"Absolutely brilliant," cried Alan Shearer, as Ezri Konsa stood his ground against the hulking Breel Embolo and dispossessed the Switzerland striker.
Konsa earned his laurels after a formidable performance in Düsseldorf for Gareth Southgate's Three Lions, but while the Aston Villa defender's prowess is now being recognised on the major stage, the Villans have known exactly how good he is for quite some time.
Minutes played
78'
Touches
61
Accurate passes
46/47 (98%)
Long balls
2/3
Tackles
2
Clearances
7
Blocked shots
2
Ground duels won
4/4
Fouls
0
Signed from Brentford for just £12m back in the summer of 2019, the dynamic defender has been one of the fulcrums of Unai Emery's success at Villa Park. Having qualified for the Champions League, Villa owe much to the ace's steel and fortitude.
Now, with the Midlands club's transfer window up and running, Monchi appears to be homing in on an exciting new defensive partner.
Aston Villa transfer news
According to transfer insider Graeme Bailey earlier this week, Aston Villa are among the interested parties for Euro 2024 star Strahinja Pavlovic.
The RB Salzburg defender, who is valued at around £25m, is also attracting attention from Chelsea and Newcastle United in the Premier League, while Brentford are believed to have held talks with the 23-year-old's representatives.
But it doesn't stop there. In fact, we could name an endless list of top-flight outfits eyeing a deal for the rising star. Wolverhampton Wanderers might be keen after agreeing to sell captain Max Kilman to West Ham United in a £40m package.
Villa need to get it done.
Imagine Strahinha Pavlovic & Ezri Konsa
Pavlovic was sold to Salzburg in 2022, with Monaco relinquishing the young centre-back's services for an initial fee of just €7m (£6m), having failed to insinuate himself among the top of the crop in Monaco's sparkling enclave.
A left-sided centre-half, the Serb would be a welcome addition to a Villan backline in need of such a profile. Clement Lenglet has left following his middling loan spell, while Tyrone Mings has not featured since injuring his knee on last year's opening day.
And given that he is athletically robust, progressive and imposing, the 6 foot 4 titan could fit in like a dovetail joint. As per Sofascore, he notched three goals and assists apiece over 26 matches in the Austrian Bundesliga last term, thriving for dominant Salzburg, also averaging 7.3 ball recoveries and 8.8 duels per game.
Moreover, he's creative, with a wide variation of passes that can slice through the opposing midfield as if by sharpened lancet. As FBref record, he ranks among the top 8% of centre-backs across relevant divisions last season for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for progressive carries and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90 – and the top 10% for tackles besides.
Pass completion
91.1%
80.9%
Shot-creating actions
1.00
1.46
Progressive passes
3.99
3.65
Progressive carries
1.09
1.28
Successful take-ons
0.56
0.73
Ball recoveries
4.16
6.40
Tackles
1.58
2.19
As the statistical breakdown illustrates above, Pavlovic is performing at a remarkably proficient level, eclipsing Konsa in progressiveness despite the Villa man's fluctuation between central and wide defence under Emery's management.
Further to that point, the Serbia international is able to showcase the finest degree of his skill set no matter the opposition. Take, for example, his performance against England in the Euro 2024 group stage, where his nation was bested narrowly but held their own and prevented the lacklustre Lions from gaining authority.
Serbian warrior indeed. Konsa, who is naturally right-sided but proved his tactical fluidity with a strong display for England on the left of an experimental back-three, would relish the chance to play alongside such a steely partner, whose aerial dominance and brawny style could bounce off his more nippy-moving technique.
The English dynamo, indeed, was hailed for being "among the Premier League's best-performing defenders" last season by The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell, and it's no surprise that his rise and rise has coincided with the successive continental-qualifying campaigns of his outfit.
Furthermore, across his 35 Premier League outings last term, Konsa actually won an incredible 78% of his ground duels. That's an absurd level of precision, poise and penetrative defending. Storming adversaries are disarmed as if by a master fencer, and Emi Martinez's goal stays safe.
He's sound in the air but it's not his forte – Konsa, it seems, is a greater aficionado of the defensive ground game. But with Pavlovic beside him, the balance could be something extraordinary.
Not only does the Salzburg man rank among the top 18% of positional peers for aerial duels won per 90, but he also won a whopping 72% of such battles in the Austrian top flight last season. Hardly surprising given his vertiginous height.
Emery's system is characterised by flexibility and unflappable drive and mentality. Compact and composed in protecting their sticks, the Premier League side will shift into a more fluid and overlapping system to move through the thirds. Progression is key, and with Pavlovic adept in that regard – offering the complete package – he would be a worthy addition to a team continuing to exceed expectations.
Pavlovic is moving through the gears with some speed. And given the transfer incisiveness of rival suitors such as Chelsea and the Magpies, Aston Villa best move with haste to land a new signing who could grow into one of the Premier League's very best.
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