Aston Villa are certainly riding the crest of a wave right now as they secured their sixth Premier League win of the season with a rather straight forward 4-1 thrashing of West Ham United on the weekend.
Unai Emery was clearly just getting started by leading Villa to a seventh-place finish last season and their form during the current campaign ensures they have a realistic chance of securing a top six spot or whisper it quietly, a Champions League berth for next year.
Of course, they will have to maintain this over the course of a whole term while defeating established sides like Manchester United, Arsenal, and Manchester City at some point, but with the way the Spaniard has them playing right now, nothing appears out of the question.
Having lured players such as Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres, and Nicolo Zaniolo to the club in a bid to strengthen his squad, and it has worked a charm.
He may not stop there, however, as his meticulous approach suggests there could be a few more arrivals during the January transfer window, and if Villa are still challenging at the top end of the Premier League while progressing in Europe, improving his squad depth could be crucial.
With this in mind, it appears as though the Midlands side are showing interest in a current Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Carlos Soler ahead of the winter window.
Are Aston Villa interested in signing Carlos Soler?
According to a recent report by Le Parisien (via One Football), Emery looks to be keeping tabs on the Spanish ace as the January window fast approaches.
The outlet claimed that PSG manager Luis Enrique is looking to add some more creativity to his side and could be set to bolster this area, yet this would potentially require him to make a few sales in order to accommodate some new arrivals.
Brighton and Hove Albion are also showing interest in the 6-foot gem and, having played for PSG and Valencia, his next stop could be the Premier League.
The 26-year-old ace is currently earning around £100k-per-week and this is certainly a wage that Villa could afford, especially when you consider that their highest earner is Boubacar Kamara, who is reportedly taking home £175k-per-week.
According to Football Transfers, Soler is currently valued at €25.6m (£22.3m), although he does have another four years remaining on his current contract, giving Enrique some more flexibility with the fee he could charge prospective buyers.
How good is Carlos Soler?
PSG won the Ligue 1 title last season and with the triumvirate of Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe obviously stealing headlines throughout the campaign, scoring 58 goals between them, it was Soler who played the unassuming role in the heart of the midfield.
Across 26 league matches last term, he scored three goals and grabbed three assists while registering ten goal contributions altogether in all competitions and key played a key role in their title triumph.
7
1
38
7
38
12
34
12
37
3
51
4
37
1
35
4
Before PSG however, he was an integral member of the Valencia squad, racking up a rather remarkable 38 goal contributions – 24 goals and 14 assists – across his final two full seasons with the Spanish giants, and it is clear he could give Emery and extra attacking threat from the heart of the midfield.
Over the previous 12 months when compared with positional peers across the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions, he currently ranks in the top 1% for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.32), the top 14% for assists per 90 (0.19), and the top 11% for progressive passes received per 90 (4.91).
This indicates that not only does he feature highly for goals and assists, but the midfielder likes to burst forward and receive the ball in dangerous positions on a regular basis.
Could he even be an upgrade on one of Emery’s summer signings? Youri Tielemans has failed to really showcase his true talents since joining Villa.
Is Carlos Soler better than Youri Tielemans?
Since arriving at Villa Park, the Belgian international has failed to start a league match under Emery and currently ranks in a lowly 12th spot for accurate passes per game (11.6), while also ranking 12th for key passes per game (0.2) and 11th for goals and assists(one) which indicate that he hasn’t made the required impact as expected.
In comparison, Soler ranks 15th for accurate passes per game (18.7) across the PSG squad while also ranking 15th for key passes per game (0.6) and seventh for goals and assists (two), and considering how tough it is to stand out at the French giants, he is performing fairly well when called upon.
The Spaniard has also registered more shots per 90 (2.32 vs 0.58) than Tielemans while also having a better pass success rate (87.7% vs 86.9%), taking more touches in the attacking third (64 vs 36) and receiving more progressive passes (13 vs five) per 90, suggesting that Soler has the edge on the Belgian across a wide range of performance metrics.
It is no wonder then that former Valencia star Curro Torres, who coached Soler during his time in the youth academy, praised him back in 2021, saying: “He is the complete midfielder and can act as a 6, 8 or 10; he has power, arrives in the box and can score.
“I know him and I know that he can still bring his game to the next level. He has taken on responsibility in the team too.”
These attributes could be a huge bonus for Emery as he aims to strengthen his side and with Tielemans not quite making an immediate impact following his summer arrival, Soler could see the potential to secure a regular spot in a team who are on the rise.
It would signal yet another statement of intent by the former Arsenal boss if he was able to lure the PSG midfielder to the Midlands, especially given his performances on the continent since making his debut for Valencia during the 2016/17 season.
If Emery wants constant improvement at Villa, he needs to continue his fine record in the transfer market and secure players who are heading to the peak of their powers.
Diaby and Torres fit that bill having joined during the summer and there is no doubt Soler is about to enter his prime years as a footballer, becoming an upgrade on Tielemans in the process, due to the aforementioned statistics.