Sam Stone

Wed 1 March 2023 19:21, UK

Aston Villa have reportedly opened discussions with Vitoria Guimaraes over young defender Ibrahima Bamba – and the Italian would certainly provide competition.

The Villans have already added youth to their ranks with Jhon Duran joining the club in the January window and it appears it’s a route the board wants to go down.

The centre of defence has been an area of concern this season, with Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings fairly comfortable in their starting berths, with very little competition behind them. The return of Diego Carlos will be a boost for Unai Emery, but another younger alternative, instead of Calum Chambers, would be welcomed.

Mings is now 29 and although he has a number of years left in him, competition will be vital if Emery wants to kick on next season and push Villa firmly into the top half of the Premier League.

The Times reported on 18 February that Villa are trying to tie up a deal for Bamba who has impressed in the Primeira Liga – although, he does have a £26.7million release clause.

The 20-year-old has been a mainstay of Guimaraes’ defensive unit and has helped the Portuguese club reach fifth in the league standings. It appears the Italian is an aggressive defender who likes to win the ball back whenever possible.

According to Wyscout, the 20-year-old has amassed the fifth-highest number of interceptions per 90 minutes in the league. And In his side’s latest win over Sporting Braga, he amassed nine interceptions.

The example above shows Bamba picking up a good early position in the box before clearing the ball out for a corner. For a younger player, responsibility can sometimes go missing, but this doesn’t seem to be the case for the 20-year-old.

Another example from the win over Braga shows the youngster picking up a sensible position in the box. However, on this occasion, he doesn’t dive in and make a tackle. Instead, he ensures he makes a cross hard to complete for the attacker and, eventually, clears the ball out for a corner.

As previously stated, maturity can be a hard quality to unearth and the 20-year-old appears to have bundles of it – particularly when it comes to preventing dangerous crosses into the box.

Interceptions are a strong point of his game. However, Bamba still does the basics well and considering his age, he could develop whilst at Aston Villa.

Bamba wins 67 per cent of his defensive duels, which is a reasonable amount for such a young player who is featuring regularly in a strong European league.

He doesn’t seem to be a character who will shy away from the chance to win the ball back and that could stand him in good stead if he does complete his move to Villa Park. Under Emery, Villa have been defensively resolute and sometimes happy to invite pressure, with the likes of Mings and Konsa able to deal with the high volume of crosses into the box.

His aerial duel success rate of 51 per cent is a cause for concern, particularly when it’s compared to Mings’ 73 per cent, which is the highest in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, Bamba’s age and impressive statistics for the Portuguese side mean he would be an excellent long-term pick-up from the Villans if they can get a deal over the line.

Certainly, one to keep an eye on when the summer window opens.

In other Aston Villa news, this academy player could be the next star in waiting at Bodymoor Heath after back-to-back goals for the Under-23s.