Aston Villa sign versatile Spain international full-back

Aston Villa have confirmed the arrival of Spain international Paula Tomas from Levante on a two-year contract, making her their second signing of the summer transfer window. 

The left-back turned professional three years ago when she joined the Liga F club and quickly became recognised for her versatility and ability to play on both sides of the defence. It led to her breaking into the senior Spain squad in 2023, making two appearances to date.

Villa head of women's football, Lee Billiard revealed the club had been tracking Tomas and described her an "exciting" signing as they look to bolster their squad.

The club finished seventh in the WSL last season, two places lower than the previous year. Until last month, fans were understandably concerned about the club's performance in the upcoming campaign, after coach Carla Ward confirmed her departure in May after three seasons in charge.

Not only did she lead Villa to their best ever league position in 2022/23, she was also a pivotal figure in advocating for women's football as a whole. During her time in the midlands, she recruited international players, including Rachel Daly, Lucy Staniforth, Jordan Nobbs and Rachel Corsie.

In May, Villa secured Robert de Pauw in May as Ward’s successor, agreeing a contract for the next three years, with the option of a further 12 months.

Since then, there's been a lot for fans to get excited about.

As well as confirming the contract extensions of Nobbs and Dan Turner until 2025, as well as goalkeeper Anna Leat, they’ve also welcomed new arrival Jill Baijings. The midfielder joins from Bayern Munich and is likely to fill the gap left by Olivia McLoughlin.

It's expected that Villa's next steps during this transfer window will be to bring in reinforcements higher up the pitch to plug the gaps left by departed forwards Alisha Lehmann and Simone Magill.