Aston Villa have been told they could be signing the best defender in Serie A if they were to get Mario Gila from Lazio this summer.
Speaking on the Cronache di Spogliatoio podcast ‘Fontana di Trevi’, Riccardo Trevisani insisted that the 25-year-old centre back is criminally underrated in Italy.
“A very underrated player”
Trevisiani has been watching the Spanish centre-back for a while, and thinks he ranks as highly as some of the bigger names in Serie A.
“I think Mario Gila is a very underrated player, very little thought of,” FC Inter News report him saying.
“He’s never mentioned when we’re racing for the best defender; it’s always Bremer, Manuel Akanji, Alessandro Bastoni, but no one ever mentions Mario Gila.
“For me, in the Napoli game specifically, and I’ve seen him play ten like the Napoli game, he took a significant share of our championship.
“I don’t know if he’s one of the top five or three. But some might even say he’s the best defender in the league. Maybe not me, but he’s a player who drives me crazy.”
Premier League ready
According to Trevisiani, Mario Gila is a player and defender who can easily hold his own in the most prestigious teams if he secures a big move.
“He doesn’t stand out, perhaps because he’s not a giant physically like the ones in today’s football,” he added.
“Or because Lazio aren’t playing in the Champions League or other cup competitions. So he doesn’t have this way of showing off. I think Mario Gila is an exceptional central defender.
“Exceptional means he can play at Juve. He can play at Inter, he can play at Milan. And maybe even higher, but I’d rather stick to Juve, Inter, and Milan.”
Aston Villa should be listening
That should be of interest to Aston Villa, who have been heavily linked with Mario Gila for months.
A report last month had Aston Villa bursting onto the scene for the defender. His agent has since told Unai Emery’s side what they need to do to secure his client’s signature.
Reports have had the deal at around €30m. In the current market, that could prove to be an absolute bargain. Trevisiani would certainly advise paying that figure. He thinks the Lazio defender is among the best there is.
