Aston Villa’s transfer business has accelerated in recent days. Unai Emery has secured the return of Jadon Philogene from Hull City, just 12 months after he departed the Midlands to join Hull City.
Not only that, but it looks as though Moussa Diaby is set to join Saudi outfit Al-Ittihad in a deal worth in excess of £46m, which should give the manager plenty of flexibility in the transfer market.
Diaby will need to be replaced, that’s for certain. Might Emery turn to La Liga for a player who could make him forget all about the Frenchman?
Aston Villa eye move for La Liga sensation
Villa’s interest in Girona winger Viktor Tsygankov has been noted already this month, as Emery looks to make a potential swoop for the player in the next few weeks.
If the Villa Park side wish to bring him to the Premier League, however, the Spaniard will have to trigger his release clause, which currently sits at €30m (£26m), an affordable figure, certainly.
With Champions League football gracing the Midlands next term, there is no doubt that the manager will have to strengthen his team. Signing Tsygankov would be a smart piece of business, especially after his form last term.
How Diaby compares Viktor Tsygankov
Diaby arrived at Villa to much fanfare last summer following a season in which he registered 25 goal contributions – 14 goals and 11 assists – for Bayer Leverkusen, yet he failed to really sparkle under Emery.
Metric
Premier League
Conference League
Goals
6
3
Assists
8
1
Big chances created
13
0
Successful dribbles per game
0.8
0.7
Key passes per game
1.2
0.7
Shots per game
1.4
0.8
Across 54 matches in all competitions, the French winger scored ten goals and grabbed nine assists. Decent statistics, but hardly mind-blowing considering his output for the German side.
In comparison, Tsygankov scored eight times and chipped in with seven assists across 34 matches, just four goal involvements shy of Diaby’s total, having played 20 matches less.
Among the rest of his squad, the Ukrainian winger ranked third for goals and assists (15) in La Liga, along with ranking third for big chances created (12) and fourth for key passes per game (1.1), showing how effective he was in the final third last term.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed the winger following his spell at Dynamo Kyiv, dubbing him “outrageous” as he scored 59 goals and grabbed 45 assists in just 153 matches for the Ukrainian side.
When compared to his positional peers, Tsygankov ranked in the top 16% for assists (0.31) and for non-penalty goals (0.35) per 90 in Europe’s top five leagues over the previous 365 days, showing that he is one of the most reliable finishers around.
There is no doubt that he could shine in the Premier League should he make the move this summer, especially under the tutelage of Emery, who happens to bring the best out of certain players.
A fee of £26m is certainly sizeable, but if the club aim to continue the momentum that has been steadily building recently, then money will have to be spent.
Better dribbler than Grealish: Aston Villa could land £46m Rogers upgrade
This would be Unai Emery’s best signing yet.
1 ByAngus Sinclair