Lucas Digne's great rebellion in the Premier League

There are times when one door closes, another opens. Something like this happened to Lucas Digne, a talented left-back who had to experience the worst part of being a specialist in that position in a context as demanding and distressing as the Camp Nou can be. He went unnoticed during his time at Barça to take flight again in a different context, the Premier League.

In his two years under Luis Enrique he made a total of 46 appearances, but he never definitively established himself as the perfect substitute for Jordi Alba. Whether due to external pressure, his adaptation to the style of play or other circumstances, he failed to succeed. Where he did, however, was in England. In the summer of 2018, Digne signed for Everton for 20 million euros.

In that first stage in the sky blue side of Liverpool, the French full-back enjoyed great seasons established as a starter in the team then managed by Marco Silva. With Carlo Ancelotti on the bench (2019-2021) he also had a lot of prominence. After 127 games played with the Toffees, Aston Villa opted for him and paid €30 million in January 2022. Curiously, he arrived a few days later than Philippe Coutinho who arrived on loan.

At first, at Aston Villa he found out that the coach who had signed him, Steven Gerrard, was going to be dismissed so that Unai Emery could take over. As soon as he arrived, the Hondarribia coach signed his favorite left back to feel at home, Álex Moreno. This move forced Lucas Digne to compete for the position and settle for several substitutions in important games.

However, today he seems to have regained his 'status' in the team. Álex Moreno's injury has opened the doors of success wide for him, and he has played in ten games as the starting left back for Emery. With him on the field, Aston Villa is the leader of its group in the Conference League and has reached the Champions League positions in the Premier League table.

The definitive jump

At 30 years old, Digne is in his stage of football maturity and in great form. In the last duel of Emery's team away from home against Tottenham, he played the ninety minutes and was key in his team's victory. Expeditious on the court, attentive to disputes and with that ability so characteristic of his game to offer goal-flavored deliveries for his teammates. One of the best left-footed shots in the entire Premier League.