Aston Villa, like the majority of Premier League teams this January, have yet to make a huge signing. They are
functioning well, have few injuries, and appear to have built solid team chemistry, therefore new faces are not
required.
During the summer, Villa signed five players, three of them were permanent and the other two on loan from
Tottenham Hotspur, Clement Lenglet and Nicolo Zaniolo, respectively.
With only a few days remaining in the January transfer window, Kosta Nedeljkovic is Aston Villa’s only signing.
Emery is clearly not concerned about adding to his roster, as Nedelijkovic has been sent back to his former club, Red
Star Belgrade, for the rest of the season.
Nedeljkovic is undoubtedly a future signing, demonstrating that Emery and the Villa administration are planning for
the long term rather than relying on their short-term success, which has seen them ascend into the top four this
season.
The youthful Serbian right-back might be Villa’s long-term solution to replacing Matty Cash while not forcing a
centre-back into an unnatural position. However, with just 18 appearances in Serbia’s top level, he needs time.
After multiple bids were rejected, Aston Villa ultimately signed one of their major targets this month, Morgan
Rogers. The Englishman has been a standout in the Championship for Middlesbrough, scoring against Chelsea in
this season’s Carabao Cup.
It remains to be seen where Rogers will fit into Emery’s team immediately, but with his enormous potential, he will
be a key player for them in the coming years; nevertheless, with Villa struggling recently, he may be given more
opportunities than initially anticipated.
Villa do not require fresh acquisitions given how well their summer newcomers have done, with players such as Ollie
Watkins and John McGinn reaching new heights.
However, Jhon Duran, Villa’s only striker after Watkins, has only four goals in 35 Premier League games, which is
insufficient. While Watkins has a great injury record during his professional career, missing only two league games
in 2021, unusual knocks and strained muscles cannot be counted out.
Given Duran’s inability to make a significant impression in England, Emery may try to sign a new striker this
summer. Also, there have been several linkages regarding Watkins.
