Unai Emery confirms transfer fate of Aston Villa player amid interest from Saudi Arabia

Unai Emery has confirmed Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne will stay at the club beyond the transfer deadline after he was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.

The experienced left-back has done enough to convince Villa’s head coach to keep him around and it appears no additions will be made to the position despite previous speculation.

Digne played just 1,500 minutes of Premier League football last campaign but has made his mark early this season with four assists in four competitive matches across all competitions.

“I’m very, very happy with him. I think he’s very important for the squad and I can tell you he’s going to be with us,” Emery told Birmingham World after Villa’s 3-0 win over Hibernian.

Digne’s future was previously in doubt due to Emery’s insistence on having a left-back capable of taking on defenders. Although confident crossing, dribbling isn’t Digne’s forte.

That’s been overlooked now, however, and the former Barcelona man will play a part in the Villans’ squad for the Premier League, Europa Conference League, and domestic cup competitions.