Aston Villa to move for Bundesliga powerhouse

Oumar Solet of RB Salzburg has been linked with a move away from Germany as Premier League clubs explore the option of bringing him to England.

At 6ft 4 the centre-half would provide a dominant presence in a Villa backline that conceded a huge number of goals this season. Following the season-long injury to Tyrone Mings, the leader from the back, Villa were vulnerable from corners and set pieces throughout the season and a high number of their 61 goals conceded were from these situations.

Mings will be hoping to return to full fitness during pre-season but that is certainly more optimistic than a definite. Therefore, Villa could look to someone like Solet who would provide that dominating, physical presence at the heart of defence.

At the age of 24 and with a transfer value of £8-£10 million, Solet could be a worthwile investement for Villa. Solet presents a number of strengths in his game that would be well suited to Unai Emery's team. Like Pau Torres, Solet has an eye for a pass and has impressed with his ability to play the ball through the midfield lines and into attacking areas for his team. He is also a strong carrier of the ball and is able to bring his team up the pitch, again similar to Torres.

Where he would differ from someone like Torres in Villa's defence is his ability to make strong tackles. Torres is certainly a player that influences games on the ball, rather than his defensive work. Solet would be able to bring the aggressive dispossessing nature to Villa's defence so that the balance between strong defending and being able to build from the back is clear to see.

Both Liverpool and West Ham have been rumoured to be interested in the French right-footed defender and therefore Unai Emery will hope that the outlining of the project and the guaranteed pull of Champions League football would be enough to convince Solet to join the club, should Emery pursue his early interest.

UTV