Moussa Diaby, a star winger for Bayer Leverkusen, has joined Premier League team Aston Villa. The deal was announced over the weekend by both clubs. In the competition to recruit the French winger, the Premier League team defeated Al-Nassr of the Saudi Pro League. Villa reportedly spent an initial €55 million for the French winger, according to numerous media reports. In a statement released by the team, manager Unai Emery said, “Moussa Diaby is one player we were following.” He assists us in attempting to raise our standard of play in the offensive third by switching between playing on the right, as a No. 10, and on the left wing.
Both Aston Villa and Al-Nassr had underperformed Leverkusen’s assessment of the player prior to reaching an agreement. Al-Nassr and Aston Villa both had bids of €40 million and €50 million rejected. But despite Diaby’s insistence on going to Aston Villa, a deal was finally agreed on Thursday. The departure of Diaby will now rank among the most expensive ones in club history. The Champions League is a significant part of Diaby’s future, and while Aston Villa cannot currently provide him with that opportunity, the Frenchman is certain that the team is on the correct path to finally achieving that goal.
In fact, under new head coach Emery, Aston Villa has advanced significantly in its development. Villa acquired Pau Torres ($33 million from Villarreal) and Youri Tielemans ($free transfer from Leicester) to qualify for the Conference League this season. The club has aspirations to make the Champions League next season, and the latest arrivals have propelled Villa’s squad valuation to €552 million.
Why is Moussa Diaby so sought-after? He’s headed to Aston Villa.
Diaby, meanwhile, had a contract that would expire in 2025, and his current market value is €50 million, which is €10 million less than his peak value after the 2022 season. Therefore, it made sense to profit from Diaby. After all, Leverkusen only spent €15 million to get the French player from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. Additionally, the club has already signed a successor in winger Jonas Hofmann of the German national team
Diaby has contributed directly to 97 goals for Leverkusen in 172 appearances since his arrival. In the 2021/22 season, Diaby had his greatest season in the Bundesliga, tallying 13 goals and 12 assists in 32 matches. Last season, such percentages decreased a little, although mainly because of a sluggish start under former head coach Gerardo Seoane. Diaby’s output increased once Xabi Alonso was added, and he would finish the season with nine goals and nine assists in 33 games.
Opta’s statistics highlight the popularity of Diaby this summer even more. The winger was sixth among Bundesliga strikers in terms of touches made and ninth among players in the league for vital passes made and successful dribbles made. The statistics omit the fact that Diaby can turn quickly, which provides him an advantage when facing up against opponents one on one. Diaby was the fourth-fastest player in the Bundesliga with a peak speed of 36.5 km/h. To put things in context, he is comparable to Alphonso Davies, a standout player for Bayern Munich.
The winger is an intriguing target for Premier League clubs because of his speed and unending creativity, which also explains why Leverkusen is willing to pay a premium for him.
