Many teams in the Premier League this season are looking to improve their striking department this summer and one player certainly catching the eye of Premier League clubs is Raúl de Tomás of Espanyol. Aston Villa appear to be leading the race but, according to the Birmingham Mail, West Ham, Newcastle and Everton all have an interest in the Spanish forward. In this article, we will take a close look at what De Tomás could bring to Aston Villa.
De Tomás came through the ranks of the Real Madrid academy and despite never making a senior league appearance for ‘Los Blancos’ he has gone on to prove himself as a quality centre forward in Spanish football. In the 2020-21 season, De Tomás fired Espanyol to promotion from the Segunda División with 23 goals in 37 league games. Impressively, he replicated his goal scoring form last season in La Liga scoring 17 goals in 34 top division matches as Espanyol consolidated their place in the top division. His exceptional form over the last two seasons has earned him his first four caps for the Spanish national team.
Last season, not one Villa player imposed themselves as the Villan’s star striker. Ollie Watkins finished as their top scorer in the Premier League last season with 11 goals in 35 matches but his performances left Villa fans and the Villa hierarchy doubting whether he was up to the task of firing Aston Villa to Europe. The other senior striker in Villa’s squad is Danny Ings. Signed infamously quickly and quietly last summer, most Villa fans expected Ings to elevate Villa’s goal output due to his proven Premier League striker status. But Ings failed to capture the claret and blue faithful’s hearts and only scored seven goals across 30 games.
De Tomás could provide an increased goal threat alongside good link-up play, something Villa have lacked in one player for a number of seasons now. Despite Espanyol usually lining up in a 442 formation, with players like Coutinho around him, De Tomás could be a perfect solo striker in Steven Gerrard’s favoured 433. Gerrard has also used a 442 diamond with Villa to varying degrees of success and De Tomás has proven that he can play with a strike-partner thus offering better flexibility to Villa’s front line.
Taking a closer look into De Tomás’ stats over the last year, he has scored 0.53 goals per match which is a brilliant return for a player not playing in an elite side. Last season, Watkins provided 0.33 goals per 90 and Ings was only marginally worse with 0.32. If De Tomás can maintain his form despite switching leagues, an extra 0.2 goals per game would be a massive help to Villa and would certainly drag them up the table. De Tomás is a centre forward that thrives off crosses across the box from the byline and is equally adept with both feet – he could prove an important target for Villa’s cross heavy system. Despite his 5’10” frame, De Tomás is also impressive in the air, scoring four headed goals in La Liga last season in comparison to Watkins and Ings only scoring one each. In their first game of the season, an embarrassing result and performance losing 2-0 to Bournemouth, Villa attempted 31 crosses, De Tomás would have been licking his lips if he received this kind of service…
De Tomás also proved himself to be a creative force for Espanyol, creating nine big chances across the season but only registering three assists due to his teammates’ poor finishing. With better players around him, his assist numbers could shoot up and remove some of the creative burden from Emi Buendía and Philippe Coutinho.
On the ball, De Tomás offers much more than both Ings and Watkins. He mixes smart off the shoulder runs with dropping deeper to allow wingers or strike partners to progress. Over the last year, De Tomás completed 18.9 passes per game with an impressive 82.6% accuracy, a metric in which he is in the top 1% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues for. In comparison, Watkins completed 15.06 with an accuracy of 71.8% and Ings completed a measly 12.56 with an accuracy of 68.7%. De Tomás’ ability to hold up the ball and bring others into play with crisp and accurate passing is something Villa haven’t had in a striker since their promotion in 2019. This passing ability could facilitate players like Coutinho and Leon Bailey who have both shown inconsistency in a Villa shirt whilst clearly boasting serious ability. De Tomás’ hold-up-play would allow Coutinho to play in his favoured left half space and not have to drop as deep to get on the ball whilst allowing Bailey to use his electric pace to get in behind opposition defences and fashion opportunities for himself or others. Specifically for Bailey’s runs in behind, De Tomás would complement him brilliantly with his 1.7 progressive passes per 90; 0.25 more than Watkins and 0.45 more than Ings. In De Tomás, Villa could finally find balance in their hugely talented attacking department.
De Tomás is also an improvement on Villa’s striking options when it comes to dribbling. Over the last year, the Spaniard completed 1.39 dribbles per 90 where Watkins and Ings completed 0.91 and 0.6 respectively. He has shown time and time again that he has quick enough feet to get out of trouble and open up a shooting opportunity or a chance to slide in a teammate. His carrying ability would further push Villa up the pitch and increase their ball retention numbers in the middle and final thirds. This would allow Villa to enjoy more of the ball in dangerous areas rather than simply cycling it through the defensive unit, as was seen far too much in Villa’s recent loss to Bournemouth.
A final avenue for comparison and analysis is the defensive attributes of the three strikers and, in terms of pressuring opponents, De Tomás doesn’t compare to either Watkins or Ings – he is not a keen presser at all and makes only 1.7 successful pressures per 90, a figure that places him in the bottom 1% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues. Ings and Watkins put the Spaniard to shame here with Watkins completing 4.35 and Ings completing 4.31 per 90. His pressing numbers would probably improve at Villa but he has proven himself to be slightly more of a luxury player throughout his career when it comes to off the ball work…
All in all, De Tomás would be a very valuable asset to Aston Villa. The Birmingham outfit have been screaming out for a ‘jack of all trades’ striker for some time and De Tomás would certainly be that. He would add goal threat, creativity, and increase ball retention further up the pitch. Yes, he doesn’t press that much but replace the luxury Coutinho with the ‘bombardiering’ Buendia and that issue of bite further up the pitch is hopefully resolved. The Espanyol chairman Mao Ye has admitted a move away from Barcelona and Espanyol could be on the cards for De Tomás and, with a number of Premier League clubs interested, Villa could face a fight to acquire his services. The Spaniard is certainly one to watch with eager anticipation this summer.
By Owen Jameson
