Unai Emery may have lured some high-quality players to Aston Villa this summer in a bid to strengthen ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, but his sales have also been impressive.
While Douglas Luiz was one of his key players last term, complying with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations meant he was sacrificed, being sold to Juventus.
Moussa Diaby was another who departed Villa Park. The Frenchman didn’t quite have the most productive impact last season. An offer of around £50m was seen as too good to turn down, giving Emery some flexibility with regard to future incomings.
Players
Club joined
Moussa Diaby
Al-Ittihad
Douglas Luiz
Juventus
Calum Chambers
Cardiff City
Tim Iroegbunam
Everton
Morgan Sanson
OGC Nice
Viljami Sinisalo
Celtic
It looks as though there could be another one or two faces leaving the club in the next few weeks…
Latest on Diego Carlo's future
Centre-back Diego Carlos is attracting interest from fellow Premier League side Fulham as Emery looks to sell one of his highest earners.
The Brazilian missed the entirety of his first season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon before making 38 appearances for the club last year.
According to The Athletic, Villa have rejected an opening bid from the Cottagers for the defender, who is also garnering interest from clubs in the Middle East.
Although their approach was rejected, talks will continue between the two clubs, with Emery looking to free up some of his wage bill by selling Carlos.
The Spaniard could have a perfect chance to land a replacement for Carlos as the club look like they have been offered a current free agent…
Aston Villa offered chance to land Carlos replacement
According to Italian outlet AreaNapoli, Mario Hermoso has been offered to both Villa and West Ham United this summer after a move to Napoli looks like it has fallen through.
The report states that his representatives are looking to meet with AC Milan and Inter Milan regarding a potential new destination for their client.
Could Emery take the bait and bring the defender to the Premier League? Especially considering the club were first linked with Hermoso towards the end of last season.
Signing the player for nothing would represent a solid piece of transfer business for Emery, allowing him to direct funds raised by the Diaby sale towards improving other areas of the team.
Mario Hermoso’s statistics last season
It was certainly surprising that Diego Simeone failed to reach an agreement to tie Hermoso down to an extended contract given his form for Atlético last season.
The 29-year-old made 45 appearances for the Spanish side in all competitions for the club, operating at the heart of the defence under Simeone.
Metric
La Liga
Champions League
Accurate passes per game
50
63.8
Total duels won per game
4.1
2.6
Tackles per game
1.5
0.8
Interceptions per game
1
0.7
Balls recovered per game
5.4
4.8
More importantly for Emery is the fact Hermoso featured nine times in the Champions League last term, which could be vital for Villa as they are about to embark on their maiden campaign in Europe’s premier club competition.
Among his teammates, Hermoso ranked second for accurate passes per game (50) in La Liga, while also ranking first for accurate long balls per game (4.4), sixth for tackles (1.5), fifth for interceptions (1) and fourth for clearances (2.6) per game, showing his skills across a range of passing and defensive metrics.
Journalist Zach Lowy once described the centre-back as a “revelation” a few years ago following his first call-up to the Spanish national side. While he may be approaching 30, his knowledge and experience could be important for Emery next season.
Adding another couple of players to this area of the team could be beneficial considering the number of games the club will play throughout 2024/25.
Not only that, but Hermoso is also similar in style to Ezri Konsa, who enjoyed a solid campaign last year.
Why Mario Hermoso could be Ezri Konsa 2.0
The Englishman emerged as one of Emery’s key players for Villa last term following a series of impressive displays.
His performances didn’t go unnoticed, as he was called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024, making three appearances in the competition as the Three Lions lost yet another continental final.
For his club, Konsa played 50 games in all competitions as Villa secured fourth spot in the Premier League table, while missing out on a place in the Europa Conference League final.
His positional versatility certainly came in handy as he was pushed into a right-back slot on occasions when Matty Cash wasn’t fit.
According to FBref, Konsa is the sixth-most comparable player to Hermoso, which suggests Emery will know exactly what type of profile he will be signing should the Spaniard make the move to the Midlands in the next few weeks.
Indeed, last season, the pair registered similar statistics with regard to pass success percentage (86.1% vs 91.1%), shot-creating actions per 90 (1.58 vs 1), tackles made (46 vs 54), percentage of aerial duels won (59% vs 68.2%) and interceptions 30 vs 28), showing just how similar the duo are.
Hermoso is a forward-thinking defender, as evidenced by the fact he ranks in the top 6% for progressive passes per 90 (6.03) when compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues.
The defender also ranked in the top 10% for successful take-ons per 90 (0.45) and in the top 12% for progressive carries per 90 (1.23) over the previous 365 days.
These statistics showcase that Hermoso is a defender who is both solid when his club don’t have the ball, while being excellent in possession, making sure possession is swiftly moved forward at all times.
Signing a defender of this quality on a free transfer is a no-brainer, making it all the more surprising that no team has snapped him up already.
There are still several weeks of the transfer window remaining for Emery to add the finishing touches to his squad. Luring Hermoso with the incentive of Champions League football should be one of his main priorities, no doubt about it.
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