Aston Villa has a good position going into January.

Firmly in the running for Champions League qualification, the winter transfer window presents more of a chance for improvement than a last-minute rush to bring in new players.

At this time last year, Villa wanted to add at least one player for head coach Unai Emery, and they approved a low-cost, high-performing deal to bring in Alex Moreno, who was Emery’s sole pursuit.

The club’s wider recruitment team also brought in Jon Duran, who is already exhibiting promising signs and is thought by many in the football world to be one of the best young forwards in the world.

Emery has the ability to maneuver. The 52-year-old claims he is content with his team and will depend more on its supporting players in the upcoming weeks, but letting go of those who are thought unnecessary would allow Villa to bolster in the wide areas.

Due to Villa’s strict adherence to financial fair play (FFP) rules, it is possible that the club will continue the previous three windows’ patterns. They added £28 million to a balance sheet that required improvement despite spending £76 million in the summer.

It is acknowledged within the team that in order to enable Villa to spend within the FFP limitations, they must continue to find new revenue streams and commercial streams; however, should Emery and President of Football Operations Monchi identify the ideal player, the team will make a determined effort to acquire them.In the upcoming days, Emery, Monchi, and the club’s owners, Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris, are scheduled to convene to determine which positions, if any, call for player additions and what kind of player is available. Emery is unwilling to sign anyone who won’t be a step up.

Emery handles transfer negotiations and serves as a sounding board alongside Damian Vidagany, the director of football, following the arrival of Monchi, his former colleague from Sevilla, in the summer.

They both know exactly which player Emery wants and who fits in with Villa’s system because they are close with him.

Emery only gets involved in the final stages of a deal; he stays out of the specifics of player negotiations.

The three decision-makers, who report to Monchi, oversee crucial football-related issues and have established a “triangle of power.” Their scouting network includes a growing number of recruits who speak Spanish.

Considering that Matty Cash is the team’s only specialist option at right-back, there is a growing perception that Emery wants to bolster the position. Emery seems to be prioritizing getting a right-back to rival Cash and provide support, as he has been looking to improve in most areas since joining 13 months ago.

After a last-minute, ultimately unsuccessful attempt to sign Jack Harrison in the summer, who joined Everton, a winger has also been considered. The only pure winger Emery uses right now is Leon Bailey, who is approaching the last two years of his contract and will soon meet to talk about an extension.

Villa was very interested in Marcos Acuna, a left-back, during the summer and might still be, even with Lucas Digne’s excellent play. While Monchi knew Acuna from their time together at Sevilla, Emery had a deep understanding of him from managing against him in La Liga.