Lucas Digne has joined Aston Villa for £25m after a public falling out with Everton manager Rafael Benitez; The left-back had been a key player for Everton over the past three-and-a-half seasons since joining from Barcelona
Thursday 13 January 2022 09:50, UK
Aston Villa have completed a £25m deal to sign Everton left-back Lucas Digne - but what will the France international bring to Steven Gerrard's squad?
Digne's fallout with Rafael Benitez ended up clouding what were his final weeks with the club but over the past three and a half seasons he has been a key player for Everton.
Since he joined in 2018, he has recorded more assists than any other Everton player and led the way for his team in assists and chances created last season.
Everton have signed 22-year-old Vitaliy Mykolenko as a replacement and while the Ukraine international has experience in the Champions League and played at the Euros last summer, he clearly cannot match Digne's quality and experience at this moment in time.
Digne, after all, has over 40 caps for France and has experienced title wins with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
It will be his creative stats exciting Aston Villa supporters, though. At 28, Digne is in his prime and at a level where his attacking output ranks among the best by full-backs in the Premier League.
Since the start of last season only Liverpool pair Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have created more clear-cut chances among Premier League defenders.
Without the ball, Digne isn't quite as strong - he ranks 46th among Premier League defenders since the start of last season for winning possession. Alexander-Arnold is top of that metric, so there's no excuses for Digne and that's an area he will be looking to improve.
But with the ball at his feet, whether that's from set-pieces or open play, the quality of his delivery is a real asset. Aston Villa currently rank fourth in the Premier League this season for goals created from crosses, and Digne will further strengthen them in this department.
At Villa, he will be battling with Matt Targett for the left-back slot. Targett is a couple of years younger than Digne and has been a reliable performer for Villa.
He played every game in the Premier League for them last season and also picked up the players' player of the season prize, underlining how well regarded he is at Villa Park.
Digne does edge him in some key stats for full-backs this season, including tackles per 90 minutes, but Villa's move for the Frenchman isn't because there is any kind of crisis at left-back but instead part of Gerrard's plan to create competition for places right across the pitch.
Villa spent significant money in the summer to add to their options and the moves for Philippe Coutinho and Digne at the start of this transfer window are further signs of the club's intent to kick on and move up the table.
