The Aston Villa manager, Remi Garde, has indicated he may have to reconsider his position in the summer after the club failed to sign anyone during the January transfer window.

The Frenchman had a list of targets he wanted to sign in a bid to help Villa’s battle against relegation from the Premier League. Garde wanted Seydou Doumbia, who instead joined Newcastle on loan from Roma, while Wahbi Khazri signed for Sunderland, and a deal for Hajduk Split goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic fell through after a work permit appeal was rejected. Arsenal’s Mathieu Debuchy was another target but the defender joined Bordeaux on loan until the end of the season, while Villa were unable to prise Loic Remy away from Chelsea.

Garde hinted Villa’s plans may have changed since he agreed to become manager in November, with the club now 10 points from safety and seemingly resigned to dropping out of the top division for the first time since 1988. They are one of only seven clubs to have appeared in the Premier League every season since its inception in 1992, and only Everton have spent more seasons in the top flight than Villa.

“Maybe it was not as clear when I signed, but it’s something that I don’t want to discuss too much,” Garde said.

“I understand that you cannot carry on doing the same things when you have not been as successful as you have wanted. I cannot say the club hasn’t done everything they could. It wouldn’t be fair. I’m not happy about this situation. I am not stupid and saying we need nobody.

“Some people have to be brave enough to say what have we done wrong in the past and what we should be doing now to stop that and to be better, maybe not in the next months but the next season or in two or three years.”