Aston Villa have found their new centre-back, as they are reportedly closing in on a deal for Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis in a deal expected to be worth an initial £25m, potentially rising to £30m with add-ons.
The 24-year-old, who has been capped once by England, will be the successor to Ezri Konsa, who recently left for Arsenal. Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports had the news first.
He was one of two top targets Villa pursued, along with Joel Ordonez who looked like he would be the choice at centre-back as of a few days ago, before his deal fell through due to concerns over a broken metatarsal injury suffered at the World Cup.
In essence, Villa have got their second choice at centre-back and paid more than they were hoping to. It was believed that all things being equal, they would prefer Ordonez, but Harwood-Bellis was seen as the cheaper option.
It did not turn out that way, as the deal for Ordonez would actually have been less expensive at around £25.7m including add-ons.
Villa’s first bid of £18m plus add-ons for Harwood-Bellis was knocked back, and with their options dwindling and the end of the window in sight, they are now set to pay a significantly larger fee for the defender.
Whether he can replicate what Konsa brought to the pitch is up for debate, as his foot speed and one-on-one defending is not at the same level.
However, Harwood-Bellis is a more accomplished passer, having been schooled by Pep Guardiola and Vincent Kompany, and is a physical and vocal presence on the pitch, which should complement the more understated style of Pau Torres.
It is important to remember where Konsa was in his career at age 24. When Unai Emery arrived at Villa, he was far from the coveted defender he has since become.
Having played most of his club football at Blackburn, Stoke, Anderlecht and Burnley, as well as Southampton, this will be by far the best team Harwood-Bellis has played in regularly. Some players benefit from being surrounded by better players, and that will be the hope.
Given the tools he has to work with, particularly in possession, and the fact Emery reportedly helped drive the move, it is not difficult to make the case for him going to another level at Villa.
Despite being a relatively young player, he has displayed leadership potential, captaining various England youth teams, including leading the under-21s to a European Championship title back in 2023.
He has work to do to overtake Victor Lindelof initially, but Harwood-Bellis has bags of potential which may just need the right manager to unlock, and there is a world where he is a candidate to captain Villa in a couple of years if John McGinn moves on at the end of his current contract.
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