Marc Pubill has sealed a £5 million move to Almeria after Premier League outfit Aston Villa opted against signing the former Levante starlet this summer.
While Pau Torres’ arrival sees the Spain international reunite with his former Villarreal boss Unai Emery in the Midlands, Aston Villa have not quite tapped into the La Liga market as much as some had expected this summer.
Villa opted to bring in Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen rather than go all in Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams. Youri Tielemans arrived from Leicester City after reports linking Dani Parejo with a return to England, over a decade after that most forgettable of QPR spells.
And, according to Super Deporte, former Sevilla chief Monchi held talks with Levante regarding Marc Pubill too, only for Aston Villa to decide against stepping up their interest in the highly-rated Spain U19 international.
Aston Villa decided against Marc Pubill deal
Pubill is a right-back, you see. And Aston Villa obviously felt that they had enough cover on the right-hand side already, Calum Chambers providing back-up for Matty Cash. Emery has also talked up Ezri Konsa’s ability to play in a wider role during pre-season.
“We are trying to practice different tactical ways,” Emery tells the Express and Star. “And one is to play with Konsa as a right-back, and to build up with three at the back.
“We need to keep practicing different ways we can play.”
So while Aston Villa reportedly believe that Pubill has the characteristics to thrive in English football, a late claret-and-blue hi-jack was never really on the cards. Pubill put pen to paper on a long-term contract with UD Almeria in midweek.
He joins the La Liga outfit on a six-year deal. Almeria will pay up to £5 million, including bonuses, and you can guarantee that they will demand a lot more than Levante did if Aston Villa come calling again in 2024.
