Who is Oscar Mingueza and why Aston Villa are targeting transfer for former Barcelona defender
Aston Villa could soon firm up their interest in Celta Vigo’s Oscar Mingueza as Unai Emery looks to recruit a new right-back this month.
Mingueza - who has a €20m release clause - is one of a few options Villa are considering to provide more competition for Matty Cash. Last summer, Villa tried to get a deal for Lutsharel Geertruida over the line, but he headed for RB Leipzig instead after Diego Carlos remained at Villa Park.
The Bundesliga side are also said to be interested in Mingueza, but Villa appear best placed to press ahead with a move. Relevo claim Villa would like to negotiate a lower fee with Celta than the €20m which would secure him, though the release clause wouldn’t be an issue for Villa to pay.
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Mingueza came through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and his former club will bank 50 per cent of any transfer fee paid to Celta for the versatile defender.
He came through the ranks at Barca as a centre-back, though much of his senior career has been spent playing at full-back. He enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2020/21 under Ronald Koeman, but after featuring in 11 of Barca’s first 13 La Liga matches the following campaign, Mingueza played less under new boss Xavi.
In the summer of 2022, Mingueza was sold by Barca to Celta for a small fee. He has excelled there in the past two seasons and caught more admirers for his performances under Claudio Giraldez following the departure of Rafa Benitez.
Missing only one match through a hamstring injury, Mingueza has started 17 of Celta’s 18 matches and is a key player in Giraldez’s 3-4-3 shape. His main role is right wing-back, but he can also cover the other flank, while being able to operate from centre-back if required.
His attacking output has been strong this term having recorded five assists so far and scoring twice. His strong showings have been rewarded with three successive call-ups to the Spain national team this season.
He has recorded 10 goal-creating actions for Celta this term, which is the fourth most in La Liga and only bettered by attackers Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Vinicius Junior. The figure is comparable to the likes of Anthony Gordon, Luiz Diaz and Bryan Mbeumo, while only Nuno Tavarez of Marseille has registered more goal-creating actions amongst defenders in Europe’s top five leagues.
His 31 passes into the penalty area is a figure comparable to the likes of Pedro Porro and Antonee Robinson in the Premier League, while Trent Alexander-Arnold has the most of defenders in Europe’s top five leagues at 38.
Defensively, Mingueza’s numbers could be skewed by the fact he has operated mostly as a wing-back at Celta in the last 18 months. Last season, Villa right-back Matty Cash recorded more tackles, tackles won, blocks and interceptions per 90 than Mingueza.
Given Mingueza came through as a centre-back, clearly the Spaniard is capable of defending even if his numbers aren’t particularly impressive. Where he has excelled at Celta is in his ability to beat a man and create chances.
He created nearly double the amount of shot-creating actions per 90 (3.18) than Cash last season, while he also served up 4.44 crosses per 90 compared to Cash’s 1.64. It’s worth noting that Cash is often used as a third centre-back, allowing Lucas Digne to play as a wing-back on the opposite flank.
Perhaps Emery sees an opportunity to change that approach for some games by using Mingueza as a wing-back on the right while employing a more conservative approach on the left. Alternatively, Mingueza could be asked to perform a different role to what he has played at Celta and compete with Cash for the role which the Poland international has performed since the start of the last campaign.
