New Villa manager Alex McLeish recently went on record to say that the club would only be making one more “top” signing as things stand at the club. The revelation has sparked a worried frenzy amongst some of the fans expecting wholesale changes at the club, and with the Charles N’Zogbia saga dragging on, is there cause for concern at Villa Park?

If Villa get their man in the Wigan winger, then N’Zogbia is likely to line up on the opposite flank to Marc Albrighton after the 21-year-old stole the headlines in the first half of the previous campaign. Albrighton was arguably a brighter spark when starting than Player of the Year Downing, and the stats prove that that conclusion is not made out of resentment for the latter’s departure.

By no means am I trying to say that Downing did not deserve the top gong at Villa Park over the course of last season due to his consistent displays in an otherwise inconsistent line-up, but the £20m recouped is strengthened by Albrighton’s already abundant qualities in my opinion.

Both players ranked in the top five for Premier League wingers in terms of crosses attempted per game, alongside the likes of Gareth Bale and Nani, as well as Wolves’ Matt Jarvis, indicative of Albrighton’s hugely successful emergence into the first-team frame.

Stewart Downing

In 38 appearances last season, Downing’s importance to Gerard Houllier’s side last season was obvious. The 26-year-old weighed in with a league-high 239 crosses attempted, while his 21% success rate with said deliveries matches up to Bale’s decent figures.

Downing’s excellent all-round attacking stats saw him rank second in the leader board for dribble success (43%), key passes per game (2.31), assists (7), shots per game (1.6), and goals (7).

Downing was less effective than Albrighton in terms of his dribbles-attempted figure over last season with just 58, proving that he is not known for his trickery. The only other minor blemish to his attacking scorecard came from having converted just one goal for every 8.29 shots.

Marc Albrighton

The 21-year-old’s appearance in the league’s top five will surprise many outside the club, but is indicative of the breakthrough season the youngster had at Villa Park last term. The bright spark for much of the first half of Villa’s campaign, Albrighton racked up 20 starts early on in the season and did not disappoint.

His willingness to run at defences and no-nonsense approach to getting deliveries into the box saw him attempt an average of 6.45 crosses per game, hitting his target with a creditable 20%. He also attempted plenty of dribbles and despite playing considerably less matches, tried 29 more than his teammate and winger on the opposite flank, Downing, with