Aston Villa transfer policy clear from swift Gerrard and Coutinho decision

Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa can give themselves a big pat-on-the-back for their January transfer window business.

Philippe Coutinho, on loan from Barcelona, was the headline-grabbing main act. Lucas Digne, a £25m signing from Everton and a full France international in the prime of his career is also swoop not to be sniffed at.

Keeper Robin Olsen went under the radar - although a friendly Scandinavian face in the shape of Johan Lange - Villa's sporting director - would have helped.

And the capture of Calum Chambers took everyone by surprise, even the Fourth Estate. (Don't worry, normal service will soon be resumed.)

The $64,000 question at the end of every window should be whether the squad has been improved.

As far as Aston Villa is concerned, the answer must be a resounding: 'Yes.'

Gerrard has traded up in his left-back and attacking options.

Keeper Jed Steer can consider himself a little unfortunate - particularly after a sterling season in the Championship - not to have been given a bigger opportunity to stake a claim - but then he probably wants to play some football.

Chambers is a strange one. On one hand, he has over 150 professional games - many in the Premier League - to his credit.

On the other, he's a free transfer, aged 27, from Arsenal. The Gunners don't normally lose too many good players. But then, Emi Martinez might disagree.

The fact is, however, that in terms of cover at centre-half and for right-back Matty Cash, Chambers ticks a few boxes.

The main problem on the horizon for Gerrard isn't so much the players immediately at his disposal - it's more to do with the talent coming through Villa's academy.

It is easy to overlook the fact that Villa won the FA Youth Cup for the first time in almost 20 years when they beat Liverpool last term. And that is a sure-fire signal of quality bubbling below the first-team.

Another sure-fire sign of quality is the clubs that are asking for those youngsters.

The big clubs in the Premier League often loan out players to other Premier League clubs. Think Conor Gallagher who Chelsea allowed to play for West Brom. He turned up at Crystal Palace this season.

And the development in him is clear for everyone to see - particularly those who saw his first few matches at the Hawthorns.

Villa aren't yet at that level. But it appears that they are gaining ground in that respect, too.

Jacob Ramsey has already made it to the first-team - it's the opinion of this author that by maintaining his spot with Villa - that a continuation (or improvement) of that form in the early parts of the new campaign in August could see him emerge as a contender for Gareth Southgate's squad for the World Cup.

Anyway…

Villa have loaned out four of their players to the Championship. Steer to Luton Town, Jaden Philogene Bidace to Stoke City, Cameron Archer to Preston North End and Keinan Davis to Nottingham Forest.

That quartet should return in a better place than when they left. Carney Chukwuemeka is now on the fringes, although his development may have been stalled after Coutinho's arrival.

And that's the point. Villa have talent trying to blossom underneath Gerrard's first-team.

The manager himself has experience in dealing with youngsters. He himself broke through while still in his teens - he cut his teeth in coaching working with the Academy at Liverpool - but his brief at Villa Park is to mount a challenge for the top six.

That in itself is going to be a hard task. The additions of Coutinho and Digne show the level he is currently pitching the club at.

Villa want to be dining among the big boys. But the pathway for their youngsters just got that little bit harder.

It's a delicate balancing act. But one, if Gerrard gets it right, that could see the club prosper in the years to come.