Manager Unai Emery outlines Aston Villa transfer window difficulty

Villa will enter 2024 in the thick of the Premier League title race with the transfer window offering a chance to address any weak points in the squad for the second half of the campaign.

The most obvious of those is experienced cover for top scorer Ollie Watkins, with youngster Jhon Duran the only other centre-forward currently on the club’s books.

But Emery, who rejected the chance to sign another striker last January after selling Danny Ings, yesterday claimed to be happy with the existing dynamic up front while also stressing the difficulty of signing a player to compete with Watkins, who has started every league match in 2023.

“To improve on these two strikers, with the circumstances we have, is very, very difficult,” he said.

“Who is (the) striker? Tell me names. I am trying to make sense of the circumstances and how we can improve because Ollie Watkins is playing well and improving.

“We have another young player who is very good for the management with Ollie because he is progressively getting better, can play when not Watkins and can also play with him.

“How we can add another player and manage with the circumstances we have now, is very difficult.”

Watkins has flourished since Emery was appointed Villa’s head coach in November last year and has 14 goals in all competitions this season.

The boss continued: “When I arrived here one year ago his position was in doubt. A lot of people had doubts about Ollie Watkins.

"He was working, working, working, was very demanding with himself and now he has ended any doubts about him.

"We added one young player, Jhon Duran, but of course he needs time.

"We are trying to support and help him. I speak a lot to him because I know it is not easy to add something to improve on Ollie Watkins.

"So we are trying to manage the squad but it is very difficult to sign one player who will improve us in these circumstances. It is even more difficult in this transfer window.

"Last year for example we were thinking about a lot of things in January but the most important thing we did was to reduce the numbers of the squad.

“We were successful with the players we had and now it is the same.”

Despite going two matches without a win for the first time this season, third-placed Villa host Burnley on Saturday knowing a win would send them level on points with leaders Liverpool.

Emery has continually played down their chances of challenging for the title but in a slight change of tack, conceded he was now thinking of the top four positions.

He also revealed the excitement of the club’s billionaire owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, at the progress made under his tenure. Emery has met with the pair and Villa’s sporting director Monchi to discuss January plans.

He said: “Always they are very involved with me, us and Aston Villa. Always they are trying to share with us the possibility to add or link players for the next month in the window.”

Emery continued: "I want to keep in the top four positions in the table. I want to keep it because if we are still there in matchday 30 to 32, we could be a contender to be in the top five or four.

"That is what I want to get. In case we are not getting it, maybe after two months I can tell you different.”