Aston Villa have a host of quality on show this season as Unai Emery’s side chase Europe, with Pau Torres standing out as one of the best at the club, and in the Premier League.
Aston Villa struck gold in the summer transfer window by signing Pau Torres.
Unai Emery and Monchi teamed up to welcome the Spaniard to Villa from his boyhood club, Villarreal, paying a mere fee of £31.5m to capture the signature of the centre-back.
Since his arrival, Torres has become the heartbeat of the Villans’ defence, and beyond, adding an element of luxury to the back line, particularly through his ability to push the ball forward.
Statistics show that Pau Torres is one of the best in the Premier League
Prior to his move to Aston Villa, it was notable that Torres was one of the outstanding defenders in Spain when it came to his strengths in building play from the back.
One element of his game that sticks out is how he dictates the movement of those ahead of him by charging forward from defence, with statistics now revealing that he is one of the best in the Premier League in that area.
As per FBref, the 27-year-old ranks in the top 3% of centre-backs in the English top tier for his average of 1.72 progressive carries per 90 this season.
It may not come as a surprise to see the Spain international recording such dominating numbers in his debut season, considering the impact he had in Emery’s Villarreal side before his move.
During the 2022/23 La Liga campaign, no centre-back in the Spanish top flight averaged more progressive carries per 90 than Torres with 2.24, via FBref.
Aston Villa struck gold with the signing of Pau Torres
Lauded as a being Villa’s “Rolls-Royce” by TNT Sports commentator Lucy Ward, Torres has made an emphatically good first impression at Villa Park, becoming a crucial part of how Emery’s side play.
So often this season we’ve seen the commanding defender take control of proceedings with a line-splitting pass or carry, prompting those ahead of him to transition into an attack.
It’s also been noticed just how important the summer arrival is from how Villa play when he’s not in the side, as recited by journalist John Townley earlier this year.
Referring to Torres’ wobble with knocks after returning from injury, Townley dubbed the Spaniard’s influence this term as “crazy”.
Game upon game, it becomes abundantly clear that Villa sealed a £31.5m bargain to acquire Emery’s former student in the summer transfer window, as the defender continues to prove that he is up there with the Premier League’s best.
