as well if needed.
Just in front of the midfield pair lies an attacking midfielder and Asensio will be looking to make this position his own. He can play there as well as the wing and he will be eager to make an impact.
After joining, he has said: “I’m really happy to join Aston Villa. I’m looking forward to being able to contribute to this club, to add to this team with eagerness and with lots of excitement.
“Unai is a coach that I’ve known for a while. He’s had a great career, he’s a top coach, he’s been key in me being able to come here because of his idea of how he wants to play football. I love it, it suits me perfectly and he’s a really important person as to why I’m here right now.”
Aston Villa’s attack
Morgan Rogers has to start for Aston Villa on the wing, with Rashford on the other side. The former Manchester City man has been a hit since his switch from Middlesbrough and has adapted well to the step up to the top flight.
Rashford’s switch from Manchester United has raised eyebrows and he will need to hit the ground running. Up front, Ollie Watkins has no longer got competition from the departed Duran and that is something that needs to be addressed in the summer.