Aston Villa are “not particularly happy” with their first-team star signing, but manager Unai Emery is eyeing a “replacement” for him in the summer transfer window.
Villa making summer plans ahead of Champions League
Emery’s side are eight points behind sixth-placed Liverpool and are in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League, meaning Villa Park is likely to be an attractive destination at the end of the season.
Finishing in the top five is not the only path to Europe’s elite competition, but Emery has made it clear his team is determined to win trophies this season: “The Europa League is important. It’s very important. We can win the trophy. It’s going to be very difficult, but we’re very motivated.
“The Premier League comes first. We are really good in the table. We have to be very proud of our place in the table and everything we are doing.”
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the Villans, with manager Emery bizarrely suggesting they were not top-five contenders after last month’s 1-0 defeat at Everton.
The interview perhaps suggests the manager believes he needs to upgrade his squad in the summer, with former Villa scout Mick Brown now saying he wants the Spaniard to replace Lucas Digne.
Ms Brown said: ”I expect Villa to be looking for a replacement for Digne.
”I’ve heard that they aren’t too happy with his recent play and that if they could find a player to replace him, they would be happy to do so.
“Left-back is a position that Coach Emery wants to strengthen, so I hope we can do that in the summer.
“Digne is not a bad player, but he’s not a truly top player either. If Villa want to be a top team, he’s a player they need to improve on.”
Digne is not doing well and the season is coming to an end
The Frenchman has been a regular starter for Aston Villa this season, appearing in 30 games in all competitions, but has been in poor form of late and has been off the bench in two of the last three Premier League games.
In the last FA Cup game against Newcastle United, the 32-year-old struggled with a SofaScore match rating of just 6.0, winning just one of his three on-ground encounters.
Forget Bizzotto: Aston Villa star looks complete under Emery after Newcastle game
Aston Villa were knocked out of the FA Cup by fellow Premier League side Newcastle United after Marco Bizzotto’s red card grabbed the headlines.
The £135,000-a-week left-back has been a mainstay at Villa over the past five seasons, showing Emery rates him highly, but given he is set to turn 33 in July, it’s definitely time to start thinking about a long-term replacement.
If Emery’s side qualify for the Champions League, they will have access to top-level options, but it’s not just a left-back they’re considering adding to the mix, with the Bundesliga star also interested…
