Since appointing Monchi as their President of Football Operations in the summer, Aston Villa’s recruitment has been mixed, but one star has been ‘magnificent’.
Aston Villa saw five names arrive through the door in the last transfer window.
Moussa Diaby was acquired in a club-record deal from Bayer Leverkusen, Youri Tielemans arrived on a free transfer from Leicester City while Clement Lenglet and Nicolo Zaniolo joined on loan from Barcelona and Galatasaray respectively.
There was one signing, however, who has been head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the impact he’s made and that is Pau Torres.
How much did Aston Villa pay for Pau Torres?
Unai Emery raided his former club in the summer to prise Torres from Villarreal for a fee in the region of £33m.
The Spaniard was excellent during his time in Spain and arrived with strong pedigree having helped his side triumph in the 2020/21 Europa League, beating Manchester United in the final.
In his final campaign at the club, he proved to be one of the best ball-playing defenders in La Liga.
According to FBref, he ranked in the top 5% against his positional peers for successful take-ons, top 4% for progressive passes and top 1% for progressive carries.
From those statistics alone, Villa knew they were getting a player who was exceptional with the ball at his feet, it was just a case of whether he could translate it across to the Premier League.
Pau Torres now worth double what Aston Villa bought him for
In a season where Aston Villa are flying near the top, several of Emery’s stars have seen their values skyrocket, including Ollie Watkins, Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby.
It’s a testament to Emery’s managerial expertise that so many players have been transformed in claret and blue with Torres now one of their most invaluable assets.
After replacing Tyrone Mings off the bench in the 5-1 defeat against Newcastle on the opening day, the 26-year-old has never looked back.
In the absence of arguably their most influential defender, he’s stepped in and shown his class at the heart of the defence.
Hailed as “absolutely magnificent” for his performances this season by pundit Pat Nevin, Torres has been a revelation.
In the 16 matches he’s started in the top flight, Villa have only lost twice while his absence from the side due to injury was felt in the draw against Sheffield United and the defeat to Man Utd.
As a result of his high-performance levels, as per CIES Football Observatory (03/01/2024), the Spaniard has seen his value skyrocket to €78.2m (£67m).
This means he’s seen his value double in the space of six months after the Midlands club shelled out £33m for him.
