Aston Villa's transfer options to replace injured Mings

14 Aug 2023 10:30 BST
4 min read

Aston Villa suffered a nightmare start to the Premier League season as they were humbled 5-1 by Newcastle and saw Tyrone Mings stretchered off injured.

Although Villa were losing when England international Mings departed the field, the collapse really started with his absence.

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Pau Torres endured a torrid Premier League debut as Newcastle cut through the ranks of the Birmingham club with ease, raising questions over how Unai Emery’s side will negotiate the remainder of the transfer window.

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Aston Villa confirmed on Monday that Mings has suffered a “significant knee injury” that requires surgery and a “lengthy rehabilitation process”.

FootballTransfers has already revealed that Villa are looking into the prospect of signing Harry Maguire from Manchester United as cover, but the England man offers a different profile to 30-year-old Mings.

If Emery wants a like-for-like replacement at centre-back, who should he be looking at?

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Aston Villa have already spent €33m on Torres this summer, suggesting that this is an upper figure for their centre-back targets.

In conjunction with data analytics experts SciSports, here are three possible options for the Villans.

Trevoh Chalobah - Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino sent Trevoh Chalobah a clear message at the weekend with his team selection for the Premier League opener against Liverpool: he is not in his plans. The 24-year-old was nowhere to be seen as the Blues drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge. The door is open to a move, and Chalobah would surely be interested in a switch to Villa, where he would stand a strong chance of playing regular football at a high level – surely something he craves at this stage of his career.

Furthermore, he possesses a good deal of top-team experience at Chelsea, meaning that he is a relatively low-risk option for Aston Villa, despite an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of £33 million (€39m).

Anthony Rouault – Toulouse

Ligue 1 continues to be plundered by the Premier League for its finest young players, and 22-year-old centre-back Rouault could be the next to go. The Coupe de France winning defender has been followed by Marseille and Fiorentina this summer, with the latter reportedly closing in on a deal for him as a replacement for Igor, who left for Brighton.

A strong all-round defender, Rouault stepped up to Ligue 1 level impressively last season, finishing the campaign as the league’s fifth-best performing centre-back by SciSports’ metrics.

With an ETV of €14.2m, he could be a bargain.

Ismael Doukoure – Strasbourg

Another Ligue 1 centre-back who has caught the eye in recent times in 20-year-old Ismael Doukoure. Like Rouault, he is considered to be one of the best up-and-coming defensive players in France and possesses the defensive strength and ball retention that Mings offers.

Arsenal and Newcastle were both linked with a move for the player earlier this summer and a late switch away from Racing in the transfer window should not be discounted.

Doukoure could be particularly attractive for Chelsea because of his versatility. He can play centre-back, full-back and defensive midfield, meaning that he could offer cover for a myriad of roles before becoming a long-term option in central defence. He also has an ETV of €14.2m.