Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is not expected to search for a new central midfielder over the coming months, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The 51-year-old tactician will have the chance to make his mark on the first-team squad in January after succeeding former boss Steven Gerrard in the Villa Park dugout at the start of November.

Aston Villa transfer news – central midfielder

Back in August, BirminghamLive claimed that Villa had been credited with an interest in the likes of Geoffrey Kondogbia, Ibrahim Sangare and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The Midlands outfit ended up bringing in Leander Dendoncker from local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on transfer deadline day, though, adding some steel to their engine room.

Villa were also boosted by Douglas Luiz’s decision to put pen to paper on a new contract after rejecting several last-minute bids from Arsenal.

Therefore, Emery now has several options in the middle of the park to choose from, with summer signing Boubacar Kamara, captain John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey, Marvelous Nakamba and Morgan Sanson also at the club.

What has Jones said about Aston Villa?

Spanish outlet SPORT have claimed Villa are willing to offer £12 million for Barcelona’s Franck Kessie in January after being linked with him in the previous window.

Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know

Yet when asked by GiveMeSport if central midfield is an area of the pitch Emery wants to improve, Jones disclosed that he doesn’t believe that to be the case.

He said: “I don't think it is, to be honest. I mean, look, there's always the possibility of any team adding a central midfielder; it's such a key position, but Villa have got quite a lot of them at their disposal.”

Who could Aston Villa sign?

Spanish sources have stated that Emery is tempted to raid his former side Villarreal for highly-rated winger Yeremy Pino when the transfer market re-opens for business.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has previously informed GMS that a deal for the 20-year-old will not be ‘easy’ and that the Yellow Submarine value him at ‘more than €50 million (£43.3m)’.

Meanwhile, Football Insider have suggested that Villa have made Pino’s Villarreal teammate Pau Torres a ‘top target’ after getting the ‘green light’ from Emery.

The centre-back was linked with the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur over the summer and would provide stiff competition for Tyrone Mings at the heart of defence.