The Basics
Age: 24
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Nation: France
Position: Winger
Footed: Left
Under contract until: 2025
Diaby began his career at Paris Saint-Germain, joining the youth academy as a 13-year-old.
The winger was loaned to Italian side Crotone in January 2018, where he made his professional debut, before returning to Paris and making his first appearances for PSG in the 2018/19 season, featuring 25 times, mostly from the bench, and scoring twice.
Bayer Leverkusen signed Diaby ahead of the 2019/20 campaign for a reported £12.8million and he impressed immediately, scoring five goals, and providing five assists in 28 league appearances (18 starts).
Over the next three Bundesliga seasons, Diaby scored 26 goals and created 30 assists in 97 games. He has experience in both the Champions League and Europa League with Leverkusen.
Diaby made his debut for France in 2021 and has 10 total appearances for his country. He is of Malian descent.
The Links
Adrian Kajumba of the Daily Mail recently claimed Villa are “the latest club to express interest” in Diaby, while L’Equipe have reported the club have “submitted an opening proposal” to Leverkusen for the Frenchman.
Concrete links continued to trickle in as Fabrizio Romano reported the deal is “on” and that Diaby has already “said yes” to Villa.
John Percy of the Telegraph added that there is “a degree of confidence” a deal will be struck to bring the Frenchman to Villa Park.
The Scouting Report
Strengths
Of all the attackers Villa have been linked with this summer, Diaby might have the most tools to make an impact in the final third.
The trait which jumps out immediately is speed. He has easy pace to get past the defence and run away from defenders once he gets to the ball. Diaby is a constant threat to make runs behind the back line and is difficult to stop.
Diaby’s acceleration means he can come towards the ball and quickly create space from the nearest defender.
He’s an accomplished dribbler and can beat opponents in different ways. Diaby’s pace makes defenders back off and he has excellent agility and body control to put them off balance with subtle movements.
The winger looks in control as he weaves past opponents and through the lines, and is creative, using flicks and nutmegs to get away from defenders.
Diaby ranks in the 96th percentile for progressive carries compared to attacking midfielders/wingers in the Bundesliga since 2019, and the 78th percentile for successful take-ons.
Almost as impressive is his passing and ability to unlock a defence. Diaby has the vision to spot teammates’ runs and the quality to execute slide rule passes around the box. His general passing in the middle of the pitch is comfortable and accurate as well.
Often playing on the right, Diaby likes to cut onto his stronger left foot and curl crosses into the penalty area from deeper positions but can also get to the by-line and cut the ball back accurately to create chances.
The Frenchman ranks in the 62nd percentile for pass accuracy, the 82nd for expected assists (xA) and the 60thfor shot-creating actions.
He shows the first touch to control difficult passes and take them out of the air or settle the ball down when it is bobbling or bouncing.
Diaby’s positioning in the final third is excellent and this provides him with goalscoring opportunities, ranking in the 74th percentile for touches in the opposition penalty area.
He’s a cool finisher with both feet once in front goal. The winger ranks in the 62nd percentile for non-penalty goals and the 58th for non-penalty expected goals (xG), meaning he finishes more chances than he would be expected to.
Although he primarily plays off the right-hand side for Leverkusen, he can also be used from the left or in a ‘number 10’ role.
At times, Diaby shows eagerness to sprint back and provide defensive cover or pick up the runs of over or underlapping fullbacks.
Weaknesses
The biggest deficiency in Diaby’s game is his lack defensive contribution. He is generally very passive and disinterested.
There is no purpose to his pressing and when he does get close enough, Diaby either fails with his tackle attempts or doesn’t try at all. He ranks in the 5th percentile for tackles, the 18th for interceptions, and the 4th for blocks.
Standing at around 5’6” – 5’7”, Diaby’s stature is a slight concern, especially if he were to make the move to the Premier League. He can be muscled off the ball in tight areas and struggles to protect it at times.
Diaby ranks in just the 14th percentile for aerial duel win rate.
Despite his all-around technical quality, there is still a tinge of inconsistency to Diaby’s game. Simple passes can come up short, he will lash at a shot and miss the target at times or float a cross to no-one.
Fit With Villa
Diaby would walk into Villa’s first team and be another statement of the pulling power the club is starting to have.
He could play as an orthodox winger on either side of a 4-3-3, ideally on the right, as a second striker in a 4-4-2 or even out wide in that formation depending on the opponent.
His arrival could be good news for Matty Cash. At Leverkusen, Diaby dovetailed effectively with right-back Jeremie Frimpong, who would bomb forward when Diaby drifted inside.
Similar Players
- Mohamed Salah – Liverpool
- Donyell Malen – Dortmund
- Raheem Sterling – Chelsea
- Karim Adeyemi – Dortmund
- Ferrán Torres – Barcelona
- Vinicius Júnior – Real Madrid
- Gabriel Martinelli – Arsenal
- Leroy Sané – Bayern Munich
- Rafael Leão – AC Milan
- Son Heung-min – Tottenham Hotspur
Transfer Targets Series
The Villa Ramble 
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