There are only a few hours left to go before the January transfer window officially slams shut and Aston Villa are still looking to add to their squad.
The Villans confirmed the exciting capture of Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United, with an option to make it permanent, at the weekend.
They have also officially completed the signing of Paris Saint-Germain forward Marco Asensio on loan until the end of the season to further bolster their attacking options.
The former Real Madrid man and Rashford may not be the only players to follow Donyell Malen in making the move to Villa, however, as they are reportedly in the market for another defender.
Aston Villa pushing for defensive addition
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Aston Villa are ‘pushing’ to seal a last-gasp deal for Villarreal central defender Juan Foyth before the deadline.
The reporter claims that the Villans want to bring in another defender before the end of the January transfer window and they have identified Unai Emery’s former player as their target.
Bailey reveals that a move for Chelsea defender Axel Disasi, who is not involved in their clash with West Ham United in the Premier League tonight, is off the table and that has opened the door for them to pursue Foyth.
However, the journalist states that a deal for the Argentina international is a ‘very’ hard move to get over the line, potentially given how late in the window it is.
Why Aston Villa should sign Juan Foyth
The Villans should push as hard as possible to secure the Villarreal enforcer’s services in the coming hours because he could be a dream alternative to Disasi, who has struggled for Chelsea.
Foyth missed 19 matches with a knee injury, which he returned from in December, but has been a solid performer when called upon by the LaLiga outfit this term, and was last season.
Like Disasi, the former Tottenham Hotspur man is a versatile defender who can be called upon at right-back or centre-back, which suits the way Emery rotates his defensive options – providing cover in the hybrid right-back role.
The World Cup winner started 12 matches in LaLiga in the 2023/24 campaign and made 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game without making a single error that led to a shot, goal, or penalty for the opposition.
|
24/25 season |
Foyth (LaLiga) |
Disasi (Premier League) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
5 |
6 |
|
Error led to shot/goal |
0 |
1 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
50% |
44% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
68% |
71% |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
1.8 |
1.5 |
|
Dribbled past per game |
0.2x |
0.8x |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, Foyth has largely outperformed Disasi at league level in their limited appearances so far this season for their respective teams.
The Villarreal man could be less of a liability for Villa, from a defensive perspective, as he has not made as many direct errors and has been dribbled past far less frequently.
Therefore, the £32k-per-week ace, who also has the advantage of having worked with Emery in the past, would be a dream alternative to Disasi if they can get a deal over the line tonight.
