After acquiring the versatile Micah Richards earlier in the transfer window, Aston Villa bolstered their defensive options further with the recruitment of Nice left-back Jordan Amavi on a five-year deal. Upon his arrival at the Villains’ training base, the 21-year-old promised the supporters that he’ll impose his physicality in every encounter:
“I want to play well for this football club. I am determined to do that. I want to make rapid progress. I will be a decisive player. I want to make a big bond with the supporters. On the pitch, I want to connect and be a fan favourite. I will bring my combative nature to the side. I will fight for them every single match. Hopefully they will enjoy that. It’s a fresh challenge and one I can’t wait to embrace. I can’t wait to get started.”
The History
Born in Toulon, France, Amavi worked his way through the youth ranks at Nice from 2010, netting three goals in 30 outings for their reserve outfit. The French defender then made his full debut in the opening fixture of the 2013/14 campaign, before going on to earn a further eight starts that term.
In the wake of Timothee Kolodziejcza’s (Nice’s first-choice left-back at that time) transfer to Sevilla in the summer of 2014, Amavi was afforded much more pitch time during the 2014/15 season. The burgeoning talent missed just two league ties in the last campaign, bagging four goals in the process, though he proved to be something of a card magnet and was booked on 11 occasions.
On the international scene. Amavi has represented France at the U18, U20 and U21 levels but is yet to earn a senior cap.
The Prospects
Given that Amavi is reported to have cost the club £10m, it’s fair to assume that he’ll be immediately handed the left-back berth for the Villains this season. Discussing his new acquisition with the local media, Sherwood is clearly impressed:
”It’s someone we’ve been tracking for a long time. He’s dynamic, gets forward, has a good delivery, and is a decent size for a left-back. He’s quick and aggressive and will be suited to the Premier League. He plays at a high tempo and French football is quite close to the English league so that will help. It will give us competition and will be a decent addition”.
With former skipper Ron Vlaar now having departed after refusing a new contract, only Micah Richards looks nailed on amongst the rest of the Midlands outfit’s rearguard. Having operated as a centre-back in all of Villa’s pre-season matches so far, Richards could be partnered by any one of Ciaran Clark, Nathan Baker, Philippe Senderos or Jores Okore in the heart of defence next term, which somewhat negates his attacking potential.
Elsewhere, Leandro Bacuna has been intriguingly stationed in midfield during the off-season, with Alan Hutton taking up the right-back berth. The Dutchman (5.0) tallied five assists in just 983 minutes in the previous campaign and has been reclassified as a defender this term but if Sherwood keeps him in an advanced role, he could afford us an out-of-position option, with a share of set-pieces heightening his appeal.
The downside is that, like Bacuna, Amavi has been handed a 5.0 price tag in the Fantasy Premier League game, whereas Richards is available for 4.5 by comparison. Nonetheless, Sherwood’s attacking style of play should suit the young Frenchman and afford him license to maraud down the flank on a regular basis.
The France U21 international’s underlying statistics further underline his potential – aside from scoring four times last term, he created 32 chances for his team-mates, which would have placed him eighth in the Premier League for key passes among defenders.
Although Villa ranked third-bottom for goals conceded last season (57), they did managed to rack up ten clean sheets – just one fewer than Manchester United. Interestingly enough, Villa were one of only two sides (Crystal Palace being the other) to register as many victories on the road as they did on home soil. In the West Midlanders’ case, this gave rise to six shut-outs away from Villa Park – only four sides achieved more.
Looking at the fixtures, Villa’s excellent start to the campaign (bou, MUN, cry, SUN, lei, WBA) offers hope of a decent start. With Richards cheaper and Bacuna potentially out of position, though, Amavi will find it difficult to initially stake a claim for our consideration. If he can settle quickly and take advantage of the fixtures, though, the young Frenchman may yet have a part ot play in our Fantasy campaigns.
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