Aston Villa have finally acquired the young star they have been looking for this transfer window. Fabrizio Romano announced that Moussa Diaby will join Villa over Al Nassr, who was looking to pay big money to nab the player.
[metabet_core_polling_tile query=”soe/aston_villa” size=”350×300″ site_id=”metabet-website”]
Unai Emery’s Plan Starting to Take Form With Addition of Moussa Diaby
Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa, here we go! French winger has just said yes to Villa, he wants to join Unai Emery’s project — PL football as priority. 🟣🔵🇫🇷 #AVFC
Villa will pay fee in excess of €50m to Leverkusen for Diaby.
🇸🇦 Diaby picked Villa over huge bid from Al Nassr. pic.twitter.com/nklQV3Zs0X
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 20, 2023
Leverkusen Winger Was Key Target
Villa had to beat a slew of other clubs for the French winger.
Spanish coach Unai Emery, who has been in charge of Villa since October of last year, had been targeting Diaby as a wing-partner for star forward Ollie Watkins. Villa had an impressive season last year, and their final table standing of seventh place guaranteed them a European season this upcoming year.
Big Fee for Big-Time Player
Romano announced that the Diabby deal will see the Villans send “in excess of £43 million to Leverkusen.” The sheer amount of money automatically places big expectations on Diaby. Known more for his goal-scoring, Diaby also performed very well in the Bundesliga among other key statistics.
The Frenchman has a fair amount of European experience under his belt, and while he might take time adjusting to the Premier League, Diaby is a great addition for Villa as they look to leave their mark outside of England once more.
Embed from Getty Images
Where Will Moussa Diaby Fit In?
Diaby plays on the right and is capable of making goals happen. One of Villa’s current occupants of the right-winger spot is Leon Bailey, who played with Diaby at Leverkusen a couple of years ago. When they played together, Diaby would either be used as a stellar sub for Bailey, or show his versatility and play some on the left side of the field.
The Claret and Blue Keep Getting Better
Emery has already shown his transfer market prowess with the addition of a key player during his time with Villarreal. Defensive strength as a way to wear down the spirits of opposing teams is a link for Villa to use their sensational scoring talents.
The addition of Diaby, who has been dubbed as “sensational”, makes Villa even more dangerous to the defences of the Premier League. Watkins and Bailey were dangerous enough by themselves, but Diaby adds a crushing force down the right side. Villa might be tempted to rotate their stars as they try to spring late goals on teams with effective substitutions; which might see Diaby play some time on the left to allow everyone some playing time.
Featured image: Ian Wilson. CC BY-SA 2.0
