Pau Torres has put 'early season troubles behind him' at Aston Villa

In partnership with

GiveMeSport

·19 December 2023

Pau Torres has put 'early season troubles behind him' at Aston Villa

Aston Villa defender Pau Torres has shown signs of inconsistency at times during his tenure at Villa Park, and journalist Dean Jones has explained to GIVEMESPORT how he's put his early season troubles behind him under Unai Emery.

During the summer transfer window, the Midlands club spent around £78m on new additions in order to allow Emery and his side to compete on all fronts, after qualifying for the Europa Conference League last season. Emery's reinforcements have helped the Spanish manager have his team battling in the top-four this campaign.

OneFootball Videos

Torres was one of Villa's biggest investments in the summer and it was undoubtedly a slow start for the defender, who has had to get used to a new country, league, and style of play after joining the club from Villarreal. Emery had worked with the Spanish international previously during his time in his home country, and he's kept the faith in him as the season has gone on.

Pau Torres has come under criticism

With Villa currently sitting in third place in the Premier League table, it's difficult to pinpoint many negatives in Emery's side. The Midlands outfit are flying in England's top flight and have recently qualified for the knockout round of the Europa Conference League, while they also have come into the conversation for winning the title.

Torres has been a regular under Emery this season, perhaps helped by the major injury to Tyrone Mings earlier in the campaign, but he has struggled at times this term. Back in September, Jones told GIVEMESPORT that Torres was 'definitely struggling' during the first few weeks of his Villa career.

Jones even told GIVEMESPORT later in September that some Villa fans were sick of Torres and how poor he was after signing on the dotted line at Villa Park. The journalist explained that his lack of aggression and power is what deterred other Premier League clubs in the past, but his ability on the ball has proved crucial for how Emery wants to play this season.

As per MailOnline, Villa forked out a hefty fee of £33m to bring Torres to Villa Park. The price tag will always bring added pressure to a player, but he's started to show why Emery's recruitment team were so keen to secure his signature.

Dean Jones update

Jones has suggested that at the moment, everyone is a key player for Villa, but Torres is someone who has put his troubles behind him as the season has gone on. The journalist adds that there were four or five other teams considering a move for him, and he's now established himself in the Villa side as a key star. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said...

"I think Emery's message, as dull as it sounds, rather than him pointing out key players, he'll feel that everyone is a key player. But I think you have to look beyond just John McGinn and Ollie Watkins at this point and start to recognise traits of this team that have become really important. And one of those, I'd say, would be the emergence of Pau Torres and kind of putting his early season troubles behind him and the doubts about whether he can handle the Premier League. There were four or five other teams that were seriously looking at him before he signed for Villa, and his physicality was definitely something that people felt might be a problem. I don't even think that that has been disproven, to be honest at this moment, but what Pau Torres has done is he's established himself in a team and he's got an understanding of the system that means that he's thriving."

Douglas Luiz transfer update

The player Villa fans will be sweating on as the winter window edges closer is Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian midfielder has been in sensational form for the Villans so far this campaign, and clubs are beginning to show an interest in acquiring his services.

Journalist Ben Jacobs previously told GIVEMESPORT that Villa's valuation of Luiz is effectively a British record transfer fee as they hope to receive over £100m for him. As a result, Arsenal, who are said to be keen on the midfielder, are unlikely to be making a move in the January window. Villa may have priced him out of a move, and Villa Park could be the ideal place for him to continue his development anyway.