Martin O’Neill today revealed Villa will make every effort to sign players this month so as not to “throw away” their prospects of challenging for Europe.
Villa headed into the transfer window in sixth place, just a point off the Champions League places after their New Year’s Day win over Tottenham.
Boss O’Neill doesn’t want to see the momentum of his side’s recent run wasted and is determined to strengthen.
The Villa chief is believed to be after a right-back, left-back, a striker and possibly a creative midfielder this month and has been linked with Porto right-back Jose Bosingwa and Liverpool pair John Arne Riise and Peter Crouch.
“We’re going to spend some of this month trying to strengthen the squad because the players have made a collosal effort and we wouldn’t want to throw it away now,” said O’Neill.
“We’ve had a decent start. Strengthening will be easier said than done.
“If people ask am I going to be signing someone today, the answer is ‘no’. But we’ll do all we can.
“We’re looking at a couple of things. It’s well noted we’ve got the smallest squad in the Premier League.
“We’ve got six ever-presents and you would imagine if Scott Carson had been available against Liverpool, it might have been seven.
“We’ve got three established goalkeepers in that group of 23 so we’re down to 20, which includes Stephen O’Halloran and Moustapha Salifou who have never played a game for us, Patrik Berger and Isaiah Osbourne.
“So we need to try to address that if we can. I wouldn’t estimate on numbers at this stage.”
O’Neill accepts he may lose players with Thomas Sorensen keen to get his exit strategy sorted out and Luke Moore’s agent having said the striker wants to leave, despite recently signing the 12-month option on his contract.
Sheffield United want Gary Cahill, who has recently returned from a loan spell at Bramall Lane. But O’Neill says any departures would be against his wishes.
“I don’t know if we’re going to lose anyone,” said O’Neill. “If you’re asking me do I want to lose any players? Then the answer is no.
“I’ve been speaking to Thomas Sorensen’s agent and he’s keeping me informed of what’s happening and we’ll see.
“I really never get overly excited by what agents say. It’s not a problem – players play the games.
“The one thing about this team is that they give everything they have possibly got while they’re here, so I haven’t a problem with it.
“I’m incredibly proud of the players. Agents can say what they want, and generally speaking, when you ask an agent why they said something, they say they didn’t say anything.”
O’Neill is confident he will have the players he wants by the time the window shuts on January 31.
“I think it’s a fair assumption that we would have more choices come February,” he said.
“I’m not saying we’re looking around or that a player will come in today, but we need to strengthen and we’ve earmarked some people and it will be great if it materialises.
“We still want to be in contention in the second half of the season.
“I know where I’m going with regard to which players I want. We have a fair idea of where we’re going.”
Right-back is one area where O’Neill is more keen to strengthen having gone into the season without a specialist number two.
Centre-back Olof Mellberg has taken on the mantle and done a sterling job, much to the delight of the Villa boss.
Mellberg is out of contract in the summer and O’Neill wants him to stay, but he admits he is at the mercy of the player, who ironically is the only one to have played every League game since the Irishman took charge in August 2006.
“You think about these situations, but if I have a kind of an idea of what’s happening (re Mellberg), then I have a better idea of planning,” he said.
“The bottom line is I honestly haven’t got a major problem with it, and if we can still come up with something that suits everyone, then I’d be delighted.
“But in terms of commitment, I have absolutely no problems with the lad – I’d go the other way because I’ve been delighted he’s played right-back for most of the first half of the season when he’s actually a centre-back.”
Midfield is also an area where O’Neill is considering strengthening.
“I’ve got four recognised midfielders – the three playing in there now, plus Craig Gardner and young Isaiah Osbourne, who is doing alright. I wouldn’t mind being able to strengthen again.”
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