Not even the most ardent of Aston Villa fans could ever have imagined the kind of start they have enjoyed to the new Premier League season.

Dean Smith's side have flown out of the blocks this campaign, and made a complete mockery of the fact they only just survived relegation back to the Championship on the final day of last season.

Demolition jobs of Liverpool and Arsenal have been the icing on the cake for Villa, with the side just six points off fourth and with two games in hand on almost all of the sides that are above them.

The pundit and naysayers will no doubt all be out in force over the coming weeks and months to insist that the Midlands club can't continue to keep up their form, and that an inevitable slide is on the cards.

And of course for every Leicester or Wolves success stories over the past few years of sides breaking up the Premier League's big six, there are so many more examples of teams falling away after racing off to a great start.

That's exactly why Villa's co-owners of Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens must back Smith to the hilt in the January transfer window, and give them the extra firepower needed to make sure their incredible first half of the season is backed up for the second.

Smith has already admitted that Villa face a challenge in keeping up their momentum, and almost threw down the gauntlet to the club's hierarchy over making sure he's given the tools to ensure they do so.

He said: "We're always planning for the next window but only time will tell if (our squad depth) is strong enough. We believe it's certainly stronger than last season and in a much better place.

"Our start to the season has proven that already but we've got to sustain that. It's a tough league to play in week in, week out. We feel we're stronger this season with the additions we've made and the experience we've got from last season. We have to go and sustain that."

It would be such an unforgivable disaster if Villa threw away all the hard work they have done by just taking a much more laid-back approach in the January transfer window.

This is the exact moment where they simply cannot rest on their laurels. Sawiris and Edens hold the key to Villa hitting the jackpot this season.