Emery could have signed for £25 million at Aston Villa. Diego Carlos’s advancement
Unai Emery may have increased his defensive options by making this signing.
Aston Villa had a good summer of business ahead of the much anticipated 2023/24 season, but the Villans are still missing several key players four games in.
Unai Emery and Monchi added five new players to the Villa Park squad, including the record-breaking signing of Moussa Diaby for £51.9 million.
While the business side has been successful, the market progression has been hampered by a lack of players owing to early injury, with both Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia being ruled out with long-term difficulties so early in the season.
The list of absentees was expanded after only 19 minutes at Anfield last Saturday, when Diego Carlos was taken off with pain, adding to the defensive strains.
This summer, who did Aston Villa want to sign?
While Pau Torres and Clement Lenglet arrived in the Midlands during the transfer window, two injuries in central defense have left Emery short on depth and rotation.
Aymeric Laporte, who was reported in the Mirror last month as being of interest to the Villans, was one name linked to Villa Park during the summer window.
Despite the reports, the Spaniard departed Manchester City to move to Saudi Arabia to join Al Nassr in a deal worth only £25m, making his price tag seemingly cheap considering the talents and experience he possesses.
How does Aymeric Laporte compare to Diego Carlos?
While the decision is ultimately for the player to dictate, Villa could have been taken to the next level should they have made an official move to attempt to lure the 29-year-old to the Midlands, over someone of the calibre of Lenglet.
Looking back, the potential introduction of Laporte could have paved the way for additional strength and quality in the back line, something that is required currently considering the double injury blow.
As well as depth, the five-time Premier League winner could have offered a new level of player to Emery’s squad, with ability far beyond that of Carlos, who has missed the majority of his career at Villa so far due to injury.
Recovering from a traumatic Achilles rupture in August 2022 was extremely tough on the defender as well as the club, making his departure last weekend even more worrying due to his track record.
While injury woes are out of Carlos’ hands, the fact remains that the Brazilian represents a less reliable figure in defence, making the lack of movement for Laporte frustrating in hindsight.
Previously hailed as a “animal” by journalist Enrique Noriega, the Spaniard is one of the most highly regarded defenders in Europe, as highlighted by his averages of distribution ranking him as one of the best in his position. As per FBref, Laporte averaged an exemplary pass completion rate of 92.8% and an average of 6.94 progressive passes per 90 over the past year, with his progressive play ranking him in the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues. Going back to his last recordable season, Carlos averaged 3.01 progressive passes per 90 for Sevilla in the 2021/22 La Liga campaign, while maintaining a lower pass completion rate of 87.3%, suggesting the difference in calibre between the two players, via FBref.
Going the extra mile for Laporte may have been a pivotal move by Emery and Monchi, but it wasn’t meant to be, leaving the Villans with selection options to make in the future with absentees in mind.
