Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has hinted at a quiet January transfer window for the club.
The team's form this season has been one of the stories of the 2023-24 Premier League campaign, with Villa sitting second in the table, boasting 42 points from their opening 20 matches.
Emery's side are only three points behind division leaders Liverpool, while they sit two points clear of both third-placed Manchester City and fourth-placed Arsenal.
There have been claims that the club could be active in January, as there is an opportunity to push for a Champions League position for the 2024-25 campaign.
However, Emery has admitted that it will be difficult for the team to sign the right type of player during the winter market due to the difficulties surrounding mid-season transfers.
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"One or two players could leave. Maybe. It's not clear. And if we are trying to get someone, it is because we are very convinced they will increase our level in squad. And it's not clear in January we are going to get it," Emery told reporters.
Villa are believed to be keen to reinforce at right-back, although the club are working to a strict budget due to the rules surrounding Financial Fair Play.
The club brought in Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans during last summer's transfer window, while Clement Lenglet and Nicolo Zaniolo arrived on loan from Barcelona and Galatasaray respectively.
Villa will be bidding to book their spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup when they head to Middlesbrough on Saturday evening before returning to league action away to Everton on January 14.
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"I won some titles in different cups in France with PSG, and I was asking this morning for some players' experiences in different cup competitions when they've been successful," Emery told reporters during his press conference ahead of the Boro clash.
"We are here trying to build a new way with Aston Villa and the players we have here. We are going to try to do one way in this competition because it's a very prestigious competition here in England.
"We have to be focused to build and create a strong structure with the players we have, thinking in our mentality about doing something important.
"We want to be contenders to play in the next round. We are respecting Middlesbrough; they are going to be excited to play against us."
Villa have won the FA Cup seven times in their history, with the team's last success in the competition coming in 1957, when they recorded a 2-1 win over Manchester United in the final.
Matt Law
