Who is Rodrigo Bentancur? The missing piece to the Aston Villa midfield?

One thing that has become clear in this often underwhelming winter transfer window is Aston Villa mean business. The club have already secured the services of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne in moves CEO Christian Purslow confirmed were not altogether planned but simply too good to turn up.

Could the same be true of the club's latest transfer target, Rodrigo Bentancur? It's no secret that Villa have been on the lookout for a new midfielder, and have been for some time. In the summer they failed with multiple bids for James Ward-Prowse and have also reportedly been rebuffed in attempts to sign Brighton's Yves Bissouma.

Premier League experience was clearly in the original mandate, but things change and opportunities can arise where perhaps they weren't expected. Bentancur's apparent availability comes as Juventus are looking to finance or at least offset a big money move for Serie A top scorer Dusan Vlahovic. The club feel that they can afford to offload a midfielder, and are believed to be open to offers for Arthur and Bentancur, though only one will likely be allowed to leave this month.

So why, at 24 and with almost 50 Uruguay caps to his name, would Bentancur be surplus to requirements? That is arguably the only real question that some Villa fans might feel justified in asking. The reported fee in the region of £20m for a player two and a half years left on his contract is far from eye watering. Why so, well, reasonable? And why aren't more clubs thought to be interested?

Signed from Boca Juniors in 2017 as a teenager, Bentancur would start five of an impressive 20 appearances in a dominant Juventus side on route to the Scudetto. The following season he was a regular, starting 21 of 31 league games at the age of just 21 and while rotation was inevitable in a squad well stocked in his position, by last season he was The Old Lady's most used midfielder in terms of minutes played in Serie A (2326).

The summer signing of Manuel Locatelli meant minutes would be harder to come by this time around, but there was also a slight drop off in the Uruguayan's performance levels last season that might have informed that move. Having been encouraged to play a slightly more expansive and progressive passing game under Maurizio Sarri, Andrea Pirlo took the foot off the gas somewhat, with Bentancur's impressive average of 1.8 key passes per 90 dropping to a more modest 1.1. His game looked more limited without really seeing any improvements elsewhere and his WhoScored rating fell from 7.10 to 6.94 as a result.

In truth, however, that more patient, safety first approach is perhaps something that Aston Villa are lacking. Douglas Luiz is generally given that role in the Villa midfield but is a player that at times has confused Villa fans in terms of understanding what his best role is. An impressive technical talent, the Brazilian - who let's not forget is still just 23 - doesn't really possess the defensive nous that is arguably required in a midfield that includes fan favourite John McGinn.

The swashbuckling Scotland midfielder is somewhat unique in his style, but any attempts to tame what makes him such a pest to opponents have only really been to the detriment of the threat in transitions. The buzzword upon Steven Gerrard's arrival was distances and while those all too obvious gaps in midfield are far less apparent now, they still lack any real control.

Drafting in the more defensive minded Marvelous Nakamba - the best ball winner in the squad now sidelined through injury - still doesn't resolve that issue as his passing game is too limited. It's perhaps what Villa had hoped forgotten man Morgan Sanson could offer, but injuries have all but nullified his involvement and Gerrard would appear unconvinced. Adding a more composed presence in midfield would give Villa two options.

Pairing that control with someone like Luiz would offer more solidity whilst freeing up the Brazilian to carry the ball, which is something he does well. Opting for the impressive academy graduate Jacob Ramsey would also free up his more attacking instincts in games where Villa want to play on the front foot. McGinn is the constant and can remain uninhibited in either system.

Bentancur would undoubtedly offer a level of control that Villa's current midfield don't possess. His pass accuracy of 89.1 per cent since the start of last season is almost 10 per cent higher than the far more adventurous McGinn. The Scot has played 37.6 per cent of his passes forwards in that time to Bentancur's reserved 26 per cent. Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey offer the middle ground in that midfield equation. Ramsey boasts a marginally improved pass accuracy (85.6 per cent to Luiz's 85.2 per cent) and also plays a higher proportion of forward passes (29 per cent to 27.7 per cent), though the latter can certainly be attributed to the different roles they are asked to play.

Luiz boasts the best dribble success rate of the four at 68.3 per cent but the worst tackling figures in terms of per 90 (1.73) and overall completion, at just 44 per cent. All of those numbers point to the fact that the Brazil international is perhaps being utilised in the wrong way through necessity rather than choice.

Bentancur leads the way of the four in terms of both tackles and interceptions per 90 (2.46 and 1.89 respectively), as well as ball recoveries (7.53). Simply put, he's a better fit to play the role Luiz is being asked to do than the Brazilian, even if not a traditional number 6 himself.

The one area of slight concern statistically with the entire quartet is that tackle completion statistic. It takes into account the total tackles a player attempts when combining the amount of times they are dribbled past and the fouls they commit when attempting to tackle. All four complete a tackle with under 50 per cent of their overall attempts, with Ramsey perhaps the surprise marginal leader at a modest 48.3 per cent.

It's what made the Bissouma links so encouraging to many Villa fans, with the current midfield too easy to either pass or run through. The Brighton midfielder's statistics are monstrous by comparison, and indeed the best in the Premier League this season. He has made 50 tackles in just 14 appearances and only mistimed 15, leaving a tackle completion rate of almost 77 per cent.

A deal for the Seagull, however, would reportedly cost twice that of the apparent asking price for Bentancur. As such, one could understand why Villa would be happy to switch their focus this month in particular. With a European finish unlikely and relegation even more so, there isn't a desperate need to make further moves. If, however, a 24-year-old with a wealth of Champions League and international experience becomes available, it might prove foolish not to act on that opportunity.

Rodrigo Bentancur would offer an element of composure that Villa would almost unquestionably benefit from. If they can get a deal done for the fees rumoured, one would suggest it would be another savvy signing from a club that have aspirations that can now match those of the ever improving calibre of player they are targetting.