Lucas Digne leaves Everton for Aston Villa
Eager to revive eleven months before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, French international Lucas Digne (28), Everton defender since 2018, left the Liverpool-based club to join Aston Villa, the team coached by Steven Gerrard , the two Premier League teams announced on Thursday January 13.
Welcome to Aston Villa, @LucasDigne. pic.twitter.com/7ytUV2Wn2M
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 13, 2022
Until last year, Lucas Digne was an indispensable part of Everton, where he wore the captain’s armband on several occasions and played 127 games. He had even extended his contract until June 2025.
But the former left side of Lille, Paris-SG, AS Roma and FC Barcelona was no longer part of the plans of the coach of the « Toffees », Rafael Benitez, who had not played him since the start. December. The latter reproached him in particular for being more interested in « his personal statistics » than by club rankings, only 15th at mid-season.
« Everything must have an end. But I just didn’t expect it to end this way »wrote the French in a message on Instagram even before the formalization of his transfer. « What has happened and some things that have been said about me over the past month have made me very sad. But I will not get into a war of words with anyone. The club does not deserve not that, the fans don’t deserve that and, to be honest, I don’t think I deserve that either. »he added.
Aston Villa, 14th in the English Championship, has « jumped at the opportunity », as acknowledged by Steven Gerrard on the Birmingham club website. It’s a new nice move in this winter transfer window for Aston Villa, which has already attracted Brazilian attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who has broken down at Barça, on loan.
Lucas Digne (43 caps) is one of the players most often called up by Didier Deschamps since 2018: if he had not participated in the World Cup won by the Blues in Russia, he was however selected for the Euro last summer. The left side is one of the executives who should play the 2022 World Cup in Qatar next winter (November 21-December 18).
