Aston Villa expert concerned about Johan Manzambi deal - 'you wouldn't be happy'

Johan Manzambi is not yet capable of being Aston Villa's replacement for Youri Tielemans or Morgan Rogers.

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

The 20-year-old arrived at Villa Park last week, signing a long-term contract in a deal worth over £50million after snubbing Newcastle United.

Manzambi has now been identified as a direct replacement for Rogers, who is set to complete a record £117m move to Chelsea.

It has been a busy few weeks for the Villans, who have also lost Tielemans after his £35m release clause was triggered by Manchester United.

Joao Gomes has arrived to replace the Belgian, with Villa also said to be targeting a new left-sided attacker to further cover for Rogers' departure.

Aston Villa transfer expert unconvinced by Johan Manzambi

Manzambi was already well known to clubs across Europe, having enjoyed a superb breakthrough for Freiburg.

Unai Emery was even able to watch him first-hand, when Villa beat the German side in the Europa League final in May.

It was the World Cup that saw the midfielder burst onto the radars of several big European clubs, however.

Having started the tournament on the bench, Manzambi would score a brace against Bosnia and Herzegovina before starting the following two games, in which he scored and assisted twice.

Switzerland were without him for the round of 16 and the quarter-final, and may have fancied themselves to beat Argentina had he not picked up an injury.

But not everyone is convinced. "Well, I thought it was bad enough they lost Tielemans. But to lose your other main man, and then bringing this guy from Freiburg, I'm not sure he's a replacement for either of those two, that is for sure," King told Football Insider.

"But again, has this been brought on by this PSR thing or, you know, it's an awful lot of money. They've got over £150m within a fortnight. So, where do you go and replace them?

"They've got to get somebody in of that stature because if you were a supporter there and you just lost your best two midfield players, you wouldn't be very happy, would you? Especially, I can imagine that at least 25-30,000 of them have already bought new season tickets."

What Manzambi said after signing for Villa

Villa are aware that Manzambi is young, and may not be ready to make an immediate impact of the level of Tielemans and Rogers.

They will need him to find his feet relatively quickly, however, with plenty of pressure placed on his young shoulders.

"I am very, very happy and I am excited to play with this club,” Manzambi said after signing.

"It’s a very big club in England, and they’re playing in the Champions League. I’ve already played against Aston Villa, and for me, it was the perfect plan.

"I hope I can play the same as in the World Cup and with Freiburg. I’m sure that with the team, the coach and the staff that I can do the same.”