Aston Villa secured the signing of Pau Torres (£4.5m) from Villarreal last week for a fee in the region of £31.5m.
The left-footed centre-back will be reunited with Unai Emery after the pair worked together in Spain, but what does his arrival mean for Tyrone Mings (£4.5m) and Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers?
We investigate in this Scout Report.
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PAU TORRES: LA LIGA PLAYING HISTORY
| Season | Club | Starts (subbed on) | Mins | Goals | Assists |
| 2022/23 | Villarreal | 34 | 3,055 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021/22 | Villarreal | 33 | 2,858 | 5 | 1 |
| 2020/21 | Villarreal | 33 | 2,970 | 2 | 2 |
| 2019/20 | Villarreal | 33 (1) | 2,971 | 2 | 1 |
| 2017/18 | Villarreal | 0 (2) | 51 | 0 | 0 |
Torres came through Villarreal’s academy and after a second division loan spell at Malaga in 2018/19, was a regular for the next four seasons, quickly establishing himself as one of La Liga’s best defenders.
Overall, he made 136 league appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 10 goals and assisting five.
He also helped Villarreal win the UEFA Europa League under Emery, before playing a key role in their run to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 2021/22.
Last season, Torres made 34 La Liga appearances, keeping 11 clean sheets across the league campaign.
He has won 23 caps for Spain and was part of the squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
PAU TORRES’ PLAYING STYLE
“You will be amazed, he is a very good centre-back, with and without the ball.” – Santi Cazorla on Pau Torres
Building from the back is a key part of Aston Villa’s approach under Emery and Torres will fit in perfectly.
That’s because the left-footed centre-half is superb with the ball at his feet, having recorded the most touches (2,560), passes completed (1,846) and passes in the final-third (275) of all central defenders in La Liga during the 2022/23 season. He also ranked second for most chances created (14).
Able to step into midfield, his composure and ability to play out of tight spaces feels tailor-made for Emery.
“I like everything about Pau. His personality and his ability to take risks and filter passes, his tactical sense, his way of pressing and marking opponents… he is tall and handsome, and very good. He has everything, I like him.” – Luis Enrique on Pau Torres
However, despite being 6ft 3in, Torres certainly isn’t the best in the air, winning just over 50% of his aerial duels last term, but he reads the game very well and rarely gets caught out.
It suggests he is unlikely to be intimidated by the physicality of the Premier League, but that aspect of his game will need to be monitored in the opening weeks of the season.
WHERE WILL PAU TORRES PLAY AT VILLA?
“Pau Torres is an amazing player, I think he’s a top player. I’ve been a coach in Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and I’ve never seen a centre back like Pau Torres. I think he’s going to play at the highest level, he’s playing now in the national team but he can play in the top teams in Europe very soon.” – Unai Emery speaking to Football.London in 2021
Emery has real depth in his defence following the arrival of Torres, with him, Mings, Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) and Diego Carlos (£4.5m) all competing for starts.
It’s hard to see Aston Villa shifting to a back-three formation to accommodate them, which means there are question marks about how Torres will be used and who he will replace.
While the jury remains out on Carlos, who suffered an injury-hit first campaign in England, Konsa and Mings finished 2022/23 in fine form, conceding just eight goals in their final 15 Premier League matches. In that time, Villa did not let in more than one goal in a single match.
Above: Aston Villa conceded just eight goals in their final 15 Premier League matches in 2022/23, fewer than any other top-flight club
Still, after paying £31.5m, you’d expect Torres to quickly become part of Emery’s first-choice centre-back pairing.
Given his leadership abilities, Mings could play alongside him, but it is unclear whether Emery will want to start two left-footers in the centre of defence. If he does, the Spaniard must decide who is more comfortable playing on their weaker side, which may take some adjustment.
However, finding the right balance will be key for Villa next season, which may take time.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Villa’s centre-back pairing is clearly a situation for FPL managers to monitor in pre-season.
Torres certainly has the potential to offer value at £4.5m, but he may need a bit of time to adapt, especially to the physical side. As a result, he is probably best summed up as a ‘wait and see’ in FPL.
Still, his arrival should strengthen the defensive unit at Villa and he is clearly a major upgrade to anyone else they have at the back in terms of passing ability.
And that could unlock Alex Moreno (£5.0m), Villa’s attack-minded left-back. It is currently unclear if he will be fit for the start of the new season, but when he is, having Torres’ ball-playing ability next to him can only be a good thing.
Emery could also move Konsa to right back, fulfilling a similar role to the one Juan Foyth played at Villarreal under the Spaniard.
In that scenario, Villa would shift to a back three in possession, allowing Moreno even more license to bomb forward down the left flank, which is a really exciting prospect for FPL managers.
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10 months, 1 day agoWow. TAA is 8m!