Aston Villa show serious intent with ‘statement signing’ Pau Torres as top-of-the-class stats revealed
Aston Villa enjoyed a superb season last time out, but the club clearly have plans to progress further next time around.
And those grand plans have been typified by the impending arrival of Villarreal and Spain centre-back Pau Torres.
The Premier League club will pay around €35million (£30million) plus add-ons for the Spaniard, according to Fabrizio Romano.
And Torres will undoubtedly arrive at Villa Park with plenty of pressure on his shoulders after his superb exploits in La Liga last season.
There is a long list of talented centre-backs playing in the Spanish top flight, but Torres outshone them all in several areas in the 2022/23 campaign.
As per Squawka, versus every other player in his position in La Liga last season, the 26-year-old had the most touches (2,560), most passes completed (1,846), most passes in the final third (275), most through balls (three) and most take-ons completed (26).
Moreover, the Spain international registered the second-most chances created (14), with Squawka labelling his transfer to Aston Villa as a “statement signing.”
It was a simply stunning season for the incoming Aston Villa man, who looks set to fit into Unai Emery’s possession-based defensive system perfectly.
With Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos already at the club, Emery boasts a fantastic central defensive quartet that will undoubtedly help the boss approach all competitions in a balanced manner.
The brilliant options will allow Emery to pick and choose based on the competition and the opposition, and of course which players are less fatigued than others in what is expected to be a very demanding season.
In other Aston Villa news, the club have been dealt a sucker punch as a pivotal academy figure has joined another Premier League side.