The signing of Pau Torres represents great business for Aston Villa – he is only 26, he’s left-sided, and he’s only costing them £35m. But the move also represents a huge challenge for Unai Emery.
It was Emery, when he was at Villarreal, who helped established Torres as Spain’s first choice centre-back under Luis Enrique. Since Emery left, Torres has slipped out the national squad.
The most talented centre-back to emerge in Spain since Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique, began to stagnate a bit last season – the queue of suitors diminished and so did the giant strides he made as a young player.