Clément Lenglet joined Aston Villa’s ranks this week.
The French international signed on loan from Barcelona to bolster Unai Emery’s defensive options.
Here are five things to know about the new man…
He broke through in Ligue 2
Lenglet began his professional career at Nancy, honing his skills with their youth and B teams before breaking into the senior set-up.
The defender was 18 when he made his debut as a substitute in a Ligue 2 match against Arles-Avignon in 2013.
He became a regular feature for the club during the 2014/15 campaign before he started 34 of 38 league matches as Nancy won the Ligue 2 title the following season.
He starred for Sevilla
After helping Nancy to try and consolidate themselves in Ligue 1, Lenglet headed to Spain in January 2017.
He quickly adapted to life in Seville, becoming a regular starter as they finished fourth in La Liga.
In his first full season with Sevilla, the Frenchman made 54 appearances across all competitions.
Lenglet helped his side finish seventh in the league, reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League and he played as they were beaten by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.
He won titles at Barcelona
Shortly after the aforementioned defeat to Barcelona, the Catalan club prised him away from Sevilla in July 2018.
Lenglet’s first trophy for Barca came on his debut when he helped his new side beat his former employers 2-1 in the Spanish Super Cup.
And his first full season at Camp Nou ended with silverware too, with the defender making 23 league appearances as they comfortably won La Liga by 11 points.
The final trophy won during his time at Barcelona came in 2021 when Athletic were seen off 4-0 in the Copa del Rey final. Lenglet played in five of their six matches in the competition, including the final.
He has Champions League experience
Lenglet brings a wealth of experience in European football to Villa Park, having played Champions League football for Sevilla, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur.
The French centre-back has made 52 appearances in Europe’s premier club competition.
His best run in the Champions League came in 2018/19 when he played in every game as Barca reached the semi-finals before succumbing to Liverpool 4-3 on aggregate.
He’s been capped by Les Bleus
Lenglet joins a number of French internationals in Villa’s squad, linking up with Moussa Diaby, Lucas Digne and Boubacar Kamara.
Didier Deschamps called him up in May 2019 and he won his first cap against Andorra in a European Championship qualifier.
He scored his first international goal in the reverse fixture later in the year.
Lenglet was named in Les Bleus’ squad for Euro 2020 and appeared in their round of 16 tie against Switzerland.
Upon signing for Villa, he has 15 caps to his name.
