Last summer, Erik ten Hag kick-started his Manchester United rebuild with a trio of Eredivisie additions; Lisandro Martinez, Antony and Tyrell Malacia. North of the border at Celtic, Ange Postecoglou has enjoyed serious success after reuniting with some of his former J-League favourites. And, ahead of his first summer in charge at Aston Villa, Unai Emery also appears set to centre his own recruitment drive around those he knows and trusts.
Samu Chukwueze, Dani Parejo and Pau Torres – who are all contracted to Emery’s old employers Villarreal – have already been linked.
The Athletic, meanwhile, report that Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams and Las Palmas starlet Alberto Moleiro are also high on Emery’s wishlist.
With that in mind, the impending appointment of Mateu Alemany – the experienced director who announced this week that he will be leaving La Liga leaders Barcelona – should act as a proverbial leg-up as far as Emery’s summer plans are concerned. In comes a man with a detailed knowledge of Spanish football, and a contact book the size of a Dostoevsky novel.
Mateu Alemany can spark Unai Emery’s Aston Villa transformation
Alemany has been in top-level football for around 30 years, enjoying spells at Real Mallorca and Valencia before arriving at Barcelona in the winter of 2022 as the club’s director of football.
And reports from talkSPORT claiming that Ferran Torres has entered into Aston Villa’s thinking, then, may suggest that Alemany is already influencing the club’s transfer strategy.
Alemany, after all, was central to Barcelona’s decision to spend £47 million on Torres during the winter of 2022. According to Diario Sport, the director held talks with the former Valencia whizzkid, and pushed for his arrival over that of Raheem Sterling.
TalkSPORT add that Torres also has admirers at Arsenal. And while the Gunners may be able to offer Champions League football as well as a tilt at the title, Alemany could be the trump card up Aston Villa’s sleeve.
Ferran Torres at Villa Park?
The versatile 23-year-old has struggled for regular starts at Barca of late. 16 of his 29 La Liga appearances this term have come off the bench. But the successes of Alexis Sanchez and Yaya Toure in England are proof that you don’t have to be a fixture in the Blaugrana XI in order to truly thrive elsewhere.
Torres, who can play out wide or through the middle – in a manner not too dissimilar to Villa talisman Ollie Watkins – had an impressive goals-to-minute ratio at Manchester City. He’s scored 15 goals in just 35 Spain caps too.
“He has incredible numbers for first season in England,” Pep Guardiola said back in May 2021 after Torres hit a hat-trick against Newcastle United.
“He came as a winger with incredible runs in behind. But he can play as a striker. Every time he plays in that position, he has a real sense of goal.
“He was fantastic all season. An incredible signing for us, a young player who can play in all three positions for us up front.”
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