In Focus: Tielemans has all the tools to be a Villans hero

Aston Villa have made an ambitious early move in the transfer window by securing a deal to sign Youri Tielemans.

The Belgium international will join the Villans on a free transfer when his contract with relegated Leicester expires on July 1.

Linked with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool previously, the 26-year-old midfielder will hand Unai Emery a huge boost ahead of their Europa Conference League campaign next term.

We look at what Tielemans will bring to the Villa engine room.

A difficult campaign

Tielemans' departure from Leicester had been expected for the best part of the year after he decided to let his contract run down at the King Power Stadium.

Following three-and-a-half brilliant seasons in the East Midlands, the battle to land his signature this summer was expected to be fiercely contested by the Premier League's biggest clubs.

But an underwhelming 2022-23 campaign which saw the Foxes suffer relegation made those suitors slightly more reluctant to make their move. 

Like they did last summer with the acquisition of Boubacar Kamara, Villa have acted quickly on that hesitation to take advantage and make an impressive addition to their ranks.

Creative master

Prior to their disastrous 2022-23 campaign, Leicester had spent much of the previous three seasons battling towards the top of the table and Tielemans was virtually an ever-present throughout that period.

A creative player who thrives when his side are in possession, only seven Premier League midfielders have completed more passes than the former Anderlecht youngster over the last three seasons (4,732).

He also ranks fourth in that time period for through balls completed (35) and seventh for final third passes made (1,746), showcasing his ability not only to dictate play but to contribute to attacks.

Tielemans' lack of physicality was noted this season, though only three midfielders have made more tackles since the start of the 2020-21 campaign — including new team-mate John McGinn.

In Villa, he is joining a side who look to control possession with short passes out from the back and that should suit the deep-lying playmaker down to the ground.

Battle for his place

The capture of Tielemans increases the healthy set of options Emery has to choose from in midfield.

Kamara and Douglas Luiz formed a superb double-pivot partnership in 2022-23, with McGinn and Jacob Ramsey impressing as the slightly advanced wide midfielders.

Tielemans is another tried and tested option for Emery and should still see plenty of game time ahead of what they hope will be a deep run in Europe.

That those five options cost an estimated combined total of just £15million is a marker of the impressive work from Villa's recruitment team in recent seasons.

Eye for goal

The defining moment of Tielemans' Leicester career is undoubtedly his stunning winner in the FA Cup final against Chelsea in 2021.

That effort was no flash in the pan, with the 58-cap international boasting a record of 21 goals and 20 assists in 151 Premier League appearances, including a number of other outstanding strikes.

Emery will no doubt want to reduce the reliance on 16-goal striker Ollie Watkins next season as they look to make an assault on the Premier League's top six.

With Luiz and Ramsey chipping in with seven and six goals respectively last term, Tielemans makes the Villa midfield an even more dangerous proposition.