Stats: ex-Liverpool loanee thriving at Aston Villa

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Aly Cissokho failed to impress during his time on loan at Liverpool, but the Aston Villa left-back is enjoying a successful start to life in the midlands.

After a largely lacklustre loan spell with Liverpool last season, Aly Cissokho’s arrival at Aston Villa this summer was greeted with little fanfare.

Joining from Valencia for a fee believed to be around £2.5 million, the left-back struggled with injuries during his stint at Anfield, looking out of his depth in his 15 league appearances, before returning to Spain having made little impression.

However, the 27-year-old’s second go at English football has been a different story, with his performances crucial to Villa’s impressive start to the season, helping the new-look back-line concede just one goal over their opening four Premier League games.

With Paul Lambert’s side sitting second in the table with 10 points, experienced additions such as Philippe Senderos, Kieran Richardson and Cissokho himself have been vital towards the club’s turnaround in fortunes, and the stats show that the Frenchman has matched up well with his top counterparts thus far.

It’s obvious that the attacking end is where Cissokho falls behind his rivals looking at the numbers, but his defensive prowess is what’s been most important to Villa thus far, posing as an obvious upgrade to Joe Bennett and Antonio Luna, who were both sent out on loan this summer following disappointing 2013-14 campaigns.

Having started regularly for then-Champions League sides Porto, Lyon and Valencia in the past, the one-time capped international no doubt boasts the credentials to suggest that he can continue to prove a solid contributor for Villa going forward, with a home fixture against Arsenal on the weekend posing the next big test.