Aston Villa’s most valuable player has been named, but it’s not who you’d expect.
Unai Emery’s players shone during the 2023/24 season, as Aston Villa finished fourth in the Premier League.
The Villans will play Champions League football next season as a result of their accomplishments, with several of Emery’s top players standing out as the club’s greatest performances.
Now that the season is over, Villa’s most valuable player has been determined, yet few would agree with the figure chosen.
READ MORE: Aston Villa said they wouldn’t have won the Champions League without one star.
Moussa Diaby was awarded the most valuable Aston Villa player.
CIES Football Observatory has released the top 100 most valued players in the world, and three Villa players have made the list.
Jude Bellingham was named the most valuable asset, with an estimated transfer value of €280.4 million, while the most valuable Villa representative had an estimated worth of €84.5 million.
When it comes to Villa’s roster, few would expect Moussa Diaby to be Emery’s best asset; nonetheless, the Frenchman is valued first by CIES at €84.5 million, which equates to £72m.
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The two Villa Park players in the top 100 are Douglas Luiz at €74.8 million (£63.7 million) and Ollie Watkins at €73.2 million (£62.3 million), both of whom are less expensive than Diaby.
Why Diaby is Villa’s most valued player does not make sense.
Diaby is still only 24 years old, yet there is some understanding of why he is regarded as one of the world’s most valued players.
However, it would be impossible to position the £130,000-per-week France international among Villa’s top five performers in the 2023/24 season.
While the winger scored 14 goals in his debut Premier League season, according to Sofascore, there are other Villa players regarded considerably higher than Diaby, both at the club and, as expected, on the transfer market.
Journalist John Townley described Diaby as a’menace’ for his performance in Villa’s Europa Conference League triumph against Ajax in March, but there were few other performances that earned the Frenchman such accolades.
Read More: Who Is Moussa Diaby? All about Aston Villa’s record signing.
In terms of Villa’s more valuable players, Luiz, Watkins, Leon Bailey, Ezri Konsa, and even Jacob Ramsey may be ranked higher than Diaby.
Bailey’s worth has skyrocketed since joining Aston Villa, thanks to his flawless turnaround in form, while Konsa, Watkins, and Luiz all been standout performers under Emery.
Ramsey believes that the Bodymoor Heath product is the most important to the club because of the potential wealth he could make one day, despite the fact that he is only 23 years old.
While Diaby is certainly deserving of such a projected value, there other Villa players who are seen more important to the club than the 2023 addition because to their age, growth, and role to the squad.
Aston Villa is looking for a ‘outstanding’ £12 million replacement for Douglas Luiz, but there is one hitch.
Aston Villa might compete with a slew of big European teams to recruit one in-demand prodigy this summer, but there’s one snag.
Now that the 2023/24 season has over, Unai Emery and Monchi will focus on recruiting new talent during the upcoming transfer window.
Aston Villa is expected to have a busy summer as they look to enhance their team in preparation for Champions League play next season.
From potential departures to high-profile arrivals, Villa Park will be an interesting location to watch over the domestic football break, with one future star now linked to Emery’s project.
READ MORE: Aston Villa rumours: Every player connected with and leaving Villa Park this summer
Aston Villa could compete with Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and others for Assan Ouedraogo.
According to Florian Plettenberg, Aston Villa is one of the clubs interested in Schalke midfielder Assan Ouedraogo.
This summer, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Villa are believed to ‘want him’.
With a release clause of only £12 million, the adolescent may be a gem for one Premier League club to acquire; but, there is one snag.
According to a Sky Sports journalist, despite interest from England, Ouedraogo is’still waiting’ to hear from Bayern since he prefers to stay in Germany rather than relocate abroad.
According to scouting site Breaking the Lines, Ouedraogo has a similar playing profile to Khephren Thuram and Paul Pogba, indicating his talent in center midfield, making him a potential successor to Douglas Luiz under Unai Emery.
The 18-year-old German made his 2. Bundesliga debut with Schalke in 2023/24, appearing 17 times and scoring four goals, according to Sofascore.
While the midfielder is still extremely raw, as one would expect at such a young age, Ouedraogo could offer Emery something similar to Douglas Luiz in the near future.
