Aston Villa are bound to have a crisis at the backline in the future, should they be not ready for it. 

Aston Villa have had a rather concerning issue at the defence department. Their last outing in Old Trafford displays how Villa have defensive frailties they should be fixing soon. 

The Lions have conceded 17 goals in 10 Premier League games this season. It is actually worse than last season when they only conceded 10 goals in the first 10 fixtures in the league. According to the report in Givemesport, Villa does need to deal with their backline crisis sooner than later.

“Villa are looking down the barrel of a concerning situation when it comes to their centre-backs.”  

Their aging squad

The centre back in the current squad could be struggling with the current demand this season. Playing every three days with limited covers to stay in-form does not appear to be easy. 

Pau Torres is having difficulty playing three games in eight days. His contract expires in 2028 and plans to see out his contract without extension in Bodymoor Heath. In fact, he plans to return to Villarreal as a free agent. 

Tyrone Mings is set to be released in summer 2027, when his contract expires. He is already 33 years old at the moment and is not in his ideal form if Villa wants to stay competitive at the top level. 

Lindelof has just extended his contract until summer 2028, meaning that The Lions still need to find his replacement at least next summer to be his understudy. Such would give the Sweden international to manage his minute as he would be 33 years old next season. 

Their new signings on the backline, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Modou Cisse, are in their best age to develop. Yet, they have not been able to cement their place in the starting XI, nor perform consistently and convincingly. They both need more time to settle and adapt with Emery’s demand. 

Possible targets 

Such a potential crisis would need to push Villa to sign the left-footed centre back. At the moment, Villa’s targets in the previous window are not defenders with such profile. Bayern Munich’s Kim Min Jae and Paraguayan youngster Mauro Coronel are both right-footed. Both or either of them could be signed too but they might not be prioritised at the moment. 

The best and smart option to sign is by monitoring the players whose contract is expiring in summer 2027. There are several high profile names who could be a great addition to the squad. Villa could work on a loan deal in January with the option to buy later. 

Fulham’s Calvin Bassey is the ideal option to sign. The 26-year-old defender is left-footed and could play as a left back as well. He could be leaving Craven Cottage if Fulham’s campaign does not improve this season. Playing in Europe is certainly more appealing for the former Glasgow Rangers man. This season, he has made 12 appearances. 

Liverpool man, Joe Gomez is another one to consider. The 29-year-old is not the first choice in Andoni Iraola’s side. He has only played eight games this season, mainly as a substitute. Gomez is a versatile centre back who can play in both flanks as a full back, albeit not being the left-footed one.   

AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori is one of Emery’s old targets. He has been part of the Rossoneri squad since 2020 and featured in 219 games. Yet, this season he has not been the first choice under Ruben Amorim. The former Chelsea man has only made five appearances in all competitions. Despite not being the left-footed defender, he is versatile and capable of playing out wide too, as a wing back or right back.