Aston Villa’s transfer window closes with Gary Gardner joining Birmingham City

Looks like the bell has rung, and it’s Jack O’Clock. The permanent transfer deadline has shut closed for the summer and will reopen on the 1st of January. This means that no immediate permanent transfers can be made until after the new year kicks in. However, loan deals and loan-to-buy deals can still be completed until the 31st of August. The big news is that no serious bid for Jack Grealish has come in from Tottenham. Villa’s transfer action will now slow to a crawl.

However, Aston Villa have found room to complete a charitable action by helping out those in need. Gary Gardner - Villa’s 2nd/3rd string midfielder - has moved to Birmingham City on a season-long loan deal. Gardner, a former Villa prodigy, will link up with his brother Craig, and Garry Monk, as the Blues look to finish 15th this season. Birmingham, under a transfer embargo, have been allowed to make 5 signings by the EFL. They have chosen to spend one of those slots on a man who, quite literally, performed a cross-pitch victory lap after burying them with a 28th minute header in the Second City Derby. He probably hates them as well.

But hey, Blues seem happy enough with him and Gary deserves to be happy. Hopefully he gets the action he needs on the pitch to continue his career, be it at Blues, Villa or elsewhere. It’s entirely hilarious, but we wish him all the best. It’s not like he’s going to play against Villa this season!

There are some small threads that have yet to conclude (Villa’s loan deals, the Joe Bryan story and Jack Grealish’s contract), but the most part, the excitement seems to be over.