Manzambi Proving Best-Value Signing of Summer at Aston Villa

Johan Manzambi has emerged as one of the best-value signings of the summer at Aston Villa, with the 21-year-old averaging 1.27 goal involvements per 90 minutes in all competitions. He faces Newcastle United on Saturday, live on Sky Sports, aiming to show his old suitors what they missed.

Fixture: Newcastle United vs Aston Villa, Saturday evening, live on Sky Sports
Manzambi's fee: £47m from Eintracht Frankfurt, with a market-adjusted value of £74.8m
Key stat: 1.27 goal involvements per 90 minutes in all competitions
Villa's rivals: Newcastle, who were pipped to his signing
What's at stake: Villa's recent improvement coincides with Manzambi's introduction to the starting line-up

The numbers

Market-adjusted value: £74.8m at the time of his £47m move from Eintracht Frankfurt to Villa Park
Goal involvements per 90 minutes: 1.27 in all competitions
Minutes played: 284 in all competitions
World Cup: Three goals and two assists in 200 minutes; two goals in 19 minutes as a substitute in Switzerland's win over Bosnia and Herzegovina
Against Brentford: Seven shots (second most by any player in a Premier League game this season) and three chances created (second-highest combined total behind Bruno Fernandes' 11)
Line-breaking passes: Top among Villa players for line-breaking passes leading to shots this term
Vitaly Janelt: Most tackles and interceptions in the Premier League this season (38, seven clear of any other player); third for distance covered behind Pascal Gross and Anton Stach; 50-50 execution grade of 84.2 out of 100 (highest of all players)

Why Manzambi is the perfect fit for Emery's Villa

Johan Manzambi arrived at Villa Park with a knee injury and had to wait until mid-September for his debut, but he has wasted no time in making a positive impression. The 21-year-old produced a goal and an assist on his full debut against Spurs and found the net for a second time in Villa's Champions League thrashing of Fenerbahce on Wednesday, having set up their second goal four days earlier against Brentford. His versatility was another part of his appeal to Unai Emery. Manzambi started off the left against Brentford but has otherwise been used as a No 10 and can also play deeper. Against Fenerbahce, he floated between the lines, in the areas vacated by Morgan Rogers following his departure to Chelsea, and combined effectively with fellow summer signings Ibrahim Mbaye and Nicolas Jackson, his team-mates in a new-look front three.

Manzambi's goal against Fenerbahce, scored with the help of a deflection, came after he had calmly walked into a pocket of space in the box as the corner came in, away from the throng of bodies in the six-yard box. His goal against Spurs, converted from close-range, came in similar circumstances after he pulled off the shoulder of Rodrigo Bentancur, giving himself room to dispatch Boubacar Kamara's cross-shot. That knack for finding space in the box is another attribute which should help Villa as they aim to put a difficult start to the season behind them. It is no coincidence that their recent improvement coincides with Manzambi's introduction to the starting line-up.

Just before the half-hour mark on Wednesday night, in what was his first appearance at Champions League level, he could be seen picking the ball up on the left wing, muscling his marker to the turf, then dribbling infield, away from another defender, before threading a perfect through-ball into the path of a sprinting Mbaye. It was all there in the passage of play: speed and strength but also guile and incision. Passes like the one for Mbaye have become a feature of Villa's play.

What was said

"The levels that he's produced at this level, in the toughest league in the world, have been pretty remarkable."
— Brentford boss Keith Andrews on Vitaly Janelt

Andrews' praise for Janelt underlines the impact the German international has made at Brentford. Janelt made his debut as a late substitute against Serbia and will now look to pick up where he left off back at Brentford. He has contributed two goals during their unbeaten start to the campaign, beating his total for each of the last three seasons in the process.

It is out of possession, though, that he is most valuable to the side. Janelt has made the most tackles and interceptions in the Premier League this season, his total of 38 putting him seven clear of any other player. He ranks third for distance covered behind only Brighton's Pascal Gross and Leeds's Anton Stach. Together with the addition of Mamadou Sangare in the summer, Janelt's form helps to explain how Brentford have become so difficult to beat, conceding only six goals in their first six Premier League games of the season, with Liverpool next.

Must-win for Arbeloa?

Alvaro Arbeloa's comments after Fulham's defeat to Ipswich last weekend, a version of "do you know who I am?", did not go down well with fans. Their head coach's illustrious past matters little to them with the side bottom of the table. The late collapse at Portman Road continued their winless start and put them on eight points lost from winning positions. Saturday's visit of newly-promoted Hull already has the feel of a must-win game for Arbeloa, who has work to do to change the mood.

While results have been poor, he might take some encouragement from the underlying performance data. Fulham have actually outperformed their opponent in three of their last four games for expected goals. Their xG difference is roughly similar to Everton, Chelsea and Leeds, who sit fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. In other words, their performances may not have been as bad as their results suggest. It is something to cling to for Arbeloa. But it doesn't lessen the importance of taking three points on Saturday.

Player Radar: Who else to keep an eye on

Ipswich face a daunting trip to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday but they have a young player to watch in 20-year-old Abdoul Ouattara, who scored his first goal for the club against Fulham from right-back following his summer arrival from Strasbourg.

Talking points

Is Manzambi already Villa's most important attacker, or is his 284-minute sample size too small to judge? He has the numbers, but can he sustain them over a full season?
Brentford's defensive record is impressive, but can Vitaly Janelt's tackling and interception numbers hold up against Liverpool's star-studded midfield on Saturday?
Fulham's underlying stats suggest they are better than their results, but with Arbeloa's comments angering fans, is a must-win game against Hull the right time to trust the process?
Should Ipswich's Abdoul Ouattara be given more starts after his first goal for the club, or is a trip to the Etihad too soon for the 20-year-old?

What happens next

Newcastle United host Aston Villa on Saturday evening, live on Sky Sports, with Manzambi aiming to show his old suitors what they missed. Brentford face Liverpool, hoping Janelt can continue his excellent defensive work. Fulham welcome Hull on Saturday, knowing a win is crucial for Arbeloa. Ipswich travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City, with Abdoul Ouattara looking to build on his first goal.