'Top talents' - Dean Smith on Aston Villa's Championship double swoop

Aston Villa transfer news: Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins have arrived from Nottingham Forest and Brentford respectively to give Villa a boost ahead of the new Premier League season

Aston Villa head coach Dean Smith has been speaking about his side's recruitment so far this summer.

Villa have signed Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest for around £14 million and added Ollie Watkins to the squad for a club-record £28m from Brentford yesterday.

Cash arrives having established himself as one of the top full-backs in the Championship while Watkins ended the 2019-20 campaign as the division's top goalscorer with 26 strikes.

Villa have so far looked to the second tier for their new signings and the money being spent illustrates how the division has developed and the standard of player currently plying their trade in the Championship.

Sign up to our Villa newsletter for Milot Rashica transfer updates

Why should you sign up?

Villa have been strongly linked with a move for the Werder Bremen star, with fans excitedly awaiting his possible arrival. With that in mind,  we will bring you all the news around the Albanian winger's future.

In our daily Aston Villa bulletin, we'll be bringing you the latest breaking news, transfer features and comment pieces, as well as the key talking points for fans.

How do you sign up?

It's easy and only takes seconds.

Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit sign up. 

And that's it, you're all set. You can also sign up here.

If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to.

And what's more, it's absolutely free!

You can also get all the latest updates by following us on social media here Facebook and Twitter.

We also have a free app which you can download. It is always up-to-date with the latest news from across the region. Google Play Store and App Store

Indeed, Villa only have to look within their own squad to see how the second tier has developed players ready for the Premier League.

John McGinn, Jack Grealish, Ezri Konsa and now Cash and Watkins are examples of the Championship developing players.

Might that have shone a light on Villa's transfer policy under Smith going forward?

"I think we've taken two of the top talents out of the Championship," he told avfc.co.uk.

Sign up for our Villa newsletter with your email in the box at the top of the page or click here

"And if you look at the season before, I thought a lot of the top talents came out of there as well.

" Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Grealish, McGinn and Mason Mount just to name a few.

"And I think we've taken two of the top talents out of the Championship this season."