Aston Villa secured a stunning 2-0 win over Arsenal on the weekend to jump start their top four ambitions and potentially derail the Gunners Premier League title hopes in the process.
Following just one top-flight win across their previous five games, it was a well-needed domestic boost which could be the catalyst that sees them fend off Tottenham Hotspur for the lucrative final Champions League spot.
Unai Emery’s focus will now be on Europe, as the Midlands side take on Lille in the second leg of their Conference League clash on Thursday evening, holding a slender one-goal advantage.
While the Spaniard will spend the next four weeks taking one match at a time in order to achieve Villa’s best top-flight finish this century, it appears as though he has one eye on the upcoming summer transfer window…
Aston Villa transfer news
According to reports in Italy – as per CalcioNapoli – Napoli defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo is considering leaving the Serie A outfit for a new challenge, with Villa reportedly offering the player the chance to play in the Premier League next season.
The Italian – who is valued at €20m (£17m) by CIES Football Observatory – has a contract until 2028 with the Neapolitan side, which means Emery will have to stump up a fee to secure his signature ahead of next season.
They may be boosted by the fact Di Lorenzo is ‘thinking very carefully about his future’ according to the report, which could give Emery the licence to make a move once the transfer window opens.
If the club do secure a place in the Champions League for 2024/25, the former Paris Saint-Germain manager will surely be aiming to bolster his squad ahead of tougher challenges, and Di Lorenzo has plenty of experience in the competition.
Not only that, but he could be a wonderful upgrade to Matty Cash, whose form has fluctuated throughout the current campaign.
Matty Cash’s statistics this season
The English-born Polish international has played 26 times in the top flight so far this term, but it is fair to say that he hasn’t quite been at his best recently.
The 4-0 defeat to Spurs last month saw the right-back deliver a dismal performance, losing possession 16 times throughout the clash while winning just seven of his 15 ground duels, proving he was far too easily bullied during his individual battles.
Emery expects Cash to burst forward down the right flank and support Villa’s attack during games, but on this occasion, he attempted zero dribbles while failing to make either a key pass or create a big chance.
Metric
Europa Conference League
Premier League
Goals
0
2
Assists
1
1
Key passes per game
0.9
0.4
Successful dribbles per game
0.3
0.4
Total duels won per game
1.9
3.6
Since then, the 26-year-old has played twice due to suffering a hamstring injury, meaning Ezro Konsa has been forced to move away from his usual centre-back slot in order to deputise.
Among his teammates, Cash ranks outside the top five for accurate passes per game (30.3) while ranking 13th for key passes per game (0.4), 17th for successful dribbles per game (0.4) and sixth for interceptions per game (0.7), hardly the stats of a player who is ready to play in the Champions League.
Adding another right-back into the squad could be a wise move going forward, with Di Lorenzo being a fine option to bring to the club.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s stats for Napoli this season
During Napoli’s famous Serie A triumph last season – their first since 1990 – Di Lorenzo was part of a team which dominated the top flight, recording 28 wins out of 38 games while scoring 77 goals in the process as they romped to the league crown.
The 30-year-old captained the club in all but one of their league ties, scoring three goals and registering four assists in what was a wonderful individual campaign for the defender.
Football writer Jerry Mancini also hailed the player as “exquisite” in 2022, and while Napoli’s title defence has been dismal, Di Lorenzo has still shone for the club.
During the 2023/24 campaign, he has missed only one league game thus far – which was due to suspension – while once again showcasing his attacking abilities, netting once along with chipping in with six assists despite their troubles.
The Italian currently ranks third among the squad for accurate passes per game (55.6) in Serie A, while ranking fourth for key passes per game (1.4), tenth for successful dribbles per game (0.5) and eighth for interceptions per game (0.6), with his passing and attacking stats more impressive than the ones shown by Cash this term.
He may be four years older than the Villa right-back, but perhaps some experience is required in the current starting XI, especially if they are to play in the Champions League from next season.
How Giovanni Di Lorenzo compares to Matty Cash
The 6 foot gem doesn’t just shine among his current teammates, as he also ranks highly on certain metrics when compared to his positional peers.
Indeed, across Europe’s top five leagues, Di Lorenzo ranks in the top 2% for progressive passes (7.64) and touches in the opposition penalty area (3.39) per 90, along with occupying a spot in the top 6% for passes attempted per 90 (75.34) and the top 7% for shot-creating actions per 90 (3.3) over the previous 365 days.
In comparison, over the same time period, Cash ranks in the top 14% for touches in the opposition penalty area per 90 (2.25), but currently ranks in the lowest 50% for progressive passes (3.59), shot-creating actions (1.69) and attempted passes (51.43) per 90, clearly indicating that Di Lorenzo would be a far better choice, especially in terms of going forward, than Cash.
This is something that Emery will be thinking about as the key to progression within any team is constantly evolving and bringing better quality players in.
Cash has done well since arriving at Villa from Nottingham Forest in 2020, but if the Spaniard wishes his team to compete at a higher level, signing Di Lorenzo could give the right flank a massive boost, especially considering his attacking skills.
He may cost a pretty penny due to his contract situation, but bringing the Napoli star to the Premier League will certainly strengthen Villa, no doubt about it.
Aston Villa in race to sign £17m attacker compared to Jack Grealish
He’s impressed this season.
ByJosh BarkerApr 15, 2024
