Even though he has enjoyed an excellent start to life as Aston Villa manager, Dean Smith will be looking forward to a January that will allow him to bring in his own players.

And, one man who has been linked with a move to the West Midlands is Brentford's Romaine Sawyers, with Football Insider claiming a January deal could happen.

Smith has worked with the 27-year-old at Walsall and then took him to Griffin Park, highlighting how much he rates the player.

Therefore, this wouldn't be the most surprising move of the winter window, particularly as Sawyers has just 18 months left to run on his deal with the Bees.

But, what sort of impact would his potential arrival have at Villa Park?

Here we look at ONE winner and ONE loser should this deal go through...

Firstly, the loser, which would be academy graduate Callum O'Hare.

The talented youngster plays in a similar position to Sawyers and would probably drop out of the matchday squad should he arrive.

After impressing for the U23s over the past few seasons, he will feel his ready to get a chance with the first-team but this would prevent that from happening.

One winner could actually be Scott Hogan.

The Irish forward got a big-money move from Brentford to Villa on the back of his performances under Smith, and Sawyers was crucial to that.

The duo linked up very well, with the former Walsall man often creating the chances for Hogan to finish.

Even though Tammy Abraham is sure to remain as the main striker, Hogan could get increased game time if Smith wants to rekindle this partnership.