Torres: This is the perfect opportunity for me
Pau Torres says he couldn’t pass up the “perfect opportunity” presented by a move to Aston Villa.
The 26-year-old’s transfer from his hometown team Villarreal, who he joined at the age of six, was confirmed on Wednesday.
After becoming a Villan, Torres is eager to test himself in a new country and show his qualities in the Premier League.
“I’m very happy. I think it’s been a decisive step and step forward in my career,” he said.
“It’s a step that I was ready to take and I’m really happy to arrive at Aston Villa, I think it’s a perfect opportunity for me and I want to make the most of it.
“It’s a project that, in the last year, has evolved very quickly. When the boss arrived, the team was fighting in a different set of circumstances in the league and they finished by qualifying for Europe.
“I think that was a big step for the club and this shows that they have the ambition to improve year after year, and this year, I hope we can position ourselves higher up in the table.”
Torres is reunited with head coach Unai Emery at Villa after the pair worked together for over two seasons at Villarreal, winning the Europa League in 2021.
The pull of working with Emery was a big factor for Torres, who is also looking forward to the club’s Europa Conference League campaign.
Torres said: “With the boss, we have had conversations in which he explained to me the project that he has here at Aston Villa, a project that attracted me.
“And we had been speaking about the possibility of me coming and we thought it was the best moment for it to happen. And well, here I am.
“I’m looking forward to starting and I’m looking forward to showing my football ability.”
The defender added: “Luckily, practically every year of my short career up until now, I have had the opportunity with Villarreal to play in European competitions year after year and it’s something that I want to keep fighting for.
“And if my football ability helps the team position itself as high as possible and that year after year we can play in European competitions, I think that’s going to be the challenge of the squad this year, so I’m really looking forward to doing it here in England.”
READ MORE
Aston Villa fans were finally able to celebrate the arrival of Pau Torres on Wednesday.
And the man himself was delighted to have made the move official, telling VillaTV his motivation for joining the club.
Here’s every word from his first interview in claret and blue…
Pau, welcome to Aston Villa. How does it feel to be here?
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50013907/GettyImages-185914491.0.jpg)
“Well, I’m very happy. I think it’s been a decisive step and step forward in my career. It’s a step that I was ready to take and I’m really happy to arrive at Aston Villa, I think it’s a perfect opportunity for me and I want to make the most of it.”
What was it about the club and the project here that attracted you?
“It’s a project that, in the last year, has evolved very quickly. When the boss arrived, the team was fighting in a different set of circumstances in the league and they finished by qualifying for Europe. I think that was a big step for the club and this shows that they have the ambition to improve year after year, and this year, I hope we can position ourselves higher up in the table.”
“Yes, with the boss, we have had conversations in which he explained to me the project that he has here at Aston Villa, a project that attracted me. We had been speaking about the possibility of me coming and we thought it was the best moment for it to happen. And well, here I am. I’m looking forward to starting and I’m looking forward to showing my football ability.”
How much are you looking forward to playing in England and in the Premier League?
“I think it’s one of the best, if not the best, league in the world. It’s a new experience for me, lots of team-mates who have had the possibility to play in the Premier League have spoken very highly of this league, of the fans, of the stadiums and I’m looking forward to experiencing it from the inside.”
“Álex Moreno, I have had the opportunity to speak with him beforehand, before coming here. Also to ask him a little bit around how the club was from within, how his experience was, especially those first few days and I also think that having him in the dressing room is going to make my adaptation easier.”
You boast top-level European and international experience, how much are you looking forward to helping the club compete in Europe this season?
“Luckily, practically every year of my short career up until now, I have had the opportunity with Villarreal to play in European competitions year after year and it’s something that I want to keep fighting for. And if my football ability helps the team position itself as high as possible and that year after year we can play in European competitions, I think that’s going to be the challenge of the squad this year, so I’m really looking forward to doing it here in England.”
“It’s a stadium that practically fills itself every weekend, the city lives for football and I know that there are more supporters on the waiting list than season ticket holders, so that shows the power of these fans. I know there’s a stadium expansion project and it’s an ambitious project. The people are always on the team’s side, you can tell.”
Finally, do you have any ambitions for the season ahead, both personally and collectively?
“It’s going to be my first year in England, but I want to adapt quickly, show my football ability from the start and that in the league we improve on what the club did last season. And in European competitions, we don’t limit ourselves. It’s true that we need to respect every team in Europe that we’ll face but I think we have a great squad and we can see how far we can go.”
Leave a Reply