Aston Villa look like they are going to miss out on promotion back to the Premier League as it stands, but a solid January in terms of acquisitions should give some encouragement for the second half of the season.

Steve Bruce is trying to turn things around at Villa Park, and his signings of the likes of Henry Lansbury, Conor Hourihane, and James Bree suggest he is bringing in players who know the league very well.

He moved on Ross McCormack among others, and now will be hoping for an assault on the play-off places in the second half of the season.

Bruce is always on the lookout for new players, and he might want to look at which free agents are available now the transfer window has slammed shut.

With this in mind, we have taken a look at TWO free agents who Aston Villa could look to sign this season...

Chris Samba

The giant centre back is out of contract and would no doubt welcome a move back to England where he can get back to playing football.

The former Blackburn and QPR man is a mountain of a defender, and there would be few more dominating presences in the Championship if he was to make a move to the club.

Samba still has bags of talent to offer, and could be a shrewd signing.

Carlton Cole

Despite the signing of Jonathan Kodjia in the summer and the recent big money signing of Scott Hogan, the Villans are still struggling to hit the back of the net regularly.

33-year-old Cole could be the ideal signing, with his mix of experience and ability the perfect foil for the other strikers in the squad.

Cole has a lot to offer at Championship level, and could be an excellent free transfer.