Aston Villa have strengthened their squad ahead of the new Premier League season by completing the signings of goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and left-back Matteo Ruggeri, the club has confirmed.
Japan international Suzuki arrives from Serie A side Parma in a deal worth approximately £30m, while Italian defender Ruggeri joins from Atletico Madrid for £17m. Both players could feature in Villa's Premier League opener away at Brighton on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Suzuki's arrival comes at a pivotal moment for Villa, following the collapse of Emiliano Martinez's proposed move to Juventus over the weekend after the two clubs failed to agree a transfer fee. Martinez, who was instrumental in Villa's Europa League triumph in May and won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, now finds his future at the club uncertain.
Despite the situation surrounding Martinez, Villa are said to view Suzuki as a long-term solution between the posts, with hopes he could hold down the number one jersey for up to a decade. The shot-stopper spent two seasons at Parma, making 59 appearances and helping the club secure a 13th-place finish in Serie A last term. Before that, he had a loan spell at Belgian club Sint-Truiden during the 2023-24 campaign, followed by a permanent move to Parma for £8m.
Ruggeri, 24, moves to Villa Park to fill the void left by Lucas Digne, who departed for reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain on 9 August. The Italian, who has yet to earn a senior cap for his national team, won the Europa League with Atalanta in 2024 after making more than 100 appearances for the Serie A club before his switch to Atletico Madrid last summer.
Insight into Suzuki's character and playing style has come from Dennis Rudel, his former coach at Sint-Truiden, who worked closely with the goalkeeper during his loan spell in Belgium. Rudel painted a vivid picture of Suzuki's physical presence, recalling an incident following a match against Anderlecht.
"We played in Anderlecht and after the game we went out to the bus and there was a fight with hooligans," Rudel told BBC Sport. "The head coach called for Zion: 'Come here, get out of the bus and clear the situation.' It was a joke but you have a picture of Asterix and Obelix and everything is flying away. You have never seen a goalkeeper or a player like that."
Rudel further praised the goalkeeper's shot-stopping ability and physical attributes. "I saw his power immediately. To show your strength in the game you have to let the tiger out on the pitch, let the beast out. He is so powerful, I have never seen a goalkeeper like it," he said. "He has such big hands and is powerful - when he can reach the ball it will be 90-95% a save... After the first two weeks of working with him I said to him you don't need your apartment, you live in the gym."
Beyond his physical gifts, Rudel highlighted Suzuki's mental strength and work ethic, suggesting he has the potential to become one of the finest goalkeepers in the world. "His biggest strength is he is mentally clear - the focus on the game or the training sessions is so good. He is always prepared, really disciplined," Rudel explained, adding that comparisons to Martinez are inevitable but that Suzuki has the qualities to forge his own path at the highest level.
Suzuki's route to European football was partly facilitated by Rudel, who scouted him in Japan in 2020 through connections at Urawa Red Diamonds, before the goalkeeper eventually joined Sint-Truiden, a club with links to several other Japanese internationals.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.