Aston Villa have begun life under Unai Emery extremely well, looking rejuvenated under the Spaniard as they claimed two Premier League wins from his first three matches before the World Cup break, equalling Steven Gerrard’s win total in eight fewer matches.

The honeymoon period won’t last long, however, and with games coming thick and fast from Boxing Day, Emery will need to maintain this momentum in order to drag Villa away from trouble.

Thoughts will now turn to the transfer window and the 51-year-old will have a few targets in mind in order to strengthen his squad. The club have been linked with a move for Stefan de Vrij recently and he could form a formidable duo with Diego Carlos on his return from injury.

A monster duo

Villa signed Carlos in the summer from Sevilla following an excellent 2021/22 campaign. The defender averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.09/10 for his performances and he was an integral part of the side that managed to keep 13 clean sheets in La Liga.

Not only that, but he also averaged an impressive 3.5 clearances per game, one tackle per match and won 62% of his total duels, suggesting his physicality was a key strength.

Unfortunately, the Brazilian was injured while playing in just his second Premier League match and it looked like he would miss the majority of the campaign. He travelled to Dubai to train with the squad ahead of the second half of the season however and could return sooner rather than later.

Having conceded 22 goals league goals already, it’s clear the defence needs to be strengthened and for just €5m (£4m), they could land De Vrij.

This season, the Dutchman has been solid for Inter Milan, averaging two interceptions, three clearances and one tackle per match, while using his colossal 6 foot 3 frame to win 68% of his aerial duels, and there is no doubt he and Carlos could form a superb duo at the heart of the Villa defence.

Indeed, the 30-year-old has been dubbed a “monster” by former Lazio teammate Mauricio, and he also lavished “excellent” praise on the centre-back with it evident De Vrij is well respected by other players.

Emery could give the Villa side a big boost if he manages to convince the Inter defender to leave Serie A for the Midlands, and it would certainly improve their woeful defence with a potential monster duo being created at the back by the Spanish tactician.