Dean Smith: Aston Villa must offload before signing another midfielder

Villa have tracked midfield options during the current transfer window and failed in a move for Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse.

But with the deadline now just 10 days away, Smith is content with the strength of his squad and reluctant to make further signings simply for the sake of it.

He explained: “At the moment in midfield places I have John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Marvelous Nakamba, Carney Chukwuemeka, JJ (Jacob Ramsey), Conor Hourihane and Morgan Sanson coming back from injury.

“There are a lot of numbers in there and I think to add to that would be stockpiling players a little bit. Players would probably need to move out before we moved anyone in for that area.”

Hourihane is expected to leave on loan before the deadline and while it is possible Villa could still make a midfield addition, they will only target a player who can significantly improve the starting XI.

Ward-Prowse was considered such a player but Villa saw a £25million offer rejected before the England international signed a new, five-year contract with the Saints.

“As you know I don’t talk about players at other football clubs,” said Smith, when asked about Ward-Prowse. “Good luck to Southampton that he has signed a new contract.

“In terms of us strengthening, I feel we have a deep enough squad now.

“Our three subs came off the bench and made an impact (at Watford) which is something we haven’t had the last couple of seasons.

“We have got cover in each position. The squad depth is good now. There maybe a couple who can go out on loan or go out of the club but other than that we are quite happy where we are.”

Smith has, meanwhile, stressed the importance of managing Luiz’s workload with the Brazil international having returned to Bodymoor Heath this week after a busy summer in which he played in the Copa America and then won Olympic gold.

The 23-year-old is facing an important season as he seeks to cement his place in Villa’s long-term plans.

Smith said: “It is a really big 12 months but it is also a big 12 months in terms of how we manage him.

“He hasn’t had a lot of rest over the last two years. We had a lockdown where he was unable to see any of his family. He was not able to travel home to Brazil.

“This year he has had World Cup qualifiers, Copa America and the Olympics. He is a young age still.

“But you can’t dampen the euphoria of winning an Olympic gold medal. He has been bouncing around the training ground since he has been back. He can play a big part in this club’s future.”