Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins received most of the praise after netting a brace during the Fulham victory however, Pau Torres was also raved about on what was his first appearance in 2024.
After a week plagued with injury talk and a dip in form, the return of Pau Torres and an away victory restored confidence in Unai Emery’s camp at Aston Villa.
Pau finally made his return to action for the first time in 2024 after spending time on the sidelines nursing an ankle injury, with his performance making fans believe he never left.
The Spaniard has impressed since his £31.5m summer arrival from Villarreal and showed exactly how pivotal he is to Emery’s squad during the victory over Fulham.
How Pau Torres performed against Fulham
Amid Villa’s growing injury concerns, Pau introduced a feeling of calmness to the back line, partnered with Clement Lenglet.
As per Sofascore, the 27-year-old recorded six clearances, two tackles, completed 100% of his ground duels and attempted dribbles and registered a mammoth 91 touches on the ball.
The Spain international’s eye for progressive play from the back is what makes him so unique to Villa’s lineup, with his motive to move forward playing a part in one of Ollie Watkins’ goals.
Lauded as “absolutely transformational” by John Townley during the Claret & Blue podcast, the centre-back received extremely high praise from the journalist.
What John Townley has said about Pau Torres
Not only did Townley credit Pau as being “one of the best signings anyone made in the Premier League” during the summer window, but also took his praise for the Spaniard to the next level.
When speaking about the Villa centre-back’s progressive influence, as seen at Craven Cottage, Townley dubbed the 27-year-old as being “one of the best”.
“In terms of ball-playing centre-backs, he’s one of the best in Europe, if not, the best.”
“That isn’t an exaggeration at all, I don’t know what team wouldn’t want Pau Torres.”
The journalist’s claims are substantiated by the numbers that Pau has averaged in the Premier League this season so far.
With an average of 0.78 successful take-ons and 1.23 switches per 90 in the league, the Villa defender ranks in the top 2% of centre-backs in the top-flight, as well as seeing his average of 1.73 progressive carries place him in the top 4%, via FBref.
There certainly aren’t many better than Pau in the Premier League when it comes to his areas of expertise in central defence, making the fee that Villa paid for him in the summer seem more and more of a bargain.
