Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill says his squad is stronger than last season.

Villa spent £40 million before the transfer window closed on Tuesday in capturing Stewart Downing (£12million), Stephen Warnock (£8m), Fabian Delph (£6m), Richard Dunne (£6m), James Collins (£5m) and Habib Beye (£3m).

And, even though O'Neill lost the services of key players in skipper Martin Laursen and midfielder Gareth Barry, he is confident Villa are equipped for the challenges ahead.

O'Neill said: "Am I happy with my overall business? I couldn't be more pleased. I think we have strengthened the side. It's been very pleasing indeed.

"I have got that extra defensive strength I was looking for plus Fabian Delph will be a really fine player for us - and Stewart Downing already is a fine player.

"When he is fit, he will add plenty to our squad. I think that Richard Dunne and James Collins will help us immensely. We looked a bit thin at the back.

"We used the fewest players in the league last year. That is something that we really wanted to address to try to keep players fresh.

"We've lost two really fine players in Gareth Barry and Martin Laursen. They will be hard to replace but in time we will get stronger."