Remi Garde’s frustrations in the transfer window can be revealed further after it emerged the Aston Villa manager clashed with sporting director Hendrik Almstadt over the transfer of Mathieu Debuchy.

The Arsenal right-back was a target for Garde during January and it is understood talks were held between the two Frenchman at Bodymoor Heath with Arsene Wenger’s blessing in the middle of last month.

Almstadt, though, is thought to have been angry at his limited role in negotiations and told Garde as such, prompting a riposte.

Remi Garde clashed with sporting director Hendrik Almstadt over the transfer of Mathieu Debuchy

The French full-back eventually agreed to join Bordeaux on deadline day in order to play more regularly

Aston Villa Sporting Director Hendrik Almstadt is thought to have been angry at his limited role in negotiations

In the end the deal did not progress because Villa’s financial team, including head of recruitment Paddy Riley, were reluctant to spend more than £1million on any loan fee and Garde prioritised bringing in a goalkeeper and striker, now known to be Lovre Kalinic and Seydou Doumbia.

Almstadt denies there was a conflict over the prospective move for Debuchy, who ended up joining Bordeaux on loan. Garde has spoken publicly about his deep disappointment at failing to bring in any players during the winter window, having been promised funds to make signings upon his appointment in November.

Garde believed an injection of fresh faces would reinvigorate his squad’s attempts to claw themselves to an unlikely position of safety, off the back of a three-match unbeaten sequence.

But new chairman Steve Hollis, chief executive Tom Fox as well as Almstadt and Riley reasoned any incomings had to be balanced out against the likelihood of relegation to the Championship, a view that hardened after earlier defeats to Norwich and Sunderland.

Villa missed out on a host of targets during the January transfer window including striker Seydou Doumbia

Garde’s attempts to sign Bordeaux winger Wahbi Khazri failed on money grounds as he joined Sunderland

Supporters view a failure to land any targets as the club giving up on this season and accepting dropping a division was inevitable. Garde took a highly active role in transfers over January, speaking at length with Doumbia in an effort to convince the Roma centre-forward to join.

Almstadt and Riley also flew out to the Italian capital to talk through a deal. But Doumbia opted to move to relegation rivals Newcastle instead.

Garde’s attempts to sign Bordeaux winger Wahbi Khazri failed on money grounds, and he subsequently joined Sunderland for £9million. Villa also failed to get a work permit for Hadjuk Split goalkeeper Kalinic despite agreeing a £4.9m fee and personal terms.

Garde will consider his position at the end of the season after his experiences last month, but the Villa board are understood to maintain faith the 49-year-old will not walk out before then.

‘As a new manager I would have expected new faces to support my change,’ Garde has said. 'Not only for me but the club. We missed these targets.

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Scott Sinclair looks to put pressure on team-mate Jerell Sellars at the club's Bodymoor Heath training ground

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‘The situation of a team at the bottom of the table was not easy for players but it was not the only reason. It was also a financial problem.

'But it is not my job to explain that again. Probably, the club realised mistakes had been made in the past and they didn’t want to do it again.