Whilst Aston Villa fans will still be pleased Unai Emery is at the helm, considering the Villans are playing Champions League football as a result of the Spaniard’s expertise, they will want to see some improvements on the pitch in 2025.
Notably, the Villans have leaked a worrying amount of goals in the Premier League so far this season, with a hefty 31 strikes conceded from 19 clashes.
To add further context, even Ange Postecoglou’s wildly gung-ho Tottenham Hotspur have given up fewer goals at 29, meaning this January could see the Villans strengthen defensively.
Aston Villa could go back in for “incredible” star
Ever-growing concerns surrounding their defensive record could see Emery’s men go in for Benfica star Antonio Silva this January, with TEAMTalk reporting last month that the Villans were keen on adding the Portuguese centre-back to their ranks.
With it also being reported by the Daily Express that fellow Premier League side Newcastle United are set to miss out on Silva, who has his mind allegedly set on a switch to Juventus, the time could now be right for Villa to plea with the promising 21-year-old to relocate to England instead.
After all, the young defender has been labelled as “incredible” in the past by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, with Emery perhaps viewing the 6 foot 2 ace as a considerable upgrade on a declining Pau Torres.
Torres limped out of Villa’s last match versus Brighton and Hove Albion, but was still at fault for the Seagulls’ opener on the day, as alternatives are now potentially sought after to replace the ex-Villarreal man.
What Antonio Silva would offer Aston Villa
Just one glance at Silva’s numbers in the Portuguese top-flight this season shows off many of his standout traits, with the 21-year-old winning an impressive 5.6 total duels on average per league clash.
Torres falls way short of this number back in the Premier League – with just a paltry 2.8 total duels won on average in contrast – meaning Silva could potentially bully attackers more effectively than the Spaniard if he settles in well to his new location.
Moreover, his passing statistics playing out from the back will further make him a desirable pick-up, with 70 accurate passes managed per league appearance during 2024/25 to date.
Accelerating a move for Silva is even more crucial when you consider the fact Torres did come off with a nasty injury against Fabian Hurzeler’s men, leaving a gap in the starting XI that could be filled by the likes of Diego Carlos and other names who Silva also betters in their head-to-head numbers.
|
Silva’s league numbers vs Torres, Konsa & Carlos |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Stat (* = per 90 mins) |
Silva |
Torres |
Konsa |
Carlos |
|
Games played |
7 |
18 |
17 |
10 |
|
Clean sheets |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Touches* |
86.9 |
66.8 |
57.3 |
68.0 |
|
Accurate passes* |
70.0 (92%) |
51.8 (88%) |
41.4 (92%) |
53.4 (89%) |
|
Interceptions* |
1.1 |
0.3 |
0.7 |
0.5 |
|
Tackles* |
2.0 |
1.0 |
1.4 |
0.8 |
|
Ball recoveries* |
5.9 |
2.9 |
2.5 |
3.6 |
|
Clearances* |
2.0 |
2.7 |
2.6 |
3.5 |
|
Total duels won* |
5.6 |
2.8 |
3.9 |
2.2 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
||||
Looking at the table above, Silva betters both Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos in a number of different areas, with the Benfica man boasting more ball recoveries than the centre-back pairing, on top of also winning more tackles and interceptions.
Whilst it obviously would take time for the Portuguese youngster to get up to speed with the Premier League, Villa should still pursue this move with a fee around the region of £41m expected to be satisfactory, after he was once touted for a move around the £80m mark last summer to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United.
Villa supporters will want Torres’ recovery to go well, but with the defensive woes that keep tripping their side up, going in for Silva this January seems to be the most logical move to make.
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