Aston Villa endured a bumpy start to 2024, but their recent win over Nottingham Forest was the first time they had recorded back-to-back victories in the Premier League this year, proving their form is on the up again.
Whatever happens between now and May, Unai Emery has brought Villa back to life following a disastrous spell under Steven Gerrard.
They were sleepwalking towards a relegation dogfight under the former Liverpool captain, but the Spaniard has restored confidence at Villa Park and has used his experience to lure players of high quality to the club.
The likes of Pau Torres, Youri Tielemans and Moussa Diaby show that playing for the former Paris Saint-Germain boss is still clearly a big draw and that he has a special project going on right now in the Midlands.
Diaby, in particular, had interest from various sides around Europe following his form in the Bundesliga, with clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea previously keen on acquiring his services, according to 90min (via the Sun).
While Diaby may be taking slightly longer than expected to showcase his best form in England, there is no doubt Emery has struck gold on the winger due to his market value increasing recently.
How much Aston Villa paid for Moussa Diaby
During his spell with Bayer Leverkusen, the Frenchman emerged as one of the finest attacking talents in Germany.
Across four seasons at the Bundesliga club, Diaby registered an impressive 97 goal contributions – 49 goals and 48 assists – in all competitions, quite a staggering figure.
Season
Goals and assists
2022/23
14 goals, 11 assists
2021/22
17 goals, 14 assists
2020/21
10 goals, 15 assists
2019/20
8 goals, 8 assists
This led to plenty of interest being shown in the former Paris Saint-Germain winger, yet it was Emery and Villa who pounced last summer, splashing out a club record £51.9m to secure his signature while delivering a big statement of intent in the process.
It was evident that the manager had to spend money in order to build a squad which would be capable of challenging for the European places, with his decisions last summer already working a treat.
Diaby may have only scored six times for the club since joining, but his market value has actually risen since his big-money move and once he finally finds his groove, expect even more growth.
Moussa Diaby’s market value at Aston Villa
Although breaking Villa’s club transfer record, the 24-year-old could actually make them a big profit in the future if his valuation is anything to go by.
Indeed, at the time of writing, Diaby is currently valued at €80m (£68.4m) according to CIES Football Observatory, and he currently ranks as the joint highest valued player in the Villa squad, alongside Douglas Luiz.
Emery has struggled to find a position to bring out the best in the Frenchman this term, playing alongside Ollie Watkins as a centre-forward, as an attacking midfielder and out on the wing, but it is clear he needs a consistent run in the starting XI.
Despite his slow start, he is actually valued more than a former Villa prodigy who departed for £100m back in 2021 – Jack Grealish.
Jack Grealish’s current market value
The former Villa starlet made 213 appearances for the Midlands side as he emerged from awkward teen to one of the best young talents in the country.
Grealish scored 32 goals and grabbed 43 assists during this time period, and it was clear his horizons were bigger than Villa, especially with plenty of potential suitors sniffing around his availability.
His move to Manchester City has finally seen the Englishman add some medals to his career, as the 28-year-old has become an important member of the squad under Pep Guardiola.
Not only has Grealish won six major honours during his time in Manchester – including the Champions League – he has added 14 goals and 17 assists too, proving that he can mix it with the very best players in the world.
Despite this success on the pitch, his market valuation has dropped from the £100m fee that the club signed him for two and half years ago.
Indeed, according to the CIES Football Observatory, Grealish is currently valued at €60m (£51.3m) and this represents a sharp drop.
The former Villa gem has played just 14 Premier League matches so far this season, but it looks as though Diaby is worth a lot more than the Englishman.
Why Moussa Diaby is worth so much
Hailed as “outstanding” by journalist Josh Bunting for previous performances, Diaby has shown plenty of attacking intent this season in the top flight.
The former Leverkusen star currently ranks fifth among his teammates for goals and assists (eight), along with ranking second for shots on target per game (0.7), fifth for big chances created (eight) and sixth for successful dribbles per game (0.8), evidence of his willingness to contribute effectively.
When compared to forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the previous 365 days, Diaby ranks highly in a range of performance metrics.
Not only does he rank in the top 2% for assists per 90 (0.34), but he also ranks in the top 4% for progressive carries per 90 (3.99), the top 11% for successful take-ons per 90 (1.77) and for shot-creating actions per 90 (3.41), proof that he is among one of the finest attacking players in the continent for these metrics.
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Perhaps this is the reason for the increase in value recently, as if it was based on goals scored, then it would not have risen very highly.
Diaby contributes much more to the team than just goals and assists. However, as evidenced by these recent statistics, once he starts more matches, his goal tally will likely increase.
What's clear is that Emery hit the jackpot on the winger last summer, especially considering he may not have even reached his peak years yet.
Selling Grealish for £100m in 2021 was the correct decision and unless he enjoys a standout campaign during 2024/25, his valuation will only continue to decline.
Diaby’s performances have been good, but there is no doubt he can get even better and the rest of the Premier League will need to be wary when he finally hits the ground running.