Aston Villa and Unai Emery are in a Premier League title chase and are looking to strengthen their squad in January. They’ve been linked to Villarreal’s Alex Baena, a talented left-sided 8. We first scouted Baena in April 2023 and immediately graded him via our TIPPSTER model as being able to have a big impact at Tier 1 level.

Who is Alex Baena?

Alex Baena is a midfielder who normally plays as an ‘8’ on the left-side of the pitch, offering vertical, direct and quick passes, normally looking to be progressive, but with a great intelligence on each execution and off-the-ball movement to receive. He has the talent, energy and technical capacities to keep playing on top sides of Europe, and even in the short-term in the Premier League.

You can read our TFA Scouted scout report complete with our unique TIPPSTER model and data visuals below  – one of 7,500+ scout reports in the TFA Scouted database which is now available to clubs at all levels for a small monthly fee (contact us for more details).