This was never going to be a glamorous window, but certainly few would have expected such a twist.

With Aston Villa hit by a cluster of midfield injuries at the worst possible time, this transfer catch-up looks at the merit of the triple signings of former players, that were originally signed by Dean Smith. Are we upgrading? Gambling? Or is it just damage limitation?

The conversation centres on the loss of Kamara, Tielemans, and McGinn and why that trio underpins almost everything Villa do well. Defensive stability. Control. Goal contributions. Take all three out and you are not tweaking a system, you are protecting one.

That context frames the return of Douglas Luiz, the intrigue around Tammy Abraham, and the pragmatic reality behind Leon Bailey’s situation. None are presented as silver bullets. All are discussed as players at career crossroads, arriving not to transform Villa but to stabilise them.

The sentimentality that the trio brings makes the signings a cut above a punt on an unknown, and all three have proven already they can do a job in claret and blue.

UTV

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David Michael - @myoldmansaid

Chris Budd - @BUDD_music

Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

Music production & creation - David Michael

My Old Man Said - https://www.myoldmansaid.com

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