Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill believes he has assembled a stronger squad than last season, claiming he "couldn't be more pleased" with his summer signings.

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.

"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."