Unai Emery has a major problem position to resolve at Aston Villa after signing a new defender.
Aston Villa are scouring the market for a new centre-back. Clement Lenglet returned to Barcelona following his loan, Tyrone Mings is recovering from his ACL injury and Diego Carlos is likely to be sold.
It leaves the Villans with just two current first-team central defenders to select from, as Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres partnered each other in the 2-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund.
To add further quality depth to their ranks, both at right-back and centrally, Villa are advancing in talks to sign Feyenoord talent Lutshareal Geertruida.
Geertruida is reportedly valued at £26 million and has attracted interest from French giants PSG, who submitted a bid for the Dutchman earlier on in the window.
That said, Villa are ‘on the offensive’ to wrap up a deal for the Netherlands international, with it looking increasingly likely he’ll become their latest summer signing.
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Monch must bolster in defensive midfield after Lutsharel Geertruida transfer
Villa struggled defensively towards the end of the campaign and ended 2023/24 with 61 goals conceded in the Premier League, which was a higher total than relegation-threatened Everton.
Whilst such problems can be attributed to the back four, most of those issues reached the surface when Boubacar Kamara suffered a knee ligament injury in February’s match against Manchester United.
The Frenchman had formed an integral partnership with Douglas Luiz in the engine room, with the duo often at the centre of their defensive and attacking actions.
Sadly, with Luiz now gone and Kamara targeting a return in October, Villa lack an actual defensive midfielder in their squad and this is a major problem.
Although three midfielders have been signed, including Ross Barkley, Enzo Barrenchea and Amadou Onana, neither of them can shield the back four quite like Kamara, who needs a temporary replacement.
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Why Aston Villa need to sign a defensive midfielder
Last season, Villa won 13 of their 20 matches with Kamara in the starting XI, whereas without him present, Emery’s men claimed just seven wins in 18.
It underscores his importance to the midfield, as they missed both his ball-winning expertise and ability to progress possession further up the pitch.
Ahead of a Champions League campaign, this type of player will be more crucial than ever, as the Villans will require more protection against superior sides.
But, looking at their pre-season results and current personnel, there is certainly a ball-winner lacking among their midfielders, someone who is ferocious at winning possession back and not afraid to fly into challenges.
Onana has been playing as the deepest Villa midfielder for Emery, although he’s more of a box-to-box midfielder, who uses his strength and power to storm through the thirds.
Indeed, it has become apparent that the Spaniard must sign a defensive-minded midfielder after securing the transfer of Geertruida.
