Aston Villa Are Among The Clubs Hoping To Sign This Ligue 1 Defender: Is He A Star In The Making? | OneFootball

In a recent report, Foot Mercato stated that Aston Villa are among the clubs hoping to sign Nantes defender Nathan Zeze. It is understood that the Villans will face competition in the form of Leicester City, Stuttgart and other French clubs in the race to land the French centre-half in the summer.

Zeze’s Rapid Rise In French Football

Zeze has come through the youth ranks of the French club and has done well to break into their first team recently. The Nantes-born talent has made 13 senior appearances for his current employers this season, netting one goal in multiple competitions.

The 18-year-old has been a rock at the back based on his average of 0.6 tackles, 1.0 interceptions and 3.3 clearances per 90 minutes in Ligue 1. He has even distributed possession relatively well from the back after completing 85.7% of his attempted passes in the French top tier (stats via whoscored).

Zeze is under contract at the French club until the summer of 2028 which would make it tough for the Villans to get a deal done for him on the cheap later this year.

Lens’ French forward #07 Florian Sotoca (R) fights for the ball with Nantes’ French defender #44 Nathan Zeze (L) during the French L1 football match between FC Nantes and RC Lens at the La Beaujoire stadium in Nantes, western France, on February 3, 2024. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP)

Aston Villa Are Among The Clubs Hoping To Sign Zeze: Is He A Star In The Making?

Zeze is a solid tackler of the ball and can time his challenges well to earn the ball back for his team inside his half. He doesn’t mind clearing his lines when the opposition are on the front foot and is proficient at playing his way out from the back. Standing at 1.90m, the Frenchman can use his strong frame to dominate the opposition attackers in the air.

At the moment, Zeze is enjoying his football at Nantes. However, he is still quite inexperienced at the highest level and would need time to settle into life in English football. Still, Aston Villa would be wise to move in for him as he is undoubtedly a star in the making.

At 18, the future looks quite promising for Zeze as long as he continues to mature as a footballer with each season. Hence, the Villans should focus on getting a deal done for him when the transfer window commences at the end of this campaign.