Villa spending big in the January transfer window

A look at the big business made by AVFC.

Transcript

00:00On to Aston Villa and obviously a bit of a transfer update. They've been ambitious in

00:04this January window, it has to be said. Obviously they had a bit of a clear-out in the summer

00:09to meet PSR and FFP regulations. I mean, they've seemingly looked at their position at halfway

00:16and said, this is where we can go, we want to make sure we're signing players to ensure

00:21we get over the line. We've mentioned before that Champions League football next year might

00:26be very, very tough to achieve, but certainly European places you feel Villa will stride

00:31for now with these signings. What's the latest you can tell us and how will these new faces

00:35bolster at Villa Park?

00:38Yeah, it's been a very busy transfer window for Aston Villa. Loads and loads of speculation,

00:43normally turns to nothing, but this time things are happening in this window. Unai Emery trying

00:48to sculpt that squad to the best of his ability, obviously trying to progress as far as possible

00:52in the Champions League. Hopes for top eight finish there to progress or through the playoffs

00:57to get through to the last 16, quarterfinal, semis, maybe even further if they can achieve

01:01their dreams. And then in the Premier League, it's so, so tight for those European positions.

01:05Can they beat Manchester City, Bournemouth, Forest, Chelsea for the top four and Newcastle

01:11in there as well? Top five might be enough for Champions League football. Villa need

01:14to focus on themselves and do all they can and the transfer business is showing just

01:18that. The Donyell Marlon signing, we've not seen much of him just yet. He wasn't able

01:23to play in the Champions League because he wasn't registered for this phase, but he will

01:26be able to play in the next rounds of the competition. So Jadon Filagin leaving for

01:30Ipswich Town, 23 million pounds, that money spent directly on Marlon. I think a fantastic

01:35bit of business, someone who's got high quality, probably a higher ceiling as well and can

01:40play in more positions as an out and out striker, even if they need. Andres Garcia coming in

01:44at right back, 7 million pounds or just under. What a bargain he could turn out to be. One

01:50of Levante, Levante style player in the Spanish Segunda division, one of the best defenders

01:55in that division for the start of this season. Can play at right back, centre back if needed.

02:00He's six foot one, so he's got that height for set pieces. He can also be a threat on

02:04the counter attack as well. Had quite a few goals in his last few appearances for Levante.

02:08Centre back is the next area of priority. We saw Diego Carlos leave the club, Pau Torres'

02:13injury and then Tyro Mings as well, hobbling off against West Ham United. That's an area

02:19Villa are trying so hard to get a new player in. Loic Bardet seemed to be the man coming

02:24in from Sevilla, but the personal terms were an issue after bids in the region of 25 million

02:29pounds. Juan Fuitz, the former Tottenham man, he's at Villa Real, former one of Emery's

02:35players. He wants to bring him in if possible, but it's looking a little bit complicated.

02:39And then Axel de Zazie, the French centre back at Chelsea, looks like it could be a

02:44loan deal without an option to buy. Plenty of other teams are in the conversation though.

02:49De Zazie has said he wants to join Villa. He's spoken to Unai Emery already. I think

02:54we can expect movement there. And then finally, before I lose my breath, Gilles Felix, also

02:58from Chelsea, has been spoken about once again for a third successive transfer window. That

03:04couldn't be a loan if de Zazie joined. You can't have two domestic loans from the same

03:08club. So essentially a permanent deal could bubble before the end of the window.