Credit: Imago

Samuel Fabre

Tue 24 March 2026 11:40, UK

Aston Villa‘s Pau Torres was outstanding in possession during Sunday’s 2-0 win over West Ham.

The 28-year-old joined the Villans from Spanish side Villarreal in 2023 and has since made 91 appearances under Emery.

Torres has been impressive on the whole, and his moment of the season came when he made a stunning goal-line clearance in Villa’s 1-0 over Man City on 26 October.

However, he has been in and out of the team since Tyrone Mings returned from injury, with Unai Emery rotating his defence to accommodate the busy fixture schedule.

And in Aston Villa’s win over West Ham, no Premier League player made more passes in the final third this weekend.

Pau Torres was phenomenal on the ball vs West Ham

Torres had come under scrutiny for some of his performances in a Villa shirt this season, yet his composure on the ball should make him irreplaceable in Emery’s starting lineup.

Against the Hammers, the Spaniard made 16 passes into the final third, which was three more than Chelsea’s Jorrel Hato, who recorded the second-highest figure in the league this gameweek (13).

According to Sofascore, Torres recorded a pass accuracy of 94 per cent, while also having 88 touches of the ball.

From a defensive standpoint, Torres made three clearances and four recoveries, handing West Ham strikers Taty Castellanos and Callum Wilson with ease.

And while he has been criticised for his defending at times, his total of 58.6 per cent ground duels won this season is impressive.

Of course, it’s his ability on the ball that makes him so vital to Villa, and his pass accuracy of 88.9 per cent is phenomenal.

Against West Ham, Torres delivered one of his best performances of the campaign, and Mings will be worried that the Spaniard’s exploits have a detrimental effect on his playing time.

What does Torres’ display vs West Ham mean for Tyrone Mings?

One of Villa’s biggest problems is the lack of quality they have in defence.

Konsa has led the backline remarkably in 2025-26, and he has quickly become one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

However, Mings and Torres have been fighting it out to play alongside him, and unfortunately for the 33-year-old, the odds aren’t in his favour.

The towering centre-back has only won 54.9 per cent of his ground duels, which isn’t good enough for someone playing in a team that is fighting to qualify for the Champions League.

Emery has a tough decision to make, but Torres’ ability on the ball could mean the head coach sides with the Spanish defender for the remainder of the Premier League season.