Yes, Jhon Duran's departure is a blow. For Villa. Indeed, for the Premier League. The Colombian a talent of great, great potential. But his sale to Al-Nassr is credit to Villa's management team, particularly Monchi.
The praise. The doorstops. The long-form sit-downs. They'll surely soon arrive for the Spaniard or as Villa dubbed him last year - the club's president of football operations. Helluva of a title. One that elicits the idea of ego and grandstanding. But Monchi has gone under the radar this past month. The deals for Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi are - rightly - being celebrated. However, while he's been working at the coalface, in terms of publicity, the famed transfers fixer has taken a backseat.
But this market did belong to Monchi. Yes, Txiki Begiristain at Manchester City also gave the January window a big shake. However, in terms of resources and status - indeed even the traditions of the 'repair window', as January is regarded - Monchi pulled off something special these past four-and-a-bit weeks.
And it was achieved by robust, nerveless management. At another club. With different personalities. That sale of Duran for a fee rising to 75m quid would never have happened. That Duran, last summer, had struck personal terms with West Ham seems like a decade ago, rather than barely six months. But it did happen. Duran at the time infamously making that Hammers' cross sign on social media as his management team pushed Monchi and co to accept the Irons' £35m offer.
But Villa, as we say, held their nerve. Even if it meant being left with a frustrated and unhappy player. Villa refused to do business. And while there was disappointment inside Duran's camp, both Monchi and manager Unai Emery were able to smooth things over - to the point where Duran was inking a new contract just weeks later.
If you need evidence of the significance of Monchi and Emery's actions, just consider one of their new arrivals... could any of us see something similarly conciliatory happening at Manchester United involving Marcus Rashford?
But Villa managed to pull it off. Six months on, they were selling Duran for double West Ham's valuation. And with that, bankrolling the deals for Rashford, Asensio and Disasi on deadline day.
"It was an important operation for a player with tremendous potential," Monchi said on local Spanish radio last week. "But those sorts of deals, for the club and the player, are hard to turn down. Between fixed and variables it will be close to 85 million euros. There are a few little fringes left and for the player it is an incredible economic jump.
"You're a manager not only of a sportsman, but also of a club's economic interests. These offers are difficult to reject, because it is five times your salary."
Duran is a loss. No doubt about that. But in terms of potential. Of ability. Each one of Villa's new trio are a mark-up on what they've replaced. Asensio for Emi Buendia, now on-loan with Bayer Leverkusen. Rashford for Duran. And Disasi arriving to replace Diego Carlos, now of Fenerbahce. All three, if Emery can get a real tune from them, additions to lift the standard of this Villa team to a new height. And all achieved thanks to Villa's board refusing to cave as pressure from West Ham and Chelsea arrived over the summer.
Asensio, of course, arrives from PSG. But it was with Real Madrid where his reputation was built. And as Monchi admitted last week, the Spain international is a player Emery has longed to work with: "There is an important relationship. A little before my arrival, Aston Villa tried to sign him and he was close, but he went to PSG. He was always a player Emery has had on his mind because he believes in his quality."
For Asensio, ditto Rashford. The England international, understandably, will be the focus of the local press. This column has had our share of criticism of the still United-owned striker. But in his defense, under Ruben Amorim, he was never given a chance by his manager to show him what he could do. A blow-up over an apparent night out in Amorim's first week in the job was enough to see Rashford frozen out. We can all debate how the player's game has nosedived these past 18 months, but it's pretty difficult to make any ironclad assessment when he is blocked from getting on the pitch.
With match fitness. With game rhythm. With confidence and self-belief. At his best - or near enough to it - Emery and Villa will have a world-beater on their hands. And given the manager's record of working with broken players, if there's one club and one coach to get Rashford's career back on the rails it is Villa and Emery. As Monchi has stated, "Emery in his past has been a coach able to recover players who were given up for lost..."
And there's Disasi, who for this column, could prove the signing of the winter market. For his personality. His potential. His approach to his game and craft. Villa may've pulled off a coup here. Away from the spotlight of Chelsea. Under the management of Emery. Disasi could well fulfill the potential he showed over three years with Monaco. And it's not insignificant that the Frenchman chose Villa despite Tottenham's attempts last week to intervene.
As Emery said himself earlier this season, “I don't want to waste my time here and that's the message for everyone.
"Is the sky the limit? This is the message. We love football, we love our work and we want to be successful."
With a board and management team as Villa now boasts, this winter market is surely a sign that they're well on the way to matching Emery's words.