Transfer window summary

Aston Villa was quite active in the January transfer window, having made five signings. The question everyone is asking is, will it change our fortunes and give us an extra boost?

I will summarise the five signings by their cost price (according to Tranfermarkt.co.uk).

Lovre Kalinic – £5.40m

The 28-year-old was purchased from Genk and also plays for the Croatia national team. He has played three games for Villa so far and has mixed reviews from the faithful.

Despite the odd error, I believe Kalinic will be a long term better goalkeeper than Ørjan Nyland. He has already proved that he is a good shot stopper as are most modern day goalkeepers. At a towering 6ft 7 inches, he also commands his box a lot better than recent Villa goalkeepers.

Frédéric Guilbert – £4.50m

French right-back Frédéric Guilbert came in on deadline day from the French side, Caen. He was immediately loaned back to Caen in an attempt to help them with their relegation battle.

Although we will have to wait a while to see what the 24-year-old is capable of doing, it almost certainly means he will be our right back next season. This would signal the end of Alan Hutton who was also linked with a move away from Villa Park during the transfer window.

Tyrone Mings – Loan

Tyrone Mings joined from Premiership side, Bournemouth. Although there has been no confirmation it is believed the loan fee is around £700k-£1m. Villa are also rumoured to have an option of signing him for around £3.7m.

I must admit, Mings is a player I am excited about. I believe he can really add something to our struggling defence. He was also a threat when he has played at left-back at his previous clubs. Saying that though, Dean Smith has commented that he plays at centre-half which I find a little strange. He has predominantly played at left-back but his height of 6ft 4inchs may explain that. I would prefer he was played at left back instead of Neil Taylor however.

Kortney Hause – Loan

Korney Hause joined Villa mid-way through the transfer window. Villa has an option to buy the defender from Wolves if the loan deal proves successful.

The jury is still out on the 23-year-old after he struggled when he was introduced during the 3-0 loss to Wigan. It was clear to see he was rusty and needed game time. Hopefully, given time, he will come good but he doesn’t look like he will be starting anytime soon.

Tom Carroll – Loan

Tom Carroll was signed just minutes before the transfer deadline. He was a player that no fan expected with many watching the progress of the Leroy Fer rumour.

If we can keep the former Tottenham youngster fit then I believe he could prove to be a shrewd signing. He can certainly add some much-needed creativity to our midfield. It will certainly be interesting to see how long before he is playing following a recent injury.

Overall, I believe January was a good transfer window for us. If Mings and Carroll can hit the ground running then we could make a convincing run for the playoffs. We will see.