He's like Grealish: Aston Villa enquire about 47m Diaby replacement

The transfer window has been open for over a month and Aston Villa have been quite the busy shoppers. Unai Emery triumphed in leading the team into the Champions League with a top-four Premier League finish last term, but now, cementing their newfound position of strength is imperative.

Last month’s PSR problems have been quelled following the sale of Douglas Luiz to Juventus. Further, Moussa Diaby is currently in the process of completing a £60m transfer to Al Ittihad, which will balance the books sweetly.

Samuel Iling-Junior and Jaden Philogene have been signed to strengthen the flanks this summer, but Emery knows that Champions League football will come with all the trials and tribulations, and one more experienced head could make all the difference.

Aston Villa transfer news

As per Football Transfers, Aston Villa are interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur’s Dejan Kulusevski in a shock deal. The Swede’s contract down N17 expires in one year and Emery could take advantage, having already made an enquiry.

Spurs are looking to land Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Pedro Neto this summer, and while the £47m-rated Kulusevski is a talented player, Villa’s enquiry might just need something more concrete over the coming weeks.

What Dejan Kulusevski would bring to Aston Villa

Emery employs a system that is steeped in hard work and innate understanding. Villa shift structurally between phases, often reverting to a 4-4-2 when out of possession. Lopsided build-up play is also prominent, with right-back Matty Cash less inclined to bomb forward than his alternate, who will now be Ian Maatsen following Villa’s signing of the £35m man from Chelsea.

Kulusevski would be the perfect right flanker in this regard, dovetailing into the system with his tenacity and tireless wheels. The Tottenham talent is not the most prolific, scoring 15 goals and adding 19 assists across 96 appearances, but he brings so much to the team and would add an invaluable dimension to Tottenham’s attack.

For example, he ranked among the top 16% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League last season for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 19% for progressive carries and tackles made per 90, as per FBref, with such qualities actually marking Jack Grealish as his most similar player.

Premier League 23/24: Player Comparison
Statistic	Dejan Kulusevski	Jack Grealish
Matches played	36	20
Matches started	31	10
Goals	8	3
Assists	3	1
Pass completion	82%	88%
Big chances created	14	3
Shots per game	1.6	1.1
Key passes per game	1.8	1.4
Ball recoveries per game	3.7	2.1
Tackles per game	1.7	0.7
Dribbles per game	1.5 (45%)	0.9 (62%)
Duels won per game	4.2 (39%)	3.8 (61%)
Stats via Sofascore

In the English top flight, the Manchester City ace ranked among the top 18% for touches in the attacking box, the top 3% for progressive carries and the top 14% for shot-creating actions per 90 (FBref). The former Villan icon’s silky-smooth style has captured the awe of English football and played an important role in one of the most illustrious teams in English football’s staggering success.

When Villa sold Grealish to Pep Guardiola’s winning machine in 2021 for a British record £100m fee, it felt like a watershed moment for the outfit, having enjoyed comparative success under Dean Smith but seemingly waving goodbye to any dreams of something more grandiose. Emery has changed all of that.

Villa are stepping onto Europe’s elite platform next season, and crucially, Tottenham are not. Kulusevski could be tempted to join the crew in the Midlands and further his career, with the 23-year-old having been praised by Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir for his performances in the Premier League.

The reporter said: “Dejan Kulusevski really is a special special player. Works so hard, covers every blade of grass. Hell of an engine on him, and just so much heart.”

His metrics reflect such remarks and, despite the bulked-up nature of Villa’s squad, Kulusevski might prove to be an almighty Diaby replacement – perhaps even an upgrade.

The perfect Diaby replacement

Diaby only joined Emery’s cause one year ago, landing himself a starring spot in Aston Villa’s first team after completing a club-record £52m transfer from Bayer Leverkusen.

He enjoyed a solid season for the Premier League team, scoring ten goals and supplying nine assists across 54 matches. It’s important to note, however, that the Frenchman fizzled out following his resounding start, posting two goals and an assist over his opening three top-flight fixtures.

Remodified into a centre-forward slash attacking midfielder as the campaign went on, Diaby left something to be desired for his second season at the club, though now it looks like he will imminently be plying his trade in Saudi Arabia.

The 25-year-old, for all his talent and potency, didn’t package it all into something cohesive and solid. As per Sofascore, he only averaged 0.3 tackles, 0.8 dribbles and 1.5 successful duels per Premier League match last term.

If we hark back to Kulusevski’s numbers, the Sweden international might not have tallied the same numbers but he was more rounded by a distance, and while he only created three assists, 14 big chances across the campaign denote his underlying playmaking prowess.

Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski celebrates

Kulusevski, indeed, actually pipped Diaby in that regard, who created 13 big chances and averaged 1.2 key passes per match. Spurs ebbed and flowed from form last season and while Kulusevski was guilty of riding that undulating wave, he could rise to the fore in fresh conditions at Villa Park.

Ultimately, this would not be an easy deal to orchestrate but Aston Villa could look to exploit Kulusevski’s contractual situation and the monetary boost from cashing in on Diaby. The player, while an important member of Ange Postecoglou’s project, doesn’t appear to be expendable and there certainly wouldn’t be any ham in tabling an offer and setting the chain of events in motion.