Aston Villa sealed one of the biggest deals of the January transfer window.

Dean Smith’s side are looking to build on their fine start to the season and potentially seal qualification for Europe.

The club have been in excellent form this season and are currently ninth in the Premier League table, though they are just three points behind fifth-placed West Ham United, who they play on Wednesday evening.

Morgan Sanson could make his debut against the Hammers, having joined the club from French club Marseille.

Sky Sports reports that the club paid around £14m to bring the midfielder to Villa Park and Danny Mills, the former Premier League right-back, has claimed that the deal could ultimately be something of a bargain.

He told Football Insider: “He’s 26 now so he’s coming into the prime of his career.

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“He’s played all French football up to this point, he’s gone through the French system in youth football and Under-21s so he’s obviously talented.

“As we all know players coming out of the French league are always a little bit cheaper.

“It’s one of those that players that can play in the midfield area to strengthen and bolster the squad and put pressure on those players that are in there already to step up.

“It looks like he could be a real bargain.

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“There’s a lot of pressure playing at Marseille. Behind PSG, they probably consider themselves the biggest club in France.

“They’ve got a great history, very knowledgeable and very passionate about their football so if you can perform on that stage, playing in the Premier League shouldn’t be a huge issue.”

Sanson made 157 appearances for Marseille in total, scoring 25 goals and laying on 22 assists.

GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…

Yeah this is a great deal.

This is a genuinely complete midfield player and he could bring both steel and silk to the heart of the pitch.

Per WhoScored, he averaged 1.8 tackles per game in Ligue 1 this season, along with 0.8 interceptions, 1.5 fouls, 1.1 key passes and 0.9 shots.

This is a player who can make a real difference at both ends of the pitch.

For £14m, this feels like just the type of cheap deal that will be held up at the end of the season as an example of excellent recruitment.