(Football news) Pau Torres, 26, played for the Spanish team from 2020 to 2023 under Villa manager Unai Emery.
The defender, who enrolled in Villarreal’s junior academy in 2003, was crucial to the Yellow Submarine’s La Liga playoff appearance last year. He played for his childhood team in 173 games and scored 12 goals. He also played 23 times for Spain.
In 2016, Torres made his debut with Villarreal, making history as the first Valencian-born player in 13 years to do so. He rapidly became a crucial member of the team, helping them defeat Manchester United in the penalty shootout to win the Europa League in 2021. This happened under Emery.
Pau Torres earned his Spain debut in 2019 and has participated in the World Cup and Euro 2020. He is Aston Villa’s second summer addition, following the free move from relegated Leicester City of Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans.
Last season, Villa’s seventh-place performance in the Premier League earned them a spot in the Europa Conference League. When Villa recruited Monchi to the team to work with Unai Emery, they realised they were forming the sports director-manager partnership that is very much evident in this deal.
It will be intriguing to observe how Emery balances his team going forward. It’s unlikely that Emery will play Torres in a position other than his preferred central defensive role given the amount of money he paid for someone he already knew so well.
What does that mean for Diego Carlos, Ezri Konsa, and Tyrone Mings? It won’t be simple to keep four seasoned central defenders pleased, even with a European campaign ahead of them.
