Aston Villa have overseen plenty of departures during the summer transfer window.
Unai Emery and Monchi have been building a team at Villa Park that should be able to compete in both the Premier League and the Champions League this season. However, this has not come without a cost.
The Birmingham outfit has been forced to let go of many of its star players from last season to raise funds. Douglas Luiz was the most heartbreaking departure as he left for Juventus in June.
However, one player who surprisingly left the club was Moussa Diaby, with Emery now explaining that it was the winger’s decision to leave.
Moussa Diaby wanted to leave Aston Villa
Despite only joining Villa last summer, Diaby had a short stay in England. Villa’s record signing departed for Al-Ittihad in July after he led the club to the Champions League.
The move came as quite a surprise. Despite the winger having a slow start to life in England, during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, his form became more consistent.
However, Emery has now revealed that the club let the Frenchman leave as he wanted to move to Saudi Arabia.
He said: “A very good offer & he said he wants to accept it. We opened the door because when a player gives this message, we won’t refuse him to go.
“His adaptation 1st year was good – not fantastic – but enough to play. I thought he could develop more (this year)”
Footballers moving to Saudi Arabia will only become more common
While the move may puzzle some Villa fans, it will only become more common as the years go on.
According to GiveMeSport, Diaby will earn £250k a week in Saudi, with his five-year contract potentially earning him £85 million.
For many, this amount of money is unthinkable and will no doubt help not just Diaby, but his future generations.
Thankfully for Villa, Diaby won’t be a huge miss. Morgan Rogers and Leon Bailey were arguably already ahead on the teamsheet meaning his departure shouldn’t affect the squad too much.
