When the summer transfer window slammed shut, most Aston Villa fans were relatively happy about the business they managed to complete before the deadline.
A slow start saw Marco Bizot and Evann Guessand as the only first-team arrivals, before Jacob Ramsey was sold to Newcastle to help raise funds. Unai Emery then added Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott on loan deals, alongside Victor Lindelof on a free transfer to bolster the squad.
But while Lindelof and Sancho have had their fair share of game time, Elliott is very much on the periphery of Emery's side, and was once again left out of the match-day squad for their trip to Brighton on Wednesday night.
Aston Villa Can't Waste Money on Elliott
Unai Emery looks on during Aston Villa v Young Boys
While there is no doubting how talented Elliott is as a player, it's clear that there is an issue between him and Emery. The Spanish manager has praised him publicly, and reports suggest that staff are impressed by his attitude in training.
However, the England Under-21 international has featured just five times all season, with two starts, and his last appearance for the club came as a substitute in early October where he featured for just four minutes against Feyenoord in the Europa League.
The Athletic reports that part of the agreement in Elliott's loan deal from Liverpool was that the transfer would be made permanent for around £35m once he made ten appearances for the club, and now Villa have the chance to back out of the deal. It will mean that he will barely feature for the rest of the year, as he has already played for both clubs this season and that means FIFA rules block him from transferring elsewhere in January.
But if Elliott isn't going to be in Emery's plans going forward, they must avoid splashing £35m on him and instead make plans for him to move on next summer.
Aston Villa Desperate for a Striker
Igor Thiago
While scoring goals hasn't been the biggest problem for Villa this season, it's clear that they need a new striker.
Ollie Watkins has found the net just three times in all competitions and is dealing with a knee injury as the club look to avoid surgery, while the only other striker option in the squad is Donyell Malen - who naturally plays as a winger.
Reports suggest that the Midlands club have been very impressed by Brentford star Igor Thiago this season, who has only been outscored by Erling Haaland in the Premier League, and recently broke a club record by becoming the fastest player to reach double figures in a Premier League campaign.
While £35m is highly unlikely to be enough to get a deal done for him, Villa would be much better off putting that £35m from the Elliott deal towards bringing in a new striker like Thiago to help the side, and that could well be the crucial difference between making the Champions League next season or missing out once again.
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