Aston Villa were one of the busiest clubs in England when it came to the transfer window, Unai Emery and Monchi welcomed eight new players to Villa Park.
Of the newcomers, Amadou Onana has definitely been the biggest success story for Villa early on, now nominated for the Premier League player of the month award.
Of course, Villa fans may have expected as much from the 22-year-old, given he’s known to be an immense talent and the club paid a lot of money to bring him in.
However, Emery has chosen to be more cautious with the likes of Ian Maatsen, especially given that Lucas Digne has started the season in fine form.
And whilst Villa also raided Premier League clubs for Ross Barkley and Lewis Dobbin this summer, they were actually tempted to pull off one more audacious move.
Aston Villa made late enquiry for Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White
According to Mail Sport, Aston Villa made a tentative enquiry to sign Morgan Gibbs-White this summer.
Monchi was joined by Newcastle United in that regard, who had possessed an interest in the 24-year-old who has just been called up by England.
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Nottingham Forest paid £43m to sign Gibbs-White from Wolverhampton Wanderers back in 2022, a fee that was mocked at the time.
But Forest’s decision has paid off, and the club now have a number 10 wearing the captain’s armband with pride.
Villa’s enquiry to sign Gibbs-White looks as if it never received any interest, from neither club nor player.
Gibbs-White is said to be ‘in his element’ at Forest, and coaches have spoken glowingly about how the captain takes time to advise the club’s academy prospects.
Unai Emery needs to give Jhon Duran more chances
Of course, when it comes to elite talent, Villa may already have a player destined for that bracket waiting on the sidelines.
Jhon Duran has been exceptional in his brief cameos this season, and may even be hoping for a start against Everton when club football returns.
It would certainly be difficult to displace either Ollie Watkins or Morgan Rogers in the starting eleven, but perhaps Emery can find space for all three.
Duran has the potential to eventually surpass Watkins at Villa, a bold statement, but one that should prove true if Emery gives the Colombian more game time.
It’s a healthy situation at Villa Park right now, but perhaps some fans will still wonder ‘what if’ in regards to Gibbs-White potentially arriving.