Paddy Kenny has told Football Insider that Aston Villa could 'spring another surprise' before the January transfer window is finished, following the arrival of Philippe Coutinho. 

The lowdown

The Brazil playmaker, whose 11 trophies at senior level include the Champions League in 2020, joined Steven Gerrard's side on loan from Barcelona earlier this month.

The Athletic's Gregg Evans called it 'the highest-profile deal in the club's history', while The Telegraph's John Percy dubbed it a 'remarkable' move.

Villa have also signed Coutinho's former Barcelona team-mate Lucas Digne from Everton in a £25m deal.

The latest

Kenny reckons that the capture of Coutinho is a sign of what's to come for Aston Villa, predicting that a 'very interesting' period lies ahead and backing the club to pull off another coup prior to the 31 January deadline.

The former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper told Football Insider: "Gerrard has some pull. Villa is also another club with a lot of money. It is an attractive club to be at.

"I can only see them spending more and more and becoming a better team. Players will see Coutinho signing for them and that will make them think it is something they could do.

"They are building a very good squad there, no one thought they would sign Coutinho, it was a shock. You wonder if they can spring another surprise signing on us at some point.

"You can't rule it out, it's an exciting club to be at. I think the last few weeks of this window are going to be very interesting for Villa."

The verdict

Who could the next statement signing be?

One possible candidate is Brighton's Yves Bissouma, with Villa said to be interested in the midfielder, who has a £50m price tag on his head (via The Athletic).

The Seagulls may not be comparable to Barcelona in stature, but the Mali international is a player who has been previously linked with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal. According to one African football pundit Daniel Ekedo, it would be a 'massive coup' for the Midlands outfit if they can bring the 25-year-old to Villa Park.

Indeed, a £50m deal would shatter Villa's existing club-record signing of Emiliano Buendia, who joined last summer. in a move which could amount to £38m.

Amid such a transfer rumour, it's little wonder why Kenny is so excited at Villa's prospective business over the remainder of this month.

In other news, many Villa fans flock to this exit rumour