Aston Villa fans are blessed to witness many quality players don the claret and blue shirt.
Unai Emery’s pulling power in the transfer window is one huge reason behind Aston Villa’s ability to attract some of Europe’s finest talents.
The Spaniard has brought in several players who have contributed to their success on the pitch, having qualified for the Europa Conference League and then the Champions League.
The summer 2023 transfer window sticks out as the catalyst behind their fourth-place finish. Villa shelled out a club-record sum to sign Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen however, the biggest bargains of that window were Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres.
Tielemans was signed on a free transfer after leaving Leicester City while Pau was captured from Emery’s former employers Villarreal for £31.5 million.
That duo have established themselves as instrumental cogs in Villa’s winning machine, with Pau becoming one of the Premier League’s best defenders.
Conor Hourihane on Pau Torres’ passing
Pau is an elegant centre-back, whose ability with the ball at his feet is just as important as his top-class defending.
The 27-year-old is so important in Emery’s system because he’s able to split the lines with his incredible passing range, and this was demonstrated in Jhon Duran’s winner against Bayern.
He picked out Duran with a beautiful long pass, with the Colombian carrying the ball in his stride and executing a sumptuous lob over Manuel Neuer.
Former Villa captain Conor Hourihane believes Pau’s ability to execute defence-splitting passes is what makes him a ‘top level’ defender.
Speaking on the 1874 podcast, Hourihane said: “Yeah, I’ve seen him live, though, six or seven times, and I think his distribution and his control on the ball and his calmness is top level.
“I think we were talking about his ball for Duran for a goal, you know, that’s not even splitting the line, that’s splitting two or three lines. He’s gone from splitting the midfield to splitting the defence.
“The weight of the pass, and he does that a lot in Premier League games as well, and I think he’s a top, top player. Not many centre-halfs see that.”
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Pau Torres belongs in the Champions League
Pau was part of Emery’s Europa League-winning campaign with Villarreal in 2021.
But the Spaniard belongs in the Champions League, and that is a level he can excel at for Aston Villa, as seen in the first two games.
Villa kept clean sheets against Young Boys and Bayern but in the latter, he will be remembered for the excellent pass that helped the hosts secure a memorable win.
If Emery’s men are to progress beyond the league phase, keeping Pau fit will be crucial, as there is none of his other defensive partners can see and execute the passes he does.
