Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is looking for bargains in the January transfer window but has yet to make any offers. "The difficulty about trying to sign players in the January window is very obvious. It is not the best time," he told the Birmingham Mail.

"I saw what (West Brom boss) Tony Mowbray had said about the difficulty of getting players in.

"Even in terms of getting loan players, the chances are that their club don't really want them to come out.

"To a certain extent there is a kind of scramble going on."

He added: "I think Tony said just over a week ago that they were unable to buy and then something happens and you think, 'Maybe I will be able to buy'.

"He is right in that sense. It seems to be never-ending in the sense that it changes around.

"As things go on, as you make enquiries and as people make enquiries for your players, it is a tough old time.

"All Premiership sides want to try and improve their team in this opportunity."

However, O'Neill said he has yet to make an approach for any of his transfer targets.

"We haven't made any bids at all. We are on the lookout, but we have not made any bids for any players," he said.

"It is the one opportunity during the season where you have to assess and evaluate and try and do something about it.

"We have already been at it for a long time and the need for us to try and improve is pretty apparent and that is what we are going to try and do."