Taylor Harwood-Bellis, a 24-year-old defender signed by Aston Villa for £30 million from Southampton, is set to make his debut in the Carabao Cup against Coventry City on Wednesday. Despite joining Villa in the summer, Harwood-Bellis has yet to play in the Premier League, and his integration has been complicated by injuries and the departure of teammate Ezri Konsa to Arsenal. Manager Unai Emery has suggested that the player's opportunity will come soon, but he was excluded from Villa’s Champions League squad, adding to the frustration of a challenging start to his new club career. Villa's defense has struggled in recent matches, with the team conceding a total of 22 shots in their 2-1 loss to Nottingham Forest and 21 in their opening weekend defeat to Brighton. Defensive metrics, such as expected goals and tackle success, have also been poor, with Villa winning just 35.3% of their tackles in the Forest game. Injuries to key defenders Pau Torres and Ian Maatsen have further weakened the backline, with both players expected to be sidelined for several weeks. Matty Cash has also been sidelined with a muscle injury, adding to the defensive uncertainty. With regular center-back Victor Lindelof likely to be rested, Emery is expected to field untested defensive combinations, including left-back Matteo Ruggeri and Harwood-Bellis, who could make his full debut. The challenge for Emery is to integrate new players quickly while also securing results after a slow start to the season. Harwood-Bellis, known for his ability to play the ball forward, averaged 67.6 passes per game at Southampton last season, outperforming Konsa, who made 50 on average. However, Harwood-Bellis’ performance this season has been marred by four errors leading to goals, and Southampton finished bottom of the Premier League with just 12 points. Last season, while Southampton were excluded from the Championship play-offs due to the Spygate scandal, he made 7.4 clearances per game, along with 0.8 tackles and 0.9 interceptions. Alongside young striker Brian Madjo and defender Modou Cisse, Harwood-Bellis was left out of the Champions League squad, with Emery prioritizing other players. Similar decisions were made last season with Donyell Malen, who later moved to Roma. While Emery has mentioned that players like Lamare Bogarde and Boubacar Kamara could step in at the back if needed, Harwood-Bellis remains eager to make an impact and prove his worth.