It has been a busy summer so far for Aston Villa. The Midlands club have a big season ahead in 2024/25, as they return to the Champions League and will play in the competition for the very first time since its rebrand.
Indeed, they have so far made eight summer signings, although Cameron Archer has since left the club, and Samuel Iling Junior is set to depart on loan. However, Unai Emery has still brought in six main additions to his squad, notably signing Amadou Onana from Everton in a deal worth £50m. The Belgian got the dream start to his Villa career, with a debut goal against West Ham United.
There have also been some major outgoings at Villa Park. Two key men have left the club, with French winger Moussa Diaby joining Saudi side Al-Ittihad and midfielder Douglas Luiz making the move to Italian giants Juventus.
With the transfer window set to shut on Friday, the Villans might yet look to add to their squad ahead of their huge season amongst Europe’s elite. They have recently been linked with one player who could add quality and European pedigree to their side.
Aston Villa target Premier League defender
The player in question here is Chelsea’s English centre-back Trevoh Chalobah. The 25-year-old has been made into something of an outcast under new Blues boss Enzo Maresca and it seems likely that he will depart the club before the deadline at the end of the week.
Now, according to a report from Ben Jacobs, in conversation with GIVEMESPORT, the Villans are one club that could swoop in and look to sign the Chelsea academy graduate. Jacobs reports that Emery’s side are one of the ‘more viable destinations’ for the 25-year-old to end up at this summer.
However, they will not be alone in their quest to sign him. Jacobs also names Crystal Palace as another option for Chalobah, which could see him link up with a fellow Cobham graduate Marc Guehi. However, whether he ends up at Villa Park, Selhurst Park or elsewhere, Jacobs does confirm he will likely stay in the Premier League.
In terms of a price, the 25-year-old is believed to be valued at around £35m, according to a report earlier in the window. However, with a sale needing to happen fast, the Blues could well drop their price to ensure he definitely leaves the club this summer.
Why Chalobah would be a good signing
Since breaking into the first team at Stamford Bridge in 2021/22, the 25-year-old has made 80 appearances for his boyhood club, although last term he featured for the Blues just 13 times in the Premier League.
Frustratingly, this is due to a long-term injury, which kept Chalobah out between the start of August and the 10th of January. He missed a total of 192 days and 32 games with that injury, although it is the only long-term injury of his career, and should not be too much of a concern to Villa.
The Villans would also be adding European pedigree into their squad, ahead of their exciting European venture next term. The 25-year-old, who has had three loans including one at Ipswich Town, has won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup with the Blues.
Although he was not part of the squad that won the Champions League in 2020/21, Chalobah has still been involved in a squad with the majority of those players and likely will have picked up invaluable nuggets of experience which could be helpful in claret and blue. He has played in Europe’s premier competition, featuring nine times and getting on the scoresheet once.
Should the former England youth international make the switch from Stamford Bridge to Villa Park, it could be a repeat of Villa’s recent signing Ian Maatsen. Like a proposed move for Chalobah, the Dutchman was bought from the West London outfit, having also come through the esteemed Cobham academy. He cost £37.5m from Chelsea.
Not only that, but he also has Champions League experience, like the English defender. During a loan to Borussia Dortmund last term, he was part of the side that reached the final at Wembley before they fell to defeat at the hands of Real Madrid.
Not only would there be similarities between the signing of Chalobah to that of Maatasen, but he could also be a perfect partner for Ezri Konsa. The England international has become a key player under Emery and has featured 78 times under the tutelage of the Spaniard.
Why Chalobah would be perfect alongside Konsa
The pair are very similar when it comes to their stats via FBRef, with both defenders excellent on the ball and good defensively, too. For example, last season, the Chelsea defender averaged 4.34 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, with Villa’s number four averaging slightly less at 4.16.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
They are also neck and neck when looking at the tackles and interception stats from the 2023/24 campaign. The Cobham graduate averaged 2.26 per game, although the Villa defender averaged slightly more, at 2.4.
Ball recoveries
4.34
4.16
Tackles and interceptions
2.26
2.4
% of dribblers tackled
66.7%
85.2%
Clearances
4.81
2.14
In terms of their numbers on the ball, Chalobah averaged 2.92 progressive passes last term, which is far fewer than Konsa, who averaged an impressive 3.99 each game. Aside from being progressive on the ball, the pair look after the ball well, with the Chelsea defender averaging an 89.4% pass accuracy, and the Villa defender a 91.1% pass accuracy.
It certainly seems as those they would be two complementary defenders in Emery’s Villa system, which requires his centre-backs to be good on the ball and progress play forwards. They could become a dream pairing for the Spaniard.
Chalobah was described as a “seriously talented” defender by football scout Antonio Mango and given the Champions League pedigree he would bring, combined with the fact it would replicate the Maatsen move, which has already shown to be a good value-for-money signing, this could be a shrewd addition for from Villa.
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