The agent of Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne has insisted that although there was interest in him in the summer, he never considered leaving.
The 30-year-old joined Villa in January 2022, and has since gone on to make 57 appearances for the club, scoring three goals and providing nine assists in addition to his defensive duties.
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Digne has proven to be particularly important and consistent so far this season, with five assists and a goal in 10 outings across all competitions, as he has been restored to the starting XI in Alex Moreno’s absence due to injury.
While the Spaniard is closing in on a return from that setback which he suffered at the back end of last season, it promises to be an intriguing battle to see who emerges as Unai Emery’s first choice in that role, albeit the competition between the pair is crucial too as we look to compete on multiple fronts.
As per RMC Sport’s Fabrice Hawkins in August, it had been reported that Digne was closing in on a move to Nice, but his agent has dismissed the suggestion of an exit over the summer, and reiterated that the French international is relishing working under Emery.
“It is correct that there was interest from different clubs this summer – as there is in every transfer window for a player of Lucas’s calibre,” Digne’s agent, Mikkel Beck, told BirminghamLive. “There were a lot of rumours and speculation in the media.
“Lucas never wanted to leave Villa and the exciting project under Unai Emery. He is in his best age as a footballer and not many players have the same ambitions and hunger to always perform his very best as he has.
“I know he loves being back in Europe, and he has missed these European nights since he chose to leave Barcelona. Lucas has played a lot of games at the highest level for club and country, and it means a lot for him to help Villa back in Europe, where this club have an impressive history.
“Five assists in 10 games this season is definitely something very special – also for Lucas, who has delivered one assist in every six games since he came to England and also in his time with Villa. That number is highly unusual for a defender.
“It tells a lot about his high class and his consistency, and it puts him up there statistically as one of the most goal-providing left-backs in the game. And then please don’t forget his defensive stats, which are also impressive.”
Digne has made, and continues to make, an important impact for Villa, and he will be a key figure for us in the remainder of the campaign regardless of Moreno’s return.
That said, based on his influence in the side after his January arrival, the former Real Betis left-back is arguably a better fit in Emery’s system and style of play given how effective he was, and so it will be interesting if Digne does drop back to bench role, whether or not that impacts his long-term future planning.
The Villa boss has insisted consistently since he arrived that he wants two top options in every position to ensure we can compete at the top level, and currently in Digne and Moreno, he has that at left-back. It’s hoped that remains the case for the foreseeable future, provided both continue to prove to be valuable figures in the squad.