Journalist Graham Hunter has said that a deal could be struck by Aston Villa to land Pau Torres.
Following Unai Emery’s appointment at Villa Park, one begins to wonder who the manager could bring with him.
Formerly of Villarreal, the 50-year-old coach could well return to raid his former employers.
Torres is a name who has been linked with a move to the West Midlanders in the past.
According to reports in Spain, Emery’s predecessor Steven Gerrard was keen to bring the centre-back to the club.
Given that the 6ft 3in defender played a key role in the Yellow Submarine’s Europa League triumph a couple of seasons ago, earning a place in the Team of the Tournament, you can bet that Emery would be keen on a reunion – and Hunter has claimed it is a possibility.
Speaking on the For the Love of Paul McGrath podcast, he said: “Villarreal are a club which are not desperate to sell, but do trade. They do trade and they do want their accounts kept in order. They don’t want debt. So you are right to say that there are opportunities.
“Whether Pau Torres, if he moved, would choose Villa – in my opinion, January market, not.
“There are clubs with big budgets, bigger wages and a better European profile that have liked him recently, so I’m not saying it couldn’t happen.
“Price-wise it could happen, and there’ll come a stage at which Villarreal do sell him. If he [Emery] performs well, if he settles, if it’s looking positive at Villa Park, you do have the capacity to go back and sign well in La Liga.”
TIF Thoughts on Hunter’s comments…
Do you think Torres would join Villa?
Yes, why not?
No! We're not there yet.
Further reports from Spain (via Sport Witness) previously labelled Manchester United as the ‘great favourite’ when it comes to landing a player Owen Hargreaves dubbed ‘fantastic’.
Tottenham Hotspur have also been strongly linked with the 25-year-old, meaning Villa would have to fight off some serious competition to get his signature.
However, the Villans may have an ace up their sleeve in the form of their incoming head coach, who has hailed the 21-cap Spain ace as an ‘amazing player‘ in the past.
With Emery now at the helm, who knows what is possible when it comes to the market for those at Bodymoor Heath – but one thing for certain is that recruiting Torres would be a major coup for the Villans.