Lucas Digne

[OCD]

In these last 2 games, McGinn has drifted inside as part of the box. Digne operating down the entire left flank with nothing in front of him, and Pau covering behind.

[ChicagoLion]

I think we should keep him.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

I think we should keep him.

This.

[Paul.S]

I think we should keep him.

Agreed. I think he’s been excellent so far.

[Ger Regan]

Yeah, at least until January I think, assuming we go back in for acuna

[SaddVillan]

Although Digne has done a good job recently, we can't escape the fact that his skills and abilities don't match what Unai wants in his left backs.

It's pretty obvious that once Moreno is fit he'll be Emery’s first choice, relegating Digne to the bench.

And so we have a dilemma.

Digne is on £8.5m a year, has 3 years left on his contract,. That’s a total of £25.5m for effectively a back up player who will be touching 33 when his contract ends.

To put it simply Steeevie G and Pursestrings overpaid when he joined from Everton and Digne’s agent pulled our pants down at the time - that's our fault not his and he shouldn't be criticised for that.

Without doubt he'd have been moved on this summer given Unai's desire to bring in another player more suited to his tactics, set up and playing style.

However the injury to Moreno and the difficulty in finding a club prepared to offer him a comparable package have thrown us a curve ball.

Digne won't be happy sitting on the bench, but £8.5m pa will soften the blow. How much does he want regular first team football and what sacrifices is he prepared to make in order to get a move?

We might find out in the next week before the window closes.

[Risso]

Although Digne has done a good job recently, we can't escape the fact that his skills and abilities don't match what Unai wants in his left backs.

It's pretty obvious that once Moreno is fit he'll be Emery’s first choice, relegating Digne to the bench.

And so we have a dilemma.

Digne is on £8.5m a year, has 3 years left on his contract,. That’s a total of £25.5m for effectively a back up player who will be touching 33 when his contract ends.

To put it simply Steeevie G and Pursestrings overpaid when he joined from Everton and Digne’s agent pulled our pants down at the time - that's our fault not his and he shouldn't be criticised for that.

Without doubt he'd have been moved on this summer given Unai's desire to bring in another player more suited to his tactics, set up and playing style.

However the injury to Moreno and the difficulty in finding a club prepared to offer him a comparable package have thrown us a curve ball.

Digne won't be happy sitting on the bench, but £8.5m pa will soften the blow. How much does he want regular first team football and what sacrifices is he prepared to make in order to get a move?

We might find out in the next week before the window closes.

We might have 50+ games to play this season, and Moreno won’t be able to play them all. Digne doesn’t have the tricky winger skill set like Moreno, but he is capable of getting forward and putting quality balls in as he’s shown in all three games this season. Is somebody like Acuna (recent World Cup winner, looking for a final pay day) really going to come to Villa and be on that much less that it’s worth taking the risk on an older player who has never played in the Premier League before?

[AV84]

The fact Moreno isn't even back yet is the main worry. Hopefully he's on track and comes back as good as he was before the injury with zero time needed to get up to speed again, but at the moment we're kind of relying on an unknown with him.

[Brazilian Villain]

I agree with Risso on this, especially after Digne's promising start to the season. FWIW, when he moved here the salary I heard mentioned was £125k pw (which still made him our highest earner at the time).

[tomd2103]

Thought that Moreno and Digne combination (Moreno started and Digne tended to come on towards the end) worked well last season, but think the issue is Digne's wages.  Just think it doesn't make sense to have a back-up player as one of the highest earners at the club. 

[Richard]

Personally Id be happy with either of them starting, depending on the opposition, whether home or away etc. And switching them mid game if necessary. I also think the Luiz, Kamara, Tielemans can be rotated similarly. Its what the big clubs do.

[AV84]

Thought that Moreno and Digne combination (Moreno started and Digne tended to come on towards the end) worked well last season, but think the issue is Digne's wages.  Just think it doesn't make sense to have a back-up player as one of the highest earners at the club.

Yeah, if it's on our end that the move is being pushed then you'd have to assume its about balancing the books. I can't see any other reason we'd be a) letting a good player go, and b) leaving ourselves very short in that position.

[KevinGage]

Thought that Moreno and Digne combination (Moreno started and Digne tended to come on towards the end) worked well last season, but think the issue is Digne's wages.  Just think it doesn't make sense to have a back-up player as one of the highest earners at the club. 

You don't want too many players on £120-50k wages as back up, true. But for the profile of the player (French international when he signed, ex Barcelona, PSG and Roma) it goes with the territory. He's still only 30 now, and it's not as if he's struggling to get onto the pitch like Phil.

[OCD]

Given the amount of disruption we've had and the form he's shown, we can probably look past him being one of our biggest earners. For this season anyway.

It's not just that we could have 50+ games, but also that we can make 5 subs and he's a different type of player to Moreno. He gives Emery options to make tactical changes mid-game.

[Baldy]

If we are really going to compete seriously with the big boys, 125 grand a week is peanuts.