Aston Villa got one deal right this summer, star’s national team stats speak volumes
Aston Villa’s decision to keep Lucas Digne at the club for this season was clearly the correct one despite their slow start to the new campaign.
Lucas Digne was a mainstay at left-back for Aston Villa in his first few years at the club, but Ian Maatsen’s arrival from Chelsea in 2024 meant he faced tough competition for starts last season.
The 54-time France international joined the club from Everton in January 2022 for £25million, and he has been a key player under Unai Emery over the last few years, but questions around his future were raised over the summer window.
Their failure to reach the Champions League for this term saw The Athletic report in May that Digne’s representatives had received enquiries about his availability from elsewhere ahead of the summer window.
Football Insider revealed in June that Digne had opened talks over a move to join Spanish giants Atletico Madrid as they plotted an opening bid of £8m, while football finance expert Dan Plumley told Football Insider that Villa would be forced to sell at least one or two key players to try and avoid further sanctions from UEFA.
Lucas Digne shines on France duty vs Iceland
Digne did not leave Villa Park despite rumours of an exit, and the decision for him to remain was emphasised as he signed a new contract extension in August to tie him down until 2028.
Emery has continued to trust him as his first-choice left-back in 2025-26, with starts in all but one of their seven Premier League games and a further two Europa League appearances so far.
Digne returned to the France fold in September 2024 after over two years without a cap for his country, and he has remained a regular under Didier Deschamps over the last 13 months up to the present day.
He was handed a start in their World Cup qualifier against Iceland on Monday (13 October), and he put in a superb individual performance despite their lacklustre team showing as they were held to a 2-2 draw.
The 32-year-old registered an assist for Christopher Nkunku‘s second-half leveller, while he also made the most tackles (3) and won the most duels (6) of any player on the pitch and also had a 90% pass accuracy and created three chances from left-back.
His impressive feats are made even better considering his competition for starting places, with PSG‘s Champions League winner Lucas Hernandez and his brother, 40-cap star Theo Hernandez both left on the bench behind Digne.
Villa will know that they made the right decision in keeping Digne for this season and the next three years, with this latest brilliant showing on the biggest stage of all a clear sign that he is still a top quality asset to the club.
Unai Emery has also learnt more about Morgan Rogers during the international break
Digne is not the only Villa player who has shone on international duty over the last week, with Morgan Rogers scoring his first England goal against Wales on Thursday (9 October).
The 23-year-old winger established himself as one of Emery’s key players last term, and interest in his signature was rife this summer but the club managed to keep hold of him for 2025-26.
Rogers started the new campaign in surprisingly poor form, without a goal or an assist in his first seven games, but his maiden strike of the season for the Three Lions saw him play brilliantly as a number 10, which is obviously where Emery must utilise him going forward.
He linked up well with club teammate Ollie Watkins as they looked as natural as ever at attacking midfield and centre-forward respectively, and eventually ended his evening with two chances created, three shots, one woodwork hit, six touches in Wales’ box, 100% dribble rate and one foul won [Fotmob].
Thomas Tuchel commented after the game that Rogers “is a number 10,” and his performance surely sent a message to Villa boss Emery that he is best-suited to playing through the middle rather than out wide.