'All of a sudden' - Aston Villa have lost 'three of their best players' after another exit completed

Aston Villa have replaced Lucas Digne well by signing Matteo Ruggeri but will struggle to cope with their star player exodus.

That is the opinion of former senior Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.

An agreement has been reached with Atletico Madrid over a deal for Ruggeri, 24, who is expected to cost up to £22.6million.

Villa were left with no choice but to let Digne join PSG, after the European champions triggered an £8.5m release clause in his contract.

It is the second time that the Villans have been stung by their contracts this summer, with Youri Tielemans having joined Manchester United for a measly £35m.

Morgan Rogers has also left the club this summer but was sold for full value, joining Chelsea in a record £117m move.

Matteo Ruggeri is a 'good player'

Villa paid £25m to Everton when they signed Digne in 2022, in a deal that has aged brilliantly.

The left-back ultimately made 182 appearances for the Villans, playing a key role as they won the Europa League last season.

In Ruggeri, Unai Emery hopes to have a ready-made replacement, but there is plenty of uncertainty.

The left-back joined Atletico Madrid from Atalanta last summer and was in and out of the team at times, often returning inconsistent performances.

And there is some comparison that can be drawn to several of the players Villa have brought in this summer, as they look to replace their big losses with young talents.

"All of a sudden, you've got three of the players who took Villa in the top four, got them in the Champions League. They've let three of the best players from last season go," King told Football Insider.

"I think he can be replaced, but again, it's cost Villa money. He's a good player [Ruggeri] and of course, Emery will know him because of the Spanish connection. That's for sure."

Stats paint a good picture of Ruggeri

Last season, Ruggeri recorded 1.27 chances created and 1.47 successful crosses per 90 in La Liga.

The left-back also made 4.97 recoveries, 3.30 clearances and 1.83 tackles per game, winning 3.50 duels.

There are statistical concerns, too, however. Of all the duels he contested, Ruggeri won just 44.2 per cent in La Liga.

He also completes just 0.25 successful dribbles and is dribbled past 1.22 times per game. The Italian clearly needs work, but there is plenty of positives to take from this deal.

Ruggeri will step into big shoes that have been left by Digne, but there is every chance that he fills them.