Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will be keen to use this summer as a chance to bring several high-profile players to the Midlands.
The club won’t play in the Champions League next term, but this will hopefully only be a short-term blip as far as Emery is concerned.
Players such as Jadon Sancho, Tyler Dibling, and Barcelona star Fermin Lopez have been linked with a move to Villa Park this summer.
All three would be excellent signings, but perhaps signing a centre-back should be the main priority so early in the transfer window.
Aston Villa chase move for Barcelona defender
Lopez isn’t the only Barcelona player that Emery is keen to bring to the Premier League this summer.
Indeed, defender Andreas Christensen looks like he could be set to leave the La Liga giants, and Aston Villa are one of the clubs linked with a move for the centre-back, as per The Birmingham Mail.
The Dane has a year left on his current deal, and the Catalan side could be set to accept bids of around €20m (£17m) for the player. This is certainly a far cry from his reported €500m release clause, making it a potential bargain for the Villans.
At the time of writing, Villa have just three senior centre-backs on their books. Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa are certainly at the peak of their powers, but Tyrone Mings is 32 and appears to be on the wane.
Might Christensen be an upgrade on the Englishman?
Why Aston Villa must sign Andreas Christensen
Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, Mings has featured only 23 times for Villa due to injury.
There is no doubt the 32-year-old is a solid option to call upon, but might his time at the club be coming to an end?
Both Mings and Christensen have suffered their share of injury problems in recent years. To truly compare the two, you have to go back to the 2022/23 season.
| Comparing Mings and Christensen in 2022/23 per 90 (domestic stats only) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Metric | Mings | Christensen |
| Accurate passes | 46 | 61.1 |
| Tackles | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| Total duels won | 3 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 1.5 | 0.9 |
| Clearances | 4.5 | 2 |
| Possession lost | 8.6 | 4.5 |
Using FBref, Christensen not only registered more shots per 90 (0.51 vs 0.2) than Mings, but the Barcelona star also registered a higher pass completion percentage (94% vs 85.2%), won more tackles (15 vs seven), tackled a higher percentage of dribblers (62.5% vs 45%) and received fewer cautions (two vs seven) in their respective defensive leagues.
Although these stats may be from a couple of seasons ago, it proves that when both are fit and healthy, it is Christensen who is the better player.
Lauded as a “cheat code” by journalist Domagoj Kostanjsak in 2023, the former Chelsea man racked up a total of 93 Premier League appearances during his spell at Stamford Bridge.
Given the fact that he is also three years younger than Mings, bringing Christensen to Villa Park, especially for a fee below £20m, could be an impressive piece of business for Emery.
