Aston Villa have reportedly shown an interest in Borussia Dortmund ace Thomas Meunier, in a move that could significantly strengthen Unai Emery’s side.
The Villans are expected to have a busy summer, with Monchi set to team up with his former Sevilla colleague in the bid to continue the progression at Villa Park.
What’s the latest on Thomas Meunier to Aston Villa?
As reported by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Aston Villa have emerged as a potential suitor for Dortmund defender Meunier.
The report claims that the £165k-per-week Belgian is ‘studying’ options this summer after informing the club of his desire to leave.
Villa are named alongside Inter, Juventus and AC Milan as clubs that have ‘asked’ about the player’s situation, with a fee reported to be as low as €2m (£1.7m).
What could Thomas Meunier offer to Aston Villa?
Lauded as a “machine” by members of the media, the 31-year-old could prove to be a valuable asset to Emery’s squad, acting as a significant upgrade at right-back.
In 408 recorded career appearances, as per Transfermarkt, the Belgian has played at the top level against and among some of the continent's best talents, making him an individual with heaps of experience.
With Premier League veteran Ashley Young leaving the club this summer, Emery may opt to recruit added experience to his defence. He could achieve that by signing Meunier and equip the right side with a player capable of dethroning current options in doing so.
Matty Cash made 26 Premier League appearances for Villa this season at right-back, performing adequately as communicated by his average match rating of 6.76, via Sofascore.
The Poland international has been called “inconsistent and naive” in the past by Talent ID Andrew Ashburn, and as supported by his statistics, could find himself replaced should Meunier opt to make the move to the Midlands.
As per FBref, the former Paris Saint-Germain full-back averages 66.66 attempted passes per 90, ranking him in the top 11% of full-backs in Europe over the past year, showing his desire to be involved in game play.
Based on their numbers over the past year, the 31-year-old averages marginally higher than Cash in a variety of attributes required to excel as a successful full-back, averaging 2.79 tackles to the 25-year-old’s 2.72 per 90 and 1.44 interceptions to his 1.29 per 90.
Being a strong full-back in the Premier League nowadays relies a lot on an individual's ability to be progressive in play, with managers opting to hand inverted roles to their wide defenders in the bid to support offensively.
Meunier averages higher than the Villa right-back when it comes to progressive passes, recording an average of 3.94 to Cash's 3.71 per 90, with a similar pattern evident in progressive carries, scoring 2.31 per 90 to Cash’s 2.08.
For a limited price, Emery could capture an experienced and established full-back in the Belgian, who could upgrade and provide depth at right-back ahead of next campaign.