Aston Villa chiefs Unai Emery and Monchi made moves to bolster the squad in the recent January transfer window ahead of the second half of the season.
The Villans brought in Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia on permanent deals from Borussia Dortmund and Levante respectively, to improve their options up front and at full-back.
Malen-Aston-Villa
They also swooped to sign Marcus Rashford, Axel Disasi, and Marco Asensio on loan from Manchester United, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.
How Aston Villa's January signings have performed
Malen, who was not included in the club's squad list for the Champions League, has failed to register a goal or an assist in seven appearances in all competitions for Villa so far, starting just one of his six league matches.
Tielemans-Rogers-Disasi-McGinn
Disasi, however, has started all four of his appearances in the Premier League since his temporary switch from Chelsea, and Garcia has started four of his five outings in the league.
Rashford, who joined on loan from United, has registered four assists, including the one in the clip above, in his last six matches for the Villans in all competitions.
Market Movers
Market Movers
The standout performer for Villa, out of all of the January recruits, has been PSG loanee Asensio, who has hit the ground running to make a big impact on the pitch.
Aston Villa's £59m-rated star in the making
Aston Villa have already hit the jackpot with the loan star because the Spain international has racked up seven goals in eight games for the club to date, including three goals in two Champions League clashes with Club Brugge.
The 29-year-old wizard's performances for Villa and PSG over the past year have also earned him a comparison to Manchester City's £59m signing Omar Marmoush.
[FBCharts] Omar Marmoush Comparisons (1)
As you can see in the chart above, both players excel at scoring goals, creating chances, and progressing the play for their respective teams from a wide or central attacking position.
Asensio, who scored two goals and provided four assists in eight Ligue 1 starts in the first half of the season for PSG, moved to the Premier League at the same time as Marmoush in January, and has enjoyed a similar impact at the top end of the pitch.
24/25 Premier League Marco Asensio Omar Marmoush
Appearances (starts) 4 (2) 6 (5)
xG 1.43 1.05
Goals 2 3
Assists 0 0
Pass accuracy 86% 83%
Dribble success rate 75% 20%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, they have both offered a decent goal threat to their respective clubs in the top-flight since January, whilst being reliable with their use of the ball.
This shows that Villa have already hit the jackpot by signing the Spanish star, who has been described as a "mentality monster" by Matty Cash, because he has made an instant impact on the pitch, playing a pivotal role in their win over Club Brugge to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Marco Asensio celebrates for Aston Villa
TEAMtalk recently reported that Villa are in talks over an £18m deal to sign the 29-year-old ace permanently, which could also represent them hitting gold as his statistics for the club - and for PSG over the past year - suggest that he can be as effective as a £59m-rated star.
Therefore, Monchi and Emery could secure a £59m-rated star in the making by landing the PSG outcast for a fee of just £18m, which seems like a bargain based on his form since his temporary switch.
Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn Related
[Stronger than McGinn: Aston Villa racing Real Madrid to sign "superb" teen](https://www.footballfancast.com/aston-villa-racing-real-madrid-to-sign-bouaddi-whos-already-a-ucl-star/ "Stronger than McGinn: Aston Villa racing Real Madrid to sign "superb" teen")
He's one to watch...