What Unai Emery wants from Clement Lenglet as Aston Villa's injuries pile up
Latest Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive with all the details on the Villans latest signing
Aston Villa secured the signing of defender Clement Lenglet from Barcelona on a season-long loan.
The centre-back is another player well-known to Villa's president of football operations, Monchi. Lenglet was one of his last signings at Sevilla, before he left the club for Roma in the summer of 2017.
Lenglet joined Sevilla in January 2017 in a €5million deal from French club Nancy, and he impressed during his spell at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium. After featuring 17 times in La Liga in the second half of 2016/17, he then played one full campaign with Sevilla before Barca activated his €35million release clause.
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After four seasons at the Camp Nou, he departed on loan last summer after struggling for game time under Xavi. The 28-year-old started only seven league games in 2021/22, despite being in the first XI 29, 28 and 22 times respectively in the previous campaigns.
He played his best football in 2020/21, the season before his drop-off in performance at Barcelona. Of all players in La Liga that season, Lenglet recorded the eighth-most passes into the final third (205), and the sixth-highest progressive carrying distance. He also registered a passing completion of 92 per cent, which was bettered by only one player in the division in 2020/21.
Villa boss Unai Emery wants his centre-backs to use the ball effectively, and build-up from the back in a three. Lenglet has the quality required to progress possession through the thirds, not as well as Pau Torres, but still to a high level.
The loss of Tyrone Mings means Villa are now lacking a second left-footed centre-back, and while Lenglet is not a direct replacement for the 30-year-old, he could provide important cover. Emery wants two players per position, and currently, Villa do not have that in defence if he plays a back-three.
Diego Carlos has stepped up in Mings' absence to play at the heart of defence, and when Emery lines his defence up in a back-three, Torres plays on the left and Konsa on the right. However, Carlos was taken off at Anfield with an injury.
It leaves Calum Chambers as the only other recognised centre-back in the squad, but Emery has already explained that he does not plan to use him in that position this season, instead as a right-back or midfielder. Meanwhile, Matty Cash has been deployed in a back-three at the start of this season.
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