Head coach Unai Emery is excited about Pau Torres, who joins Aston Villa from his previous club for an initial sum of £33 million. This is the second-highest fee in Villa history, behind the £38 million paid for Emiliano Buendia from Norwich in 2021.
Pau Torres, a center-back for Spanish team Villarreal, has officially joined Aston Villa.
Arriving from head coach Unai Emery’s previous club, Torres will cost an initial £33 million, the second-highest fee in Villa’s history, only surpassed by the £38 million spent for Norwich’s Emiliano Buendia in 2021.
With one year left on his current deal, the center back played 39 games for Villarreal in the previous campaign and was a member of the Spanish team that qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar’s round of 16.
Torres had a release clause worth €70 million (£60.4 million), but Villa is believed to have negotiated arrangements that allow them to pay over a longer time frame, so their initial payment is less than that amount.
Since Torres’ return to the Premier League, Unai Emery has taken a particular interest in him and feels the defender can help elevate the team to new heights as they attempt to secure their place in the European football league.
Torres spent 21 years connected to Villarreal; he entered the first team through the academy and was a member of the team that won the Europa League in 2021 under Emery.
On August 12, Aston Villa will kick off their 2023–24 Premier League campaign with a live Saturday Night Football match away to Newcastle on Sky Sports.
In their first four domestic season games, Unai Emery’s team—who will compete in the Europa Conference League play-offs in August—has traveled on three separate occasions. On August 19, they play host to Everton at Villa Park. On August 26 and September 2, they travel to Burnley and Liverpool.
A hectic December schedule for Villa includes seven Premier League games, including home games against the top two teams from the previous campaign. On December 5, Villa will welcome Manchester City, and on December 9, they will host Arsenal.
On Boxing Day, they go to Old Trafford to play Manchester United. On December 30, they host Burnley to wrap out 2023.
Liverpool will visit Villa Park for Aston Villa’s penultimate home match of the season on May 8, and the season will conclude with an away match at Crystal Palace on May 19.
