It perhaps comes as no surprise that Unai Emery has led Aston Villa to a wonderful start to the new season.
Across seven matches in all competitions, the Midlands outfit have won six games, only suffering defeat against Arsenal in the Premier League.
Much of this has to do with his excellent ability to move players on for decent fees, while also bringing in the best possible talent.
This summer, Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby departed the club, yet the supporters clearly aren’t missing them, especially given how impressive the new arrivals have been.
Amadou Onana looks like a player who will only get better under Emery, while Ian Maatsen has shone in his brief appearances for the club.
Emery isn’t perfect, however, as not all of his signings have demonstrated their true qualities. Nicolo Zaniolo is a prime example of this. Last summer, he arrived on a season-long loan deal from Galatasaray in the hopes of adding some quality to the Villa midfield.
The reality was very different, as the Italian failed to nail down a regular berth in the starting XI.
Nicolo Zaniolo’s Aston Villa’s statistics
Emery spent big during his first summer transfer window, bringing in the likes of Diaby and Pau Torres, which worked wonders for the Spaniard as he led Villa to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, thus, securing Champions League qualification in the process.
While big money was spent, Zaniolo was a largely cost-effective signing, yet it didn’t quite work out as well as the fans wanted.
Goals
2
Assists
0
Key passes per game
0.4
Big chances created
0
Shots per game
1.1
Total duels won per game
2.4
Across the entire 2023/24 campaign, the Italian midfielder made 39 appearances for Villa, yet only 13 of them were from the starting XI. He only managed three goals all term, highlighting how little an impact the 25-year-old made in England.
In the top flight, Zaniolo ranked in a lowly 13th position for goals and assists (two), while also ranking eighth for big chances missed (three), 14th for key passes per game (0.4) and 12th for successful dribbles per game (0.4).
It is clearly evident that he was underwhelming during his temporary spell. Thankfully, Emery could call upon other players, which meant his ineffectiveness wasn’t a deterrent in the squad.
Before the Spaniard secured his signature, Villa were linked with a young talent who would eventually move to the Premier League…
Aston Villa missed out on Jeremy Doku
According to reports at the time, Villa were reportedly keen on securing a move for Jeremy Doku, having submitted a bid of around €30m (£25m), which was rejected by French side Stade Rennais.
During the 2022/23 campaign, Doku starred for Rennes. Across 35 games in all competitions, the winger scored seven times while chipping in with five assists, clearly capturing the attention of Villa in the process.
When it was clear the Midlands side were out of the running for the talented Belgian, Manchester City swooped in, signing him for a fee in the region of £55.5m, which would have been a club-record transfer for Villa – who ultimately ended up landing Zaniolo.
It is clear given his performances in Manchester that Emery missed a huge opportunity in failing to bring the Belgian international last summer.
Jeremy Doku’s Man City stats
While City may have won ‘just’ one trophy last term, retaining their Premier League title, Doku was one of their star performers, fitting into Pep Guardiola’s side with apparent ease.
Not only did he score six goals for City, but he also registered 11 assists, showcasing his prodigious talents in the process.
The winger was previously hailed as “frightening” by former Premier League defender Anton Ferdinand in 2022 and certainly displayed qualities which had defences terrorised up and down the country.
When compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Doku ranked in the top 1% for progressive carries, successful take-ons and touches in the opposition penalty area per 90.
Combine this with the fact he ranked in the top 2% for shot-creating actions and in the top 5% for assists in the previous 365 days, underlining how impressive he was in the final third.
So far this term, Doku has scored once in seven games, but given he is only 22, the winger can only get better and better.
Jeremy Doku’s market valuation
His performances for City last season saw his market value rise. According to Transfermarkt, Doku is now currently valued at €65m (£54m), which will only continue to rise should he keep delivering wonderful displays on the pitch.
Not only that, but the winger is the 26th highest-valued player in the Premier League. Considering he has only been in England for just over a year, it is quite an achievement.
While Villa did qualify for the Champions League last term, could they have perhaps gone further in the Conference League or won a domestic trophy if they had Doku at their disposal?
It will go down as a major case of what if for Emery, with his success at City rubbing salt into the wounds, no doubt about that.
Reaching the group stages of Europe’s premier club competition will give the manager plenty of leeway to secure some of the finest talent on the continent.
Doku clearly fits into that bracket. Villa won’t want to miss out on talents of this calibre in the future, that’s for sure.
One that got away
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.
The main thing for Emery now is to keep doing what he is doing in the transfer market, bringing the best talent to the club in the hope they can end their 30-year major trophy drought.
Missing out on the Belgian has proven to be a big blow, but he won’t be the only talented attacker Emery has his eye on.
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