The January transfer window is going to be an incredibly important time for Dean Smith and Aston Villa, if the former Brentford boss is to turn their fortunes around this season.

The Villans, after two back-to-back defeats away from home, now sit 17th in the Championship table after fifteen league games, with their defence looking shakier than ever and their extortionate rates of possession counting for nothing.

There is no doubt that Villa will strengthen their defensive options in January having conceded 23 goals in the league thus far, however, a rumour that never seems to go away is Jack Grealish's move to Tottenham.

After being linked throughout the summer, reports still claim that Mauricio Pochettino's men still remain strong admirers of the 23-year-old.

Here, we take a look at three plan B's Villa must have in place if Grealish is to leave in January...

Watkins is the obvious shout - he obviously knows Smith from his time at Brentford is arguably the Bees' standout performer.

Similarly to Grealish, he can play out wide or behind the striker and, having scored five goals in fifteen games this season, it's clear that he would add more goals and assists to his game than Grealish currently does.

The 22-year-old has become a star-man for Brentford since his move from Exeter City last year, and Smith should definitely look to move for his former player if Grealish does depart.

Another player who is no stranger to Smith whatsoever is the Bees' playmaker Romaine Sawyers.

A natural number 10, Smith brought Sawyers to Brentford from former-club Walsall, and the 26-year-old would fill the void left by Grealish.

Grealish's sale is bound to generate a huge amount of funds for Villa to spend on new players, and Bradley Dack would be a more than adequate replacement for the playmaker.

The 24-year-old has netted six times and produced two assists for Blackburn Rovers this season and is bound to be attracting interest from many high-profile teams this season.

Dack will cost mega-money, but because it would be such a blow to Villa if Grealish were to leave, they need to replace him with someone who is on par with his quality.