Aston Villa have made an interesting start to the new season.
Before a ball was kicked, many knew this was going to be a serious test for Aston Villa, both on and off the field of play.
Even though Villa reached the Champions League, financial rules meant that Douglas Luiz was sold to Juventus and Moussa Diaby to the Saudi Pro League, amid other outgoings.
And now Unai Emery has to balance the Premier League and Champions League in equal measures, with a pretty strong and currently healthy squad.
Aston Villa’s stance on Diego Carlos ahead of January transfer window
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
Graeme Bailey has exclusively told Aston Villa News that the club thought Diego Carlos would leave in the summer, but he didn’t.
The powers that be at Villa Park wanted to sign another centre-back, but because of Profit and Sustainability (PSR) concerns and Carlos staying put, they couldn’t.
Since then, Carlos has been in and out of the Villa side, with Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres the other centre-back options, whilst Tyrone Mings has returned from a long-term injury.
Bailey also revealed that, come January, if the price is right, then Villa will move Carlos on and from there another centre-back could be signed.
But, more than likely, they will wait until the summer, as most Premier League clubs aren’t expected to do much business in January due to PSR and Villa are also in that boat.
Carlos’ numbers for Aston Villa this season
As many Villa fans will tell you, on his day, Carlos is unbeatable and he can take anyone on. He was Man of the Match, home and away, against Arsenal last season.
As well as being one of the best players on the pitch during the home win against Manchester City and continued that during Villa’s win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League this term.
WhoScored have rated Carlos’ performances at 6.19 for the season so far, with the player seemingly fairing better in Europe’s elite competition than anywhere else, which sums him up.
| Tournament | Apps | Mins | Tackles | Fouls | Yel | Clear | PS% | Avg Passes | AerialsWon | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions League | 3(1) | 305 | 0.8 | 1 | 2 | 3.3 | 91.5 | 49.8 | 0.5 | 6.62 |
| Premier League | 4(2) | 469 | 0.7 | 1.3 | – | 2.8 | 88.4 | 51.7 | 0.7 | 6.01 |
| League Cup | 1 | 90 | – | 1 | 1 | 3 | 89.4 | 66 | 1 | 5.55 |
| Total / Average | 11 | 864 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 3 | 3 | 89.6 | 52.3 | 0.6 | 6.19 |
