Aston Villa have already been busy this window, looking to equip Unai Emery with the necessary tools for the second half of the season, competing in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
Donyell Malen arrived from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of around £19m plus £2.5m add-ons, and last week Villa added to that addition, bringing 21-year-old left-back, Andres Garcia, to the club from Levante for a fee of around £5.91m.
But the Villans don’t seem to be finished there, as they are looking to add a central defender this month after Diego Carlos left the club, with plenty of links flying around as to who it will be.
Aston Villa close in on signing new defender
According to recent reports from El Periodico Mediterraneo (via SportsWitness), Aston Villa are going all out to try and sign Villarreal defender, Juan Foyth.
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It’s reported that an agreement now being ‘very close’ to being struck after a round of advanced negotiations.
Villarreal are said to be open to a move if they can receive a decent fee for their 27-year-old defender, but the figures of a move are yet to be revealed.Better than Disasi: Aston Villa in advanced talks to sign “quality” star
Foyth – who has already worked under Emery during his time at the Spanish club – has only managed four appearances so far this season, totalling 181 minutes and contributing to one clean sheet in those four games. A knee injury kept the Argentine out for the first half of the season, missing 139 days and 19 games.
How Juan Foyth compares to Axel Disasi
Another defender being linked with a move to Aston Villa is Chelsea centre-back, Axel Disasi, who Fabrizio Romano confirmed Villa are in talks with.
Having been a regular starter last season under Mauricio Pochettino, Disasi has seen fewer minutes under Enzo Maresca, totalling 1,284 minutes, most of those coming in the Conference League.
Emery often looks to deploy a higher line, wanting to defend on the front foot and win possession in dangerous areas. Whilst Disasi isn’t completely incapable of this, he is much better suited to defending his own box, which could make Foyth the better option for Emery’s style of play.
Goals + Assists
0.14
0.32
Progressive Carries
1.81
1.46
Progressive Passes
4.64
3.90
Pass Completion %
83.3%
90.8%
Tackles
2.10
1.71
Blocks
1.38
0.98
Interceptions
1.03
0.56
Ball Recoveries
4.93
3.66
Aerial Duels Won
1.96
1.22
When comparing the two defenders’ metrics, you can see Foyth offers more in regards to progression in the build-up, getting on the ball, looking to break the lines and even carrying the ball forward from the back.
Not only this, but his defensive actions per 90 are also superior, making more tackles, blocks, interceptions and winning more aerial duels.
Foyth has also, of course, played in the Premier League before, featuring under Pochettino at Tottenham between 2017-2021. The Argentine manager praised Foyth as a player with “real quality”, labelling him a “clever” defender with lots of potential.
The addition of Foyth would make a lot of sense for Villa, adding a player the manager knows well, who has also played in the Premier League before and can help both domestically and in the Champions League with his experience.
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