Aston Villa appear notably short in the defensive department and could look to exploit the free agent market.
Aston Villa left-back Ian Maatsen is reportedly set to miss around six to eight weeks of action with an ankle sustained in his side's 2-1 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon, while central defender Pau Torres could also endure a spell from the sidelines with a hamstring injury that saw him forced off in the 24th minute at Villa Park.
Maatsen's absence leaves the Villans with summer arrival Matteo Ruggeri as their only out-and-out left-back. At centre back, Tyrone Mings, Victor Lindelof and Taylor Harwood-Bellis -- who is yet to make his Villans debut since signing for £25m -- can be called upon, and you can't help but sense a lack of depth in a fixture-heavy 2026/27 campaign.
We take a look at four free agents Villa could sign to strengthen their defence.
David Alaba
David Alaba remains a free agent after his contract with Spanish giants Real Madrid expired in the summer.
While the 34-year-old has been hamstrung by injury in more recent seasons -- making just 18 appearances across the 2024/25 and 2025/26 La Liga campaigns -- he returned to Los Blancos' first team fold towards the back end of last season and his his involvement in the 2026 World Cup for Austria proves that he still possesses the skillset to play at the highest level.
Competent in central defence and at left-back, Alaba boasts the expertise in positions where Emery is desperately seeking reinforcement.
Raphael Guerreiro
While the addition of Raphael Guerreiro wouldn't aid Villa in central defence, he carries a wealth of experience at left-back.
The Portugal international enjoyed an illustrious three-year spell with Bayern Munich after making the controversial switch from German rivals Borussia Dortmund, winning the Bundesliga on two occasions with the Bavarians.
Although Guerreiro's involvement reduced slightly last season, the 32-year-old still made 29 appearances in all competitions and could provide healthy competition for Ruggeri, with both left backs renowned for their attacking nature.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Rated highly by Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta for his technical attributes, it was Oleksandr Zinchenko's defensive flaws that ultimately led to his omission at Arsenal.
The Gunners' shift to a more defensive structure undoubtedly reduced the Ukrainian's involvement in North London -- with Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie proof of Arteta's preferred profile at left-back -- and he struggled to hit the ground running in loan spells with Nottingham Forest and Ajax.
A different kind of left-back to Ruggeri, Zinchenko could help bring tactical versatility to Emery's Villa squad, renowned for his impressive ball retention and intelligence.
Tyrell Malacia
There's seemingly a misconception that Tyrell Malacia was absent for the entirety of the 2025/26 season, when in reality he featured in every single Premier League matchday squad for Manchester United from gameweek 12 onward.
Granted, Malacia only made three top-flight appearances for the Red Devils last term, but the Dutchman has only recently turned 27 and has plenty of time to utilise his athletic skillset.
Emery has a knack for revitalising underperforming players who might previously have been overlooked, and he may be tempted to take a chance on Malacia on a free transfer.
