So far in the January transfer window, Aston Villa have said goodbye to Axel Tuanzebe, who has had his loan spell at Villa Park cut short, as well as seeing Wesley return from his loan at Club Brugge only to then be loaned back out again, this time to Brazilian club Internacional.

In addition, Villa have managed to secure a loan deal for Barcelona's former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho until the end of the season, with an option to sign permanently.

What's the news? 

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT prior to the signing of the Brazil playmaker, journalist Dean Jones had his say on what he thinks Villa's plan will be during the current transfer window in terms of potential incomings.

He said: "I do think that a central midfielder is the number one priority. That's what they're looking at first before they get onto those other slots that will just strengthen up the squad."

Fans will be buzzing

Given how current Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba picked up a serious knee injury last month which will keep him out of action for the foreseeable future, it would make sense for the club to try and bring another midfielder in this month to help fill the gap left by the Zimbabwean's unfortunate absence.

Douglas Luiz and John McGinn have been regular figures in Villa's midfield this season with a combined total of 32 league appearances. Aside from them, however Gerrard only has Morgan Sanson, who has struggled with injuries since his arrival at Villa Park, and Carney Chukwuemeka, who only has seven Premier League appearances under his belt, as bona fide central midfielders who he can currently call upon.

This suggests that it could be worth targeting a reliable and experienced central midfielder to come in and add strength and depth to that area of the squad, and it would surely delight a lot of fans to see that the club aren't just going to settle with Coutinho and what they already have at their disposal.

Moving forward, with an agreement in place to sign the 29-year-old, this should allow Villa to now focus on targets in other areas of the pitch such as central midfield, and possibly then another defender with Tuanzebe gone.

In other news: Gerrard must seal AVFC deal for “sensational” £85k-p/w beast as Fabrizio Romano update emerges