With a capable combative edge and an eye for playmaking, the Schalke prodigy has all the potential to develop into a dominant all-rounder in midfield, comparable to Luiz’s role at Villa Park.
Antonio Mango, a U23 scout, previously described Ouedraogo as technically ‘outstanding’, highlighting the parallels between himself and the 26-year-old Villa player.
With uncertainties over Luiz’s future at Aston Villa, now may be the time for Emery and Monchi to swoop for the young star who could one day replace him.
While it is tough to compare a seasoned Premier League professional to a German second-tier newbie, the data demonstrate a clear parallel in Luiz and Ouedraogo’s strengths.
It will be intriguing to watch where the 18-year-old’s career takes him next, and Villa is undoubtedly an enticing proposition for the German to ponder.
Aston Villa stated that they would not have achieved Champions League without one star.
Unai Emery has been warned that Aston Villa would not have qualified for the Champions League without one important player.
The 2023/24 season marked a watershed moment for Aston Villa, as they qualified for the Champions League the following season.
Unai Emery ensured that his team improved from seventh position in 2022/23 to fourth place, trailing only Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool in his first full season at the club.
While it is tough to blame Villa’s season, questions have been raised about whether the Midlands side could have achieved such success without one vital man.
Aston Villa would not have achieved Champions League football without Ollie Watkins.
Adrian Clarke announced his Premier League one-player-per-club Team of the Season for 2023/24, with Ollie Watkins representing Aston Villa.
The analyst concluded that the Englishman is ‘tailor-made’ for Emery’s approach, although he expressed reservations about Villa’s strength without their star.
“Would Villa have reached the UEFA Champions League without Watkins’ goal-scoring exploits? I do not think so.
“He is tailor-made for Unai Emery’s style of play, and his pace, movement and finishing were all stellar throughout 2023/24.
“He would enjoy having these three brilliant attacking midfielders supplying him with the ammunition.”
Ending the 2023/24 Premier League season with 19 goals and 13 assists, Clarke’s comments are fair, with Watkins pulling away as Villa’s standout performer over the campaign.
Watkins is so important to Villa’s success
Having racked up a combined total of 32 goal contributions, the England international had a hand in a whopping 42% of Villa’s goals in the Premier League season.
While it took Watkins until matchday six to get off the mark, once the 28-year-old found the net, the goals kept coming as he equalled Christian Benteke’s scoring record at Villa by matchday 33.
Unfortunately, Emery’s star striker failed to score in his final five games of the season, preventing him from breaking the club record for the most goals in a Premier League season.
Still, it wasn’t just his consistency in front of goal that helped Watkins soar at Villa in 2023/24; Emery also brought a creative element to his game, which helped him take the next step.
The former Brentford striker won the Premier League Playmaker of the Season title for his 13 assists, and Alan Shearer admits he can’t wait to see the forward play in the Champions League owing to his overall development.
From goals to assists to overall offensive performance, the 28-year-old was unquestionably the driving force behind Villa’s Champions League qualification campaign, and Watkins promises that there will be more to come.
Clarke’s comments on Villa’s potency without Watkins are accurate, as the marksman’s effect was critical to his team’s success during the 2023/24 season.
Aston Villa star Leon Bailey sends a six-word message to Jack Grealish on Instagram.
Leon Bailey, an Aston Villa winger, has sent Jack Grealish a six-word message on Instagram.
The 2023/24 season concluded with Aston Villa relishing Champions League football for the first time in 41 years.
Unai Emery was the brains behind their surge into the Premier League’s top four, outwitting the likes of Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola on their path to Europe’s elite competition.
While it was a memorable season for the team, it was also a year where several players attained their peak performance. Emi Martinez was brilliant between the pipes, Ollie Watkins was unstoppable in front of the net, and Leon Bailey was electric on the wing.
Bailey, in particular, shown the promise that Steven Gerrard failed to realise during his tenure at the club, scoring 12 and assisting 13 in all competitions.
The jet-heeled Jamaican was stunning to behold at times and has settled into his position on the right wing.
Bailey has established himself as a contemporary Villa Park hero, and the 26-year-old has now reached out to one of their former heroes, Jack Grealish.
Leon Bailey sent Jack Grealish a message on Instagram.
The majority of the Aston Villa squad is gearing up for a summer of international football after a rigorous season with their respective clubs.
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