Aston Villa have been one of the most impressive operators in the transfer window over the past couple of years.
The Villans have revamped their squad since narrowly avoiding relegation in 2020, and a lot of their business has been completed with minimal fuss.
Danny Ings was signed without even being linked to the club, Villa easily beat the likes of Tottenham to Ollie Watkins’ signature, while Philippe Coutinho’s arrival was sewn up less than two weeks into this January window.
However, while Villa have been shrewd operators in the market, they haven’t landed every single one of their targets.
Emile Smith Rowe was one player who was out of reach for Villa in the summer, and sadly, the same can be said about Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse.
Fortunately, Villa are now taking steps towards signing alternatives for those players.
Coutinho will be able to bring the creativity, movement and flair that Villa would have been able to get out of Smith Rowe, and while the Villans may not sign a like-for-like Ward-Prowse alternative, they could be about to land a player who shares one of the midfielder’s best attributes.
Of course, we’re talking about Lucas Digne and his set-piece prowess.
Indeed, the Villans are reportedly on the verge of securing the left-back’s signature.
Digne may not be as lethal as Ward-Prowse from set-plays, but he can certainly run him close. He’s one of only nine players to have scored multiple free-kicks in a Premier League season since 2018/19, while he’s also brilliant when delivering from corners and wide free-kicks.
Of course, both Ward-Prowse and Digne bring so much more than just set-piece prowess, but there’s no doubt that Ward-Prowse’s ability from these situations would have factored into Villa’s thinking when chasing him over the summer, and it’s probably playing a part in their interest in Digne right now.
The full-back’s set-piece ability has previously been described as ‘wonderful’ and Villa could soon be benefitting from his brilliance.
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