Spanish international defender Pau Torres has reconnected with boss Unai Emery after his Wednesday transfer from Villarreal to Premier League team Aston Villa,
At an alleged cost of £35 million ($45 million), Torres, 26, will join Villa.
In 2021, Villarreal’s team led by Emery won the Europa League and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
The center-back was a vital member of that team.
Torres, who has been capped 23 times by Spain, was a product of the Villarreal youth academy and made 123 appearances for his boyhood club.
He joins midfielder Youri Tielemans, a Belgian international who joined Villa from Leicester earlier in the summer window.
Emery oversaw a spectacular transition in Villa’s first season under his leadership, and they will play in Europe for the first time since 2010 next season.
A seventh-place Premier League result was enough to guarantee a spot in the European Conference League.
In October, Emery took over for the fired Steve Gerrard as Villa were barely above the relegation zone.