Aston Villa eyeing move for new £50m+ defender in January

Whilst Aston Villa have been far from perfect in the Premier League so far this season, Unai Emery’s side have at least shown glimpses of what could come, once the former Arsenal manager fine tunes his tactical plan.

The Villans, of course, got off to a disastrous start on the opening day, losing 5-1 against Newcastle United. Since then, however, they have won three out of four games, with their only other loss coming at Anfield against Liverpool.

Coming from behind to defeat Crystal Palace 3-1 last time out, too, it’s clear that the Midlands club are beginning to find that form. And now, they’ve reportedly turned their attention towards the January transfer window, eyeing up a move for a certain La Liga star.

What’s the latest Aston Villa transfer news?

Villa had one of the most impressive transfer windows in England’s top flight, spending a reported €93m (£80m) on five fresh faces, in total. The most successful of those arrivals so far has been Moussa Diaby. The former Bayer Leverkusen winger has hit the ground running, scoring two goals and assisting a further two in five Premier League games.

There’s no doubt that Emery will have European aspirations this season, after taking Villa to Europa Conference League qualification last season, and with that, January reinforcements could still come in.

According to reports in Spain, via Caught Offside, the Midlands club are keen on signing Real Sociedad defender Robin Le Normand, who reportedly has a release clause of €60 million (£51.6m).

As things stand, Emery could do with another centre-back option following the long-term injury to Tyrone Mings, which has left the Frenchman with Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Diego Carlos, and Calum Chambers to call on for most of the campaign.

Should Aston Villa sign Robin Le Normand?

Welcoming a player of Le Normand’s quality would once again confirm that Aston Villa are in the process of reaching a new level under Emery, which started with European qualification last season, and progressed with the signing of Diaby in the summer.

Statistically speaking, Le Normand has been a standout in La Liga in the last few years. According to FBref, the Spaniard is in the top 97 percentile for aerial duels won per 90, the top 76 percentile for pass completion rate, as well as the top 77 and 78 percentiles for progressive carries and progressive passes per 90, to more than earn his reported £46k per-week at Sociedad.

Meanwhile, compared to Konsa, Torres, and Carlos this season, Le Normand stands out in several areas, as per FBref, which you can see below:

With that said, it’ll be interesting to see whether Villa trigger Le Normand’s release clause. It’s clear that he has that extra quality to potentially help them improve even further, and perhaps even take them to Europa League qualification this season, making the potential move one to keep an eye on.