{"id":26853,"date":"2026-04-21T21:35:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T21:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/04\/21\/aston-villa-preparing-to-sign-this-22-year-old-defender-should-they-push-for-him\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T21:35:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T21:35:46","slug":"aston-villa-preparing-to-sign-this-22-year-old-defender-should-they-push-for-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/04\/21\/aston-villa-preparing-to-sign-this-22-year-old-defender-should-they-push-for-him\/","title":{"rendered":"Aston Villa Preparing To Sign This 22-Year-Old Defender: Should They Push For Him?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Aston Villa have already started<\/a> the groundwork to sign Lens centre-back Samson Baidoo. The 22-year-old Austrian has earned comparisons to Rapha\u00ebl Varane after a spectacular debut season in Ligue 1, where he\u2019s played 19 games and scored twice since his \u20ac8 million move from Salzburg last summer. Villa view Baidoo as a long-term solution for a defensive line that Unai Emery knows he has to refresh before next season kicks off.<\/p>\n

Why do Aston Villa really need him this summer?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Even with Villa sitting fourth in the Premier League, there is a looming issue: their four main centre-backs are all between 28 and 33 years old. With full-backs Matty Cash and Lucas Digne also 28 and 32, bringing down the average age of the defence is a must. This isn\u2019t just about the numbers; it\u2019s a structural necessity. A team aiming for the Champions League every year can\u2019t afford for the entire backline to age out at the same time, and Baidoo is the type of player who could lead Villa\u2019s defence for the next ten years.<\/p>\n

Baidoo is composed on the ball and comfortable playing on either side, offering the kind of versatility Emery loves. He has the physical attributes Villa need without losing any calmness under pressure. His performances have seen the French media compare him to former Lens star Rapha\u00ebl Varane and ex-Napoli powerhouse Kalidou Koulibaly. For a Villa team that insist on playing out from the back, those traits are essential.<\/p>\n

Can Villa beat Juventus to his signature?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Aston
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND \u2013 APRIL 16: Unai Emery, Manager of Aston Villa, speaks to the media in a pre-match press conference prior to the UEFA Europa League 2025\/26 Quarter-Final Leg Two match between Aston Villa FC and Bologna FC 1909 at Villa Park on April 16, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lens are reportedly holding out for between \u20ac45 million and \u20ac55 million, even though Baidoo\u2019s market value is closer to \u20ac25 million. That gap makes the deal tricky. Juventus<\/a> also have a foot in the door thanks to a strong relationship with Baidoo\u2019s agent, Meissa N\u2019Diaye, who also represents Khephren Thuram. Villa will need to offer more than just agent ties; they need to sell him on a guaranteed starting spot in a Premier League side fighting for the top four.<\/p>\n

Should Aston Villa push for Baidoo now or wait?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Villa need to get this done this summer rather than waiting until 2027. With Lens on track for Champions League football, Baidoo\u2019s price tag is only going one way. Making a move now, before his valuation becomes unreasonable, is the better move. Villa can\u2019t keep relying on an ageing defence and expect Emery\u2019s system to stay competitive at the top level.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aston Villa have already started the groundwork to sign Lens centre-back Samson Baidoo. The 22-year-old Austrian has earned comparisons to Rapha\u00ebl Varane after a spectacular debut season in Ligue 1, where he\u2019s played 19 games and scored twice since his \u20ac8 million move from Salzburg last summer. Villa view Baidoo as a long-term solution for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13963,"featured_media":26854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13963"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}