Not just this season, but ever since Unai Emery walked into the Aston Villa dugout they have become one of the best teams in the Premier League. Last season, Emery took Villa from relegation candidates to European qualification and now has them sitting very nicely inside the top four.
The Spaniard has done tremendous work with Villa and pretty much all of the signings made under him have turned out to be massive hits. The likes of Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres Nicolo Zaniolo have made headlines with their performances, which means there isn’t a need to do much transfer business this month.
Aston Villa new signings January 2024 arrivals
Confirmed Aston Villa signings in January 2024
Much like the majority of teams in the Premier League this January, Aston Villa are yet to make a big signing. The fact that they are performing very well, have few injuries and look to have established good team chemistry means new faces aren’t required.
During the summer, Villa made five signings, three of them permanent and the other two being loan deals for ex-Tottenham Hotspur man, Clement Lenglet and Nicolo Zaniolo respectively.
Kosta Nedeljkovic – Red Star Belgrade (£7.8 million)
With just a few days left to go in the January transfer window, Kosta Nedeljkovic is Aston Villa’s only signing. Emery is clearly not too worried about adding to his squad with Nedelijkovic has been sent back to his former club, Red Star Belgrade, for the remainder of the season.
Nedeljkovic is certainly a signing for the future and shows that Emery and the Villa hierarchy are planning for the long term and not resting on their short-term success which has seen them climb into the top four this campaign.
The young Serbian right-back could well be Villa’s long-term solution to replacing Matty Cash and not shoehorning a centre-back into an unnatural position. But with just 18 appearances in Serbia’s top division, he needs time to develop and learn his trade.
Morgan Rogers – Middlesbrough (£8 million)
After numerous bids being rejected, Aston Villa have finally got one of their main targets this month in the form of Morgan Rogers. The Englishman has been starring in the Championship for Middlesbrough even scoring against Chelsea in this season’s Carabao Cup.
It remains to be seen where Rogers will fit into Emery’s team immediately, but he is going to be a big player for them in the next few years given his huge potential, but with Villa stuttering lately, he may be afforded more opportunities than initially expected.
Aston Villa’s summer 2024 plans
Villa do not require new signings given how well their summer arrivals have performed, as well as the likes of Ollie Watkins and John McGinn going to a new level.
However, the only striker Villa have behind Watkins is Jhon Duran who has just four goals in his 35 Premier League appearances isn’t good enough. While Watkins does have an impressive injury record during his professional career missing just two games in the league which was back in 2021, freak knocks and pulled muscles can never be ruled out.
A new striker could well be the area that Emery looks to target in the summer given Duran’s inability to make a big impact in England. Also, there have been a lot of links surrounding Watkins and what his future may hold, so there will have to be a contingency plan for if a big offer comes in for the England international.
Confirmed Aston Villa departures in January 2024
There have been rumours surrounding Bertrand Traore and how he’s going to be allowed to leave this month with interest from Saudi Arabia. When it comes to the summer window, Villa will want to go to another level, so trimming the squad of fringe players will be keen.
Leander Dendoncker – Napoli (Loan)
Since swapping Wolves for Aston Villa back in 2022, Dendoncker has never been able to nail down a regular spot in the starting lineup. The Belgian midfielder has played under both Steven Gerrard and Unai Emery without establishing himself as a valuable first-team member.
Just 16 appearances across all competitions was enough for both parties to admit going their separate ways was in everyone’s best interests. Dendoncker has joined Serie A champions Napoli for the remainder of the season.
Napoli have a £7.7 million option to buy Dendoncker on a permanent basis in the summer, but it will depend on how much he impresses in the second half of the season and if he can help turn the Italian giants’ season around, but one thing is for sure, Dendoncker’s time at Villa Park is certainly over.
Finn Azaz – Middlesbrough (£2 million)
The former Villa midfielder saw his loan deal with Plymouth Argyle cut short last week before then joining Championship outfit Middlesbrough permanently. Finn Azaz was taken from Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion back in 2021 when he was in the Under 21s.
Azaz failed to ever make a first-team competitive appearance for Villa, so Emery and the club will see the fact they still got £2 million for the midfielder as solid business. Azaz is a star of the Championship having registered seven goals and five assists during the first half of the season with Plymouth.
Given the number of talented players Villa have in midfield and other attacking options, it made sense for the club to accept a cash offer for a player they were unlikely to ever use in the future.
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