Aston Villa prepare to enter loan market for striker transfer in closing stages of January window – report
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is “preparing to enter the loan market” to sign an attacker in the closing days of the January transfer window, according to the Express and Star.
The Villans sanctioned the release of Danny Ings to Premier League rivals West Ham earlier this month, while Cameron Archer was also given the green light for a Championship loan in the second half of the season.
Emery’s outfit now have just one out-and-out striker in their first-team squad in Ollie Watkins and are looking to bolster these paper-thin reserves in the dying stages of the winter window.
The Express and Star believes (Monday 30 January) the Spaniard would be willing to recruit a temporary option and then explore a longer-term signing in the summer.
The report said: “Villa are preparing to enter the loan market if they are unable to land one of their top attacking targets in the final hours of the transfer window.
“Boss Unai Emery wants to at least add an experienced striker to his squad following the £15million sale of Danny Ings to West Ham.
“But the closer it gets to tomorrow night’s deadline, the more likely Villa will enter the loan market, rather risk spending a big fee on a player who isn’t near the top of their list.”
Desperate
Villa’s lack of squad depth is extremely worrying at the moment, with only three attacking options available to Emery – with one of these being 16-year-old academy winger Kadan Young.
If the likes of Leon Baily or Watkins were to pick up an injury, the Spaniard would have no option but to play with a false nine and hope his side can nick wins on the break.
Although the offer for Ings was a decent price, and the striker was clearly never a long-term part of Emrery’s plans, you can’t help but feel the summer was the wiser time to sanction his exit from Villa Park.
As the West Midlands club are finding out this window, Premier League goals are hard to buy, and they could yet rue the decision to let Ings move to the London Stadium.
Hopefully, the manic rush at the end of this window won’t result in Villa being held to ransom by clubs over prices and wages, as their transfers so far this window have been shrewd and modestly priced.
In other Aston Villa news, James Maddison is one to watch for the Villans in their next game.