Matt Maher: Unai Emery will back himself to find Aston Villa solutions within

For Unai Emery, his staff, players and the club’s supporters, it provides the last big chance to draw breath ahead of the second half of a campaign which begins in the FA Cup at Chelsea next Friday night and – should all go to plan – will end in the Europa Conference League in Athens four months later.

Villa have played 31 matches in all competitions to this point, with potentially another 29 to go. For a squad which, as John McGinn fairly observed this week has had its share of injuries, to be sat just two points off the Premier League summit is no mean feat.

Whatever your view on Villa’s credentials as title challengers, there can be no denying they have given themselves an excellent shot at a top-four finish in a season where others who expected to be in the race, notably Manchester United and Newcastle, find themselves off the pace.

The fair question, with the team in such a position of strength, is why with more than half of the January window now gone has business been so quiet?

Granted, a deal to sign right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic from Red Star Belgrade might be in the bag but the 18-year-old won’t join until the summer, the initial £6.6million fee seen as a potential bargain for a player with considerable room for growth.

In terms of arrivals who can help Villa now, Emery has sought to play down the likelihood more and more with each passing press conference, last week claiming incomings were only possible if the club successfully shifts those deemed surplus to requirements.

Reasons for the lack of action are varied and not exclusively down to Financial Fair Play.