No Panic Buying and No Sanogo

It's a no-no to Yaya Sanogo as Paul Lambert stands firm on his stance towards January panic buying. The Birmingham Mail have reported that AVFC likely won't be making moves this month. Villa are under more pressure than ever despite being on track for their best finish in four years, likely because of a pitiful goal tally of eleven in the past twenty games. Villa are in need of a kick-start that's for sure, but Sanogo won't be the man to do that.

The reluctance to buy is probably a good sign from the Villa manager as panic buying can sink a steady ship, even if it is in need of a good old fashioned mutiny. Villa do need some more players, but is over-paying for them really worth it in the long run? Paul Lambert doesn't think so.

Lambert did admit that if there was someone he wanted for a reasonable price, the owner, Randy Lerner, would back him and the club and foot the bill. Business as usual for the Birmingham club then, really.

Villa will also need to address the Tom Cleverley situation this month as well. Cleverley is free to go anywhere he chooses in the summer, but Villa have a chance to snap him up now for a premium of around £3-7 million. Cleverley looks like a cut price version of Ashley Westwood right now though and will need to step his game up tremendously to justify Lambert and Lerner parting with that much needed cash.

Suspensions and injuries have given Lambert a headache and he will need to boost the depth of the squad's attack going forward and the refusal to make a move on Arsenal's Yaya Sanogo shows that Paul Lambert and Villa may have someone else in mind.

At any rate, if it wasn't obvious the big spending of the MON days is long gone, don't expect a marquee signing this month, but do look for the deals that will add depth to a depleted squad.