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Unai Emery has room to make four Aston Villa transfers in the January window
Aston Villa's squad is beginning to feel the pinch as the season begins to intensify. As was the case last season, certainly at some stages in the deepest points of winter, Unai Emery's available group was often threadbare, such were the injuries racked up because of a congested fixture list which took plenty out of the squad.
This past week alone, they were without Amadou Onana, Jacob Ramsey, Boubacar Kamara and Ezri Konsa. Matty Cash has had his problems, so has Ross Barkley. Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia must continue to be managed appropriately after their own extensive spells out. Diego Carlos, Jaden Philogene and John McGinn have all, at various stages, had issues and niggles this season.
It'll be interesting to see now what Unai Emery, Monchi and Damian Vidagany make of the forthcoming January transfer window, and Villa's role in it - if at all. Financially, it was well documented that the Lions were in a tricky situation in the summer, a window they navigated admirably on reflection, but is there room for business should they wish to conduct it in January?
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Villa will, all being well, qualify in the top 24 - at least - in the newly formatted Champions League table. That in itself will mean more matches as they seek to make progress under Emery and truly announce their return to European football's top table in 2025. The FA Cup campaign will begin and, after the disappointment at the way the EFL Cup bid ended, many supporters will hope for a run in that competition.
Then there is the Premier League, in which Villa will continue to have to fight to keep hold of the fourth place which they achieved last year, but which will remain under threat from the likes of Chelsea and a potentially rejuvenated Manchester United under new management. The balance needing striking is a delicate one, and although in Emery Villa possess a manager of the highest order, help may be needed where possible.
If it's feasible that Villa can add within the PSR rules, then they certainly have the room to do so. The club were obliged to submit their squad to the Premier League in September, following the closure of the summer transfer window, and with Samuel Iling-Junior, Enzo Barrenechea, Philippe Coutinho, Alex Moreno, Leander Dendoncker and others out on loan, their squad *at home* is actually quite slim - and vulnerable when injuries kick in.
Having a tight knit squad with just enough cover across the pitch is how many managers like it these days, preferring such a scenario to one where the group is bloated and fringe players are left dissatisfied by a lack of game time. At Villa, everyone knows they'll be needed at various stages - never more so than right now.
While those loanees will continue to operate away from Villa Park, the 25-man squad sent to the league earlier this year isn't actually made up of 25 senior players; indeed the likes of Jhon Duran, Lamare Bogarde and Kosta Nedeljkovic are under 21 and so not required to be named in the senior group. Villa must name at least eight homegrown players but they won't have a problem with that.
Indeed they have only 21 players in the main group...
G: Martinez, Gauci, Olsen; D: Konsa, Mings, Torres, Carlos, Cash, Digne, Maatsen; M: McGinn, Barkley, Rogers, Ramsey, Tielemans, Onana, Kamara, Bailey, Philogene, Buendia; F: Watkins
That means that Villa, who already possess 10 homegrown players, can add up to four more senior players in the January transfer window without having to worry about the overall size of their squad until the summer, once the loanees return from their various escapades. It's not to say Villa will head out and sign four new faces - indeed that prospect is fanciful - but clearly there is room for a new addition or two, financial wriggle room permitting.
