New signings have to settle in very quickly

IT’S been a busy window and only time will tell if Aston Villa have got it right.

The big-money arrival of Scott Hogan from Brentford late in the day would have been exciting had Villa not lost 3-0 to his former team just hours before.

The onus is now on him to get the goals that fire the club back up the division.

Another goalscorer was needed to bolster the depleted strikeforce and with Jordan Ayew jetting off to Swansea, hopefully Villa have a more prolific man in return.

Of course, Neil Taylor, the man who moved to Villa as part of the Ayew deal, won’t be tasked with scoring goals. He will provide cover for a struggling Jordan Amavi at left-back, though.

Villa have lost too many goals from that position this season and Alan Hutton, for all his effort and enthusiasm, needs to be pushed on the other side. James Bree will now do that.

Villa are blessed with numbers now. In midfield they have goals and creativity, not that they showed it at Griffin Park.

Henri Lansbury and Conor Hourihane have shown what they’re made of in the Championship – now they must do it in claret and blue.

The jury is still out on Birkir Bjarnason. It’s early days for the Icelander, nicknamed Thor, and likened to Robbie Savage ‘but a better footballer’ by his manager.

As for the departures, well, Ashley Westwood’s time appeared to be up and he sealed a £5 million move to Burnley, while Aaron Tshibola now has the chance to reinvent himself away from Villa Park with a loan to Nottingham Forest.

Villa striker Ross McCormack also joined Forest on a loan deal.

The Scotland international, who joined Villa for £12 million last summer, had fallen out with boss Steve Bruce. McCormack scored three goals in 22 appearances for Villa but was publicly criticised by Bruce in January after failing to show for training.