Unai Emery could repeat his Pau Torres masterclass by capturing one Spanish defender.
Aston Villa signed Pau Torres from Villarreal for £31.5 million last summer and he’s since seen his value skyrocket on the back of his spectacular performances in a Villa shirt.
In 23 appearances for this season, he’s only been on the receiving end of four defeats in all competitions.
He’s incredibly important to how Unai Emery’s side progress play from defence while offering a commanding presence at the back.
During his absence, his importance has been underscored by the fact that Villa have lost once and drawn twice in the Premier League.
As a result, they have lost ground in the title race and it’s ground they’ll be hoping to make up once he returns.
Without him in the side, they miss his ability to spray passes into midfield and comfortably drive out of defence.
In the Premier League this season, he’s made more passes into the final third (103) than any other Villa player and recorded the third most accurate passes per game (54.4 – 88%), as per Sofascore.
Pau is simply an irreplaceable presence – as Villa have found out – but there are a few centre-backs who could need replacing.
Villa have opened the exit door for Calum Chambers and Kourtney Hause while Clement Lenglet will return to Barcelona upon the expiry of his loan.
This means a new central defender could be on the agenda in the summer and Emery should return to Spain once more to sign Atletico Madrid star Mario Hermoso.
Why Unai Emery should sign Mario Hermoso
Aside from both being Spanish, there are so many similarities between Pau and Hermoso on the pitch.
Much like the Aston Villa star, the Atletico Madrid man is “excellent” with the ball at his feet and can handle being put under pressure by attackers.
According to FBref, the 28-year-old is similar to Barcelona defender Jules Kounde in profile, who is one of the best defenders on the planet, and he has delivered the statistics to support that claim.
The forward-thinking ball-playing defender very rarely opts for the easy ball and instead likes to split lines with his passing. He ranks in the top 8% across Europe’s top five leagues for progressive passes and successful take-ons.
Those statistics, in particular, suggest that Hermoso could be another Torres for Emery.
At a time when the futures of Chambers and Hause are uncertain, the Spaniard could pull off another masterclass by signing the 5 foot 11 gem, who would bring invaluable experience to Villa’s back line.
