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Forget Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa have got a player who is going to be far better
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- Forget Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa have got a player who is going to be far better
Aston Villa attacking midfielder Johan Manzambi is quickly becoming one of the Premier League's most exciting young starlets.
The Villans paid a club-record package of around £59million to sign the Swiss star from Freiburg in the summer, but they are already seeing their investment repaid.
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Manzambi notched an assist in Villa's draw with Fulham last weekend, as he extended his impressive run of form since breaking into the team back in September.
The 21-year-old now has six goal involvements in his last six games in all competitions, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Villa lost star man Morgan Rogers to Chelsea in a £117m deal in the summer, but Manzambi's form of late has helped to forget all about the England international.
With the youngster already hitting the ground running in the Premier League, his signing already appears to be one of the best pieces of summer business in the league.
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Johan Manzambi on a par with Morgan Rogers
New arrivals from the Bundesliga have often struggled to adapt to the Premier League in recent years, but Manzambi has had no such issues.
The youngster is already one of the key cogs in Unai Emery's system, and he is rewarding his manager with consistent, impactful contributions.
The best compliment that can be given to Manzambi right now is that he is effectively at least matching Rogers in every key creative metric so far.
His tally of 1.16 shots on target per 90 is higher than the Chelsea ace, while he is within touching distance of him when it comes to chances created per 90 and successful dribbles per 90, at 1.85 and 1.62, respectively.
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Manzambi is also running 10.8km per game at the moment, just 0.4km shy of Rogers' total at Chelsea, so there are no concerns over his work rate either.
Villa have effectively replaced Rogers with someone of equal productivity already, and have been able to do so for effectively half the price.
The deals to sell Rogers and buy Manzambi generated a further £58m for Villa to spend, and also haven't harmed their attacking output at all, making it something of a masterstroke.
Aston Villa to offer longer than expected Ross Barkley deal - Insider Aston Villa to offer surprise Ross Barkley deal
Former Villa chief executive Keith Wyness told Football Insiderlast weekend that his former club are likely to offer a new "two-year" contract to midfielder Ross Barkley.
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The veteran is set to be out of contract next summer, but the boardroom expert believes that a heavily appearance-based new deal could be on the cards.
Wyness outlined that could see Barkley earn a lower basic wage, with significant bonuses included based on how he performs.
The 32-year-old has been a surprise package so far this season, and already has four goals and two assists in all competitions.
