Emery already sold Aston Villa’s answer to Conceicao in “electric” talent

Aston Villa were incredibly unlucky not to have their first win in seven games on Wednesday night against Juventus. A late goal from Morgan Rogers was ruled out after it was deemed Diego Carlos fouled goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, much to the anger of 42,000 fans inside Villa Park.

As it happened, the game finished 0-0. Neither side really had a substantial chance to win the game until Rogers’ disallowed finish. As per Sofascore, Villa had an expected goals total of 1.22xG, and Juve’s was even worse, standing at 0.39xG.

However, there were some standout players on both sides, with Francisco Conceicao one of the people who performed well for the visitors.

Conceicao’s stats vs. Villa

It was an incredibly impressive showing from Portugal international Conceicao. He terrorised the Villans with his raw pace and was a nightmare for Lucas Digne, the fullback directly defending him.

The young winger, who scored at Euro 2024, has had a really standout campaign so far. He initially moved to Turin on loan from FC Porto but will join permanently in the summer for £28.3m.

He has scored twice and has five assists to his name in 12 games in all competitions for the Old Lady so far.

Against Unai Emery’s side on Wednesday, the dynamic winger completed an impressive nine out of 13 dribbles, showing his direct nature and confidence on the ball. He also worked hard out of possession, winning 13 out of 18 ground duels.

His performance clearly left a lasting impression on the Villans supporters, having also come agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock, only to be denied a stunning stop from Emi Martinez.

Frustratingly for Villa, they had a player of that profile but sold him in the most recent summer transfer window.

Aston Villa’s answer to Conceicao

The player in question here is French winger Moussa Diaby. He spent just one season at Villa Park, signing in 2023 from German outfit Bayer Leverkusen for a reported £51.9m. However, he departed almost exactly 12 months later, moving to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Ittihad for a fee in the region of £50m.

Although his time at Villa Park was short, he left a lasting impression on the club. Diaby played 54 games for the club, finding the back of the net ten times and grabbing nine assists, too. That included 14 goals and assists in 38 Premier League games.

Indeed, Diaby is everything the Villa fans now wish they had in the squad after watching a fellow left-footer, Conceicao, at Villa Park. He is as quick as they come, and according to Speeds Database, has clocked in at speeds as high as 36.1km/h, beaten by just eight current players.

Combine this pace with the direct nature of Diaby’s game, and you have a lethal winger. Thus, it might be surprising that the Villans were happy to sell the left-footed star last summer, given they have no other profile like his in the squad.

In recent weeks, Emery’s side have not been at their best, and the Frenchman could have been a real point of difference. The wingers are struggling of late; Leon Bailey has three assists and no goals to his name, and Jaden Philogene is yet to register a goal contribution at all.

The Villans could have certainly done with their “electric” former winger, as football statistician Statman Dave described him.

After watching Conceisao’s direct nature and sheer pace when driving with the ball, it may well have made Emery wish he had kept hold of the winger, who could have been a huge part of their 2024/25 campaign and helped them out an end to of this winless run.