Aston Villa have been impressive so far in the Premier League and reporter Dean Jones has given some insight as to where Unai Emery could look to strengthen his squad in January.
Aston Villa draw at Bournemouth…
On Sunday, Aston Villa looked set to fall to their first defeat in five games away to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, with strikes from Antoine Semenyo and Dominic Solanke cancelling out a reply from Leon Bailey.
However, as he so often does, Villans striker Ollie Watkins popped up in the dying embers of the clash with a headed goal to secure a potentially vital point in his side’s hunt for continental qualification, subsequently ensuring that Emery’s men remained inside the top four as they delve deeper into a congested run of festive fixtures.
Speaking to the Villans’ official website in the aftermath of the match, the Spaniard praised his side’s resilience as they salvaged something from proceedings, saying:
“It’s not the worst result but it’s not the best result. In 90 minutes with the way we played and the demands they made of us, I think it’s a good point. We have to accept it and continue trying to build a team. We are in our process and now we have 29 points. We were losing 2-1 at the end and we drew.”
“It’s important to feel it’s a good point. We’re thankful to our supporters for being here with us, and now we’re excited to play again on Wednesday at home with them, trying to continue being strong like we are.”
Next up, Aston Villa take on the might of Premier League champions Manchester City at Villa Park on Wednesday evening in what is arguably the biggest test of their capabilities so far this campaign.
Aston Villa’s next five fixtures – all competitions | ||
Competition | Opponent | Venue |
Premier League | Manchester City (H) | Villa Park |
Premier League | Arsenal (H) | Villa Park |
Europa Conference League | Zrinjski Mostar (A) | Stadion pod Bijelim brijegom |
Premier League | Brentford (A) | Gtech Community Stadium |
Premier League | Sheffield United (H) | Villa Park |
Come January, being able to bring in new arrivals could be crucial to their chances of being able to achieve success this campaign and reporter Jones has given an indication as to where owners NSWE may look to bolster Emery’s ranks.
Dean Jones on Aston Villa transfer activity
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, reporter Jones has signalled that Aston Villa could look to bring in a striker and a left-back in January to help beef up Emery’s squad in an exciting claim.
“There’s no way that Watkins is not starting nine games out of ten. They will look at an attacking presence, and then there’ll be other areas of that pitch that they look to influence. think the midfield seems in pretty good shape, but defensively, left-back is talked about, and I think it seems like the position Villa always seem to turn to when there’s potential for a new signing. The left-back position seems to always come onto the radar. But I think they’ll make one or two signings for sure.”
Especially in the case of a player as important as Watkins, we all know how one injury can derail the entire structure of a side and limit their goalscoring threat. At left-back, Alex Moreno has now returned from a hamstring injury and is available for selection; however, it would make sense to ensure Aston Villa bring in additional cover across both fronts in the New Year.
