This season is shaping up to be a truly memorable one for Aston Villa.
Unai Emery’s side are through to the next round of the FA Cup, third in the Europa League and then third in the Premier League.
Sure, they might have lost 4-1 to Arsenal late last month and fallen six points behind, but they are still positioned to make this campaign one to remember.
Moreover, if reports are to be believed, Aston Villa are keen to add to their squad this month and have even identified someone who’d be an even better signing than Tammy Abraham.
Aston Villa target a better signing than Abraham
With the transfer being open for almost a fortnight now, Aston Villa have been linked with a host of talented players. Conor Gallagher is chief among them, with reports suggesting on Monday afternoon that a club-to-club agreement was close to being reached with LaLiga side Atletico Madrid.
But, he is not the only former Chelsea man linked with a move to Villa Park. The aforementioned Abraham is another.
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Stories from late last week suggested that talks have already taken place between the club and the English striker ahead of a potential move this month.
The former Chelsea star has plenty of experience, is in good form, and already knows Villa Park from his loan spell in the 18/19 season.
However, while the 28-year-old would be a good addition to Emery’s side, it looks like the club are now moving for someone who’d be an even better signing.
At least that is according to a recent report from Spain, which claims Villa are very interested in Ferran Torres.
In fact, the report has revealed that the Villans have already submitted a bid of around €60m for the Spaniard, which is about £52m and would break Villa’s transfer record.
Interestingly, the report states that while Barcelona would like to keep the attacker for purely footballing reasons, they might opt to sell to address their financial issues.
It’s certainly a lot of money, but even so, Torres is an excellent footballer and one Villa should go all out to get, especially as he’d be a better signing than Abraham.
Why Torres would be a better signing than Abraham
So, the first thing to say is that in an ideal world, Villa would sign both Abraham and Torres.
After all, the club are still fighting on three fronts this season and therefore the more attacking options Emery has at his disposal, the better.
However, if the West Midlands side can only pick one of them this month, there are several reasons why they have to go with the Barcelona star.
The first is that he is far more versatile a player than the Englishman.
For example, across his career, the Foios-born dynamo has made 149 appearances at right-wing, 98 off the left, 79 up top and even one in the ten.
In contrast, the former Chelsea gem is an out-and-out number nine, having made just nine appearances off the right and two off the left to his 418 leading the line.
However, even though he has more experience up top, it’s the Spaniard who is more of a goal threat this season, which is the second reason Emery and Co should pick him.
For example, in 1501 minutes of football, the former Manchester City ace has scored 14 goals and provided one assist.
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That comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 100.06 minutes, which helps to justify Xavi’s previous claim that he’s a “world-class” footballer.
In contrast, Abraham has scored 12 goals and provided three assists in 1724 minutes.
That comes out to a still-impressive, but slightly worse, average of a goal involvement every 114.93 minutes in a league generally considered far weaker than La Liga.
Finally, on top of being three years younger than his potential competitor, the Barça star also has far more experience of winning major honours and getting over the finishing line.
Torres’ Honours
Competition
Times Won
Premier League
2
La Liga
2
Spanish Cup
2
Spanish Super Cup
3
League Cup
1
U17 Euros
1
U19 Euros
1
Euros
1
All Stats via Transfermarkt
For example, he has won two Premier League titles, two La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, three Super Cups, one League Cup and the European Championships with Spain.
This experience and know-how could prove vital in a side that is progressing well and on the cusp of seriously competing for the top prizes.
Ultimately, in an ideal world, Villa would sign both players, but if they can’t do that, they should bring in Torres.
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