Aston Villa star Pau Torres has 'definitely struggled' during the early stages of his Villa Park career due to a key reason, transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.
The Spain international was among the fresh faces to head to the Midlands as Villans boss Unai Emery splashed out close to £80million on reinforcements during the summer window.
Aston Villa latest news - Pau Torres
According to Sky Sports, Villa forked out an initial fee of £33million as Emery sealed a reunion with Torres by prising him away from La Liga side Villarreal close to two months ago.
The report suggests the Villans' head coach was eager to link-up with the central defender, who made 173 appearances for the Yellow Submarine, since he headed into the dugout and succeeded in negotiating terms despite a £60.4million release clause being inserted into his contract at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Torres was handed 105 outings during Emery's stint at the Villarreal helm, while he also contributed nine goals and three assists despite being deployed in the heart of the backline.
The 26-year-old has gone on to make six appearances in his new surroundings, but his performance during the weekend defeat to Liverpool caught the eye for all the wrong reasons.
Respected journalist Sam Tighe claimed Torres was 'wild' as Villa were condemned to a 3-0 loss at Anfield thanks to efforts from Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and a Matty Cash own goal.
Aston Villa summer signings | Fee |
Pau Torres (Villarreal) | £33m |
Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen) | Undisclosed |
Youri Tielemans (Leicester City) | Free |
Rico Richards (West Bromwich Albion) | Free |
Nicolo Zaniolo (Galatasaray) | Loan |
All fees according to Sky Sports |
What has Dean Jones said about Torres?
Having initially told GIVEMESPORT that Torres was a 'fantastic signing' for Villa, Jones believes the ex-Malaga man has found it difficult to get to grips with the physicality of the Premier League.
The reputable journalist feels reservations over whether he could adapt to the English top flight was a key reason for Villa not facing stiff competition for Torres' signature.
Jones told GIVEMESPORT: "I think Villa have still got problems in defence and a lot of it is still going to come back to that Tyrone Mings injury in the first game of the season.
"They haven't got a great combination going yet, and they've floated between the idea of playing three centre-backs and two centre-backs.
"I think Pau Torres has definitely struggled a bit with the transition into the Premier League, which is really interesting because one of the reasons that a few of the bigger clubs sat off Pau Torres in the end was because there were reservations around his physicality and adaptation to the Premier League, and how long it might take.
"It is interesting that in these early couple of games, he has been highlighted as a player that's struggling."
What next for Aston Villa?
Philippe Coutinho is on the cusp of bringing the curtain down on his Villa career as, according to the Express & Star, he is close to joining Qatari side Al-Duhail.
It comes after Emery admitted an agreement was reached for the Brazilian, who has been restricted to just two substitute appearances during the early stages of the campaign, to move onto pastures new if a suitable offer was tabled.
Coutinho was initially offered a route out of Villa Park by Al-Duhail last week, when the reigning Qatari champions lodged a proposal after noticing he has fallen down the pecking order.
The creative midfielder is currently among Villa's highest earners, with Lucas Digne, Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans being the only teammates on more lucrative contracts.