Aston Villa have backed manager Unai Emery in the summer transfer window after his efforts helped the club to qualify for the Europa Conference League last season.
Who have Aston Villa signed this summer?
The Villans have splashed the cash to bolster their options at the back and out wide, with Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby both having come in on permanent deals from Villarreal and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.
They both arrived after the Premier League side snapped up Belgium international Youri Tielemans on a free transfer from Leicester City, who have been relegated to the Championship.
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However, not all of their transfers this summer may be done with a view to them making an immediate impact on the pitch, and reported target Matej Kovar is an example of that.
How old is Matej Kovar?
At the age of 23, the Manchester United titan could arrive at Villa Park as a long-term signing, rather than one with the intention of being made to improve the team in the short-term.
Monchi could land the future heir to Emiliano Martinez's position between the sticks by securing a deal to sign the Czech Republic U21 international.
The Argentina international joined Villa at the age of 27 in 2020 and had only played 101 competitive senior matches in his career prior to that.
He has since racked up 112 appearances for the club and has proven himself to be an excellent Premier League performer, which shows that goalkeepers can be late bloomers and that Kovar still has many years left ahead of him to fulfill his potential.
Kovar spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan to Sparta Prague and played 32 games in his home country, which came after temporary spells with Burton Albion and Swindon Town during the previous terms.
The 23-year-old colossus saved 65% of the efforts on his goal in the league for Sparta last season and pulled off a Martinez special with one penalty save out of three faced.
He also showcased his ability to play out from the back with a 91% pass completion rate within his own half, which shows that Emery could rely on him in possession.
His form for Sparta came after the 6 foot 5 giant averaged an exceptional Sofascore rating of 7.38 across six League One appearances for Burton during the 2021/22 campaign. Kovar kept four clean sheets and saved 83% of the shots on target against him in that time.
Therefore, the talented youngster, who was once hailed as the "ultimate professional" by Red Devils youth coach Neil Wood, could be the long-term heir to Martinez if he is able to eventually translate that level of performance over to Premier League level.
The current Villa number one, who won the World Cup with his country in 2022, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.99 – the second-highest at the club – and saved 72% of the shots on his goal in the top-flight last season, whilst he also completed 91% of his passes in his side's own third.
These statistics do not suggest that Emery and Monchi need to replace Martinez in the short-term but bringing in Kovar, who is seven years younger than the ex-Arsenal man, could be a shrewd move for the future if the towering United ace is able to adapt to top division football.
