Unai Emery and his Aston Villa side have got off to a strong start, winning two and losing one of their opening three Premier League fixtures. Their one loss came at the hands of Arsenal in a tightly contested game.
It was a summer of change with a few big names leaving including Douglas Luis and Moussa Diaby. The Frenchman joined Saudi Arabian side, Al-Ittihad, for a fee of around €60m (£50m) as a package deal, recouping almost all of what they paid for him last summer.
Diaby made 54 appearances for Villa last season in all competitions, scoring ten goals, providing nine assists, and totalling 3,144 minutes played.
However, in the ever-impressive Morgan Rogers, they’ve found a player capable of replacing the former Bayer Leverkusen winger.
Morgan Rogers’ season in numbers
Rogers has started the new campaign in brilliant form, starting all three Premier League games for Villa so far and scoring two goals for the England U21 side in 60 minutes played.
In his hour on the field for England U21 against Austria, Rogers scored two goals, had three shots on target, completed two of his four dribble attempts, completed one key pass, and won three of his eight ground duels.
This great start to the new campaign comes off the back of a settling period last season. Joining the Villans in January from Championship side Middlesbrough, Rogers then went on to make 16 appearances, scoring three goals and providing one assist.
But it was after his brilliant performance against Arsenal this season that Rogers began to get high praise, with pundit Robbie Mustoe labelling Rogers as “underappreciated” and “one to watch”.
Morgan Rogers’ transfer value in 2024
When Rogers joined Villa from Middlesbrough, the fee was an initial £8m, which could rise to £16m if all add-ons are met. But Fotmob already values the playmaker at around £15m, which is more than the £8m fee he joined the club for.
This fee is only expected to rise over the course of the season, as Rogers fully steps into the boots left by Diaby, showing his full potential at such a young age.
Rogers (24/25) vs Diaby (23/24) comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats (per 90 mins) | Rogers | Diaby |
G+A | 0.00 | 0.56 |
xG | 0.10 | 0.25 |
xAG | 0.30 | 0.22 |
Shots Total | 1.67 | 2.04 |
Key Passes | 1.67 | 1.76 |
Shot-Creating Actions | 3.67 | 3.39 |
Progressive Carries | 3.67 | 3.93 |
Successful Take-Ons | 2.33 | 1.18 |
Carries into Final Third | 2.33 | 1.85 |
Stats taken from FBref | ||
It’s important to note, Rogers’ metrics for the 2024/25 campaign are only based on three games (270 minutes), compared to a full season of 53 games (3,039 minutes) by Diaby.
However, these metrics do show how Rogers is already stepping into a more prominent role, averaging a higher xAG (expected assisted goals) per 90, with 0.30 compared to Diaby’s 0.22 per 90, as well as a higher amount of shot-creating actions.
This highlights the creative importance of Rogers already for this Villa side, contributing similar or higher metrics than the Frenchman in these creation-based numbers. He also excels in carrying metrics, bettering the summer departee in both successful take-ons and carries into the final third per 90.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
Rogers will still need to add more output with goals and assists, something Diaby did fairly well with 0.56 per 90, but if he continues his brilliant form, and keeps finding himself in dangerous positions, that G/A is bound to come sooner rather than later. Either way, this is a move the club have certainly hit the jackpot with.
