Aston Villa have a variety of attacking options that Unai Emery will be hoping can claw them up the Premier League table and into a spot for a European finish. They’re currently tenth in the top flight, with 42 points to their name, but just four off a top-four spot.
Three January additions helped to strengthen in attack, with Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio joining the club on loan, and Donyell Malen permanently from Borussia Dortmund.
They have been added to the firepower in forward areas that include the likes of Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey, all of whom are flying this season.
Another attacker who Emery has in the squad is Leon Bailey, but he has struggled this season.
Bailey’s 2024/25 campaign
Bailey is into his fourth season at Villa Park, after his summer move in August 2021 from German outfit Bayer Leverkusen. They paid the 2023/24 Bundesliga champions just £25m to sign the winger almost four summers ago.
The Jamaican has had an up-and-down time of things at Villa Park. This season has been a real struggle, after registering 28 goal involvements last term. In 33 games across all competitions, he has scored one goal and has three assists to his name.
Things have been especially tough going for the 27-year-old in the Premier League this term. Bailey, who has operated on both flanks, has managed just one goal and two assists in 22 games, with his sole strike coming in a 2-1 win over Leicester City.
It has certainly been a tough season for the Villans number 31. With his disappointing performances this term, it might not be a surprise to see that Bailey’s market value has crashed to as low as £31.4m, according to Transfermarkt.
Incredibly, that is not as low as one of his former teammates, despite impressing since his move.
The former Villa player worth more than Bailey
Over the past few seasons, Villa have done a lot of business which has enabled them to spend so heavily and build a squad that has taken them to the Champions League. One of their biggest sales was that of Moussa Diaby.
The Frenchman left Villa Park just one year after joining, also from Leverkusen. Villa were able to sell him for an impressive £50m, with the former PSG academy star moving to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Ittihad.
Diaby performed well for Villa during his one-season stint in that famous Claret and Blue shirt and was described as “electric” by Statman Dave. In 54 games for the club, he scored ten goals and grabbed nine assists, with his 14 goal involvements in the Premier League crucial for helping his side into the Champions League.
|
Diaby record by competition for Villa in 2023/24 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Competition |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Premier League |
38 |
6 |
8 |
|
Conference League |
11 |
3 |
1 |
|
FA Cup |
3 |
1 |
0 |
|
Carabao Cup |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Conference League qualifiers |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
|||
Since his move to the Middle East, it has been a mixed bag for Diaby. He has performed well, but the winger has missed a substantial portion of Al-Ittihad’s season through injury. The French winger has been unavailable nine times this term.
However, he has been an assist machine for the Saudi side. In 17 games across all competitions, the 25-year-old has scored once, but managed 13 assists, including grabbing two against Al-Hilal.
Despite his impressive performances, the winger’s value has dropped dramatically. As per Transfermarkt, he is now worth just £28.9m, almost half of the amount that they sold him for in the summer – and even less than Bailey.
Although Diaby has had a better campaign than Bailey this season, the values suggest that Villa made the right choice with who to sell. Getting £50m for the Frenchman has proven to be an excellent deal given his injury issues. Perhaps the Villans made the correct call with who to sell after all.
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