OPINION
When it came to where Aston Villa needed to strengthen heading into the January transfer window, there were two crucial areas in the squad which looked paper thin for Dean Smith.
Firstly there was a complete lack of depth at centre back, Tommy Elphick finding himself recalled from Hull City to shore up the back line before Kortney Hause and Tyrone Mings arrived at Villa Park to help boost the side and ensure there was enough quality for the rest of the season.
The other position which was lacking in quality was central midfield – and there is no doubting Smith has failed to bolster as well as he would have liked.
Tom Carroll’s arrival is not going to get the fans up on their feet much, especially when the likes of Nathaniel Chalobah and Leroy Fer were being linked, both said by the Birmingham Mail to have been very much wanted by Smith in the final days of the window.
Delivering his verdict on proceedings, he told the Birmingham Mail: “We were looking at options but the options never came to fruition There was nothing that disappointed us too much, though.”
If that is Smith telling the truth then the Villa fans should be absolutely fuming, for it was still quite a disappointing window for those in the stands.
Quite frankly the manager is fooling no one with his claims – going from targeting Chalobah to Fer was quite a significant drop in itself, the Watford man head and shoulders above most of the Championship, and so to end up with Carroll is a huge let down.
Villa needed big strides in January if they were to make up the ground on their rivals for a play off spot and looking at their squad now, no one will be too confident they have what it takes.
Smith cannot be as happy as he suggests – missing out on those top quality targets will have a big impact between now and the end of the season.