Taylor Harwood-Bellis has followed Ibrahim Mbaye through the doors at Aston Villa on deadline day after his move from Southampton was confirmed on Tuesday. 

Harwood-Bellis has joined Unai Emery's side in a deal reportedly worth £30m, with Villa paying a guaranteed £25m transfer fee plus £5m in add-ons.

The 24-year-old comes in to fill the gap left by Ezri Konsa, who completed his £55m switch to Premier League champions Arsenal earlier in the transfer window. 

During his time at Southampton, who he initially joined on loan in 2023, Harwood-Bellis made 134 appearances across all competitions for the Saints.

No player made more clearances (659), won more duels (539) and won more aerial duels (328) than Harwood-Bellis in that time for Southampton. 

He arrives with previous Premier League experience, having played for the Saints in the division in 2024-25, a season which ended in Southampton being relegated. 

Harwood-Bellis made up a defence that conceded 86 goals in that campaign, which was more than any other side in the Premier League that term. 

Southampton reached the play-off final last season with Harwood-Bellis as captain, only for the team to be expelled from competing in the showpiece match after being found guilty of spying on their semi-final opponents, Middlesbrough. 

Harwood-Bellis is the 11th new signing for Villa this term, joining Zion Suzuki, Matteo Ruggeri, Modou Keba Cisse and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in bolstering Villa's defence. 

Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson, Mbaye, Joao Gomes and Leon Goretzka have also joined the Villans permanently, while Alejandro Garnacho has arrived on loan. 

Harwood-Bellis will be hoping to improve a Villa defence that has conceded five goals in their opening two Premier League matches following their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Monday.

Villa have also lost their first two Premier League matches of the season for the first time since 2019-20.

They are the first team to finish in the top-four of the top-flight (fourth in 2025-26) and then lose their first two games of the following season since both Arsenal and Manchester United in 1992-93, and the first to do so without scoring since QPR in 1976-77.