Johan Manzambi has emerged as one of the standout performers of the summer transfer window for Aston Villa, according to Sky Sports' Between the Lines study of transfer valuations relative to fees paid. Only Marcos Senesi and Harry Wilson, both signed for free, ranked ahead of him.
Manzambi arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt for £47m, despite a market-adjusted value of £74.8m, though he came with a knee injury and had to wait until mid-September for his debut. He has since made a strong impression, producing a goal and an assist on his full debut against Spurs and scoring again in Villa's Champions League win over Fenerbahce. He also set up their second goal against Brentford four days earlier.
He is averaging 1.27 goal involvements per 90 minutes across all competitions, placing him among the most productive players in the Premier League this early in the campaign. The sample size is small, with just 284 minutes played, but he has a track record of influencing games, including three goals and two assists at the World Cup for Switzerland.
Watching him, Manzambi's appeal is clear. Against Brentford he took seven shots, the second most by any player in a Premier League match this season, and created three chances. His versatility, playing on the left or as a No 10, has also drawn praise from Unai Emery, and he has combined well with fellow summer signings Ibrahim Mbaye and Nicolas Jackson in a new-look front three.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing