Dan Bardell: Lucas Digne has not worked out at Aston Villa in new transfer verdict
We’re delighted to welcome Sky Sports journalist Dan Bardell as our exclusive Aston Villa columnist each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the club…
Lucas Digne’s time at Aston Villa “hasn’t really worked out” as his defensive frailties make him unsuitable for an Unai Emery side, according to Dan Bardell.
Digne has not been overly impressive in the Premier League’s opening two fixtures, especially the 5-1 thrashing against Newcastle where he was part of a poor defence that got caught out far too many times.
Elsewhere, the Villans are said to be closing in on a move for Marcos Acuna, with Fabrizio Romano reporting (17 August) that the World Cup winner had agreed on personal terms.
Bardell claims that the Frenchman’s “pure ball-watching” has contributed to his Villa downfall, while Alex Moreno and potentially Acuna’s presence at the club threaten his Villa future.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bardell said: “It’s a signing that hasn’t really worked. Like Alex Moreno, Acuna is a player that probably suits what Emery wants to do. I feel like I pick on Digne a little bit, but with the money that Villa paid for him, they’ve just not had much back at all.
“I’m not putting Newcastle’s first goal all on him, but he’s got this really bad habit you can see. Digne is on the scene, but he’s just pure ball-watching, honestly.
“He’s not looking at what’s going on around him. He has no idea of his surroundings at all. I think he could just cut off Sandro Tonali getting into the box. I just feel when he’s on the pitch, Villa always concedes a goal like that.
“I can think of a few examples of this. I feel like I’m quite harsh, but for £30million we should be expecting a lot, lot more.“
In other Aston Villa news, Dan Bardell has hailed a new Villa signing as “unique” but still holds reservations about him.