Aston Villa signing Matteo Ruggeri is a clear upgrade over Pervis Estupiñán, despite the catch | OneFootball

Amid Lucas Digne’s impending move back to Paris Saint-Germain, there had been uncertainty at Villa Park regarding who would succeed him at left-back.

That question has seemingly been answered. Atlético Madrid’s Matteo Ruggeri is Birmingham-bound, with only the medical separating him from his official unveiling as a villain.

Ruggeri’s arrival also effectively ends Villa’s pursuit of Milan’s Pervis Estupiñán, and it’s hard to argue against their choice.

The Rossoneri had been asking around €20 million to let the Ecuadorian go after just one season. Instead, the Villans have managed to bag Ruggeri for €25 million.

What’s more, the Italian is four years Estupiñán’s junior, taller than him, and significantly more versatile than the former Brighton man, who was well regarded as an attacking left-back during his time with Brighton but mostly flattered to deceive in his debut season at San Siro.

Ruggeri, who cut his teeth under Gian Piero Gasperini at Atalanta is is coming off a year during which he was coached by Diego Simeone, can operate in a back three both as a left-wingback and centre-back, and is adept both in attack and defence in a back four. Tactically, there’s little Villa have left on the table by choosing him over Estupiñán that they might come to regret.

However, it would hard and almost irresponsible not to address the elephant in the room. A little over a month ago, allegations emerged accusing Ruggeri of having paid a woman to send him abusive and racist messages to elicit sexual pleasure.

While these have remained allegations thus far, the scandalous nature of the story means both Villa and the player will remain awash with noise in the days to come. And, if anything substantial were to materialise, things may take a turn for the worse.

One can only assume that Villa did their due diligence and decided there was nothing of note here for them to worry about, though the inevitable noise will dictate how this relationship gets off the ground.

Anshuman Joshi | GIFN