Aston Villa’s Jordan Amavi is proving an excellent addition to the Premier League.
Aston Villa may be sitting in the relegation zone, but defender Jordan Amavi is looking like one of the buys of the summer.
Amavi has settled instantly since his summer arrival from Nice, and even for the £10 million fee the Birmingham Mail reported the club paid, he appears value for money.
The French under-21 international has become a regular starter for Villa, yet even better, his statistics out rank every defender in the Premier League.
Rating a defender on the basis of key performance indicators, tackles won, interceptions, aerial duels won, and shots blocked, while factoring in any goals or assists made too, Amavi comes out on top.
| Team | Won Tackles | Interceptions Won | Aerial Duels Won | Accurate Crosses | Shots Blocked | Assists | Goals | Total | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Amavi | Aston Villa | 29 | 30 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 86 | 8 |
| Chancel Mbemba | Newcastle | 24 | 26 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 8 |
| Simon Francis | Bournemouth | 24 | 18 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 71 | 8 |
| Winston Reid | West Ham | 13 | 22 | 23 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 8 |
| Ritchie de Laet | Leicester | 23 | 20 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 70 | 7 |
| Micah Richards | Aston Villa | 13 | 21 | 23 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 68 | 8 |
| Ashley Williams | Swansea | 13 | 20 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 8 |
The full-back has won more tackles than any other defender in the league, with his 30 interceptions also leading among his peers. He has been adept in the air, while a force going forward too, providing two assists already.
There is a good case to make that Amavi’s form could soon see him win a senior cap for France, but of more priority will be him helping his Aston Villa side improve and climb up the Premier League table.
Villa face an important stretch of games after the international break against Chelsea, Swansea and Tottenham, and while all three sides are dangerous, Tim Sherwood’s side have a good chance of pulling off results if they return with a new energy, and players like Amavi – and Micah Richards who also figures highly – continue performing at a high level.
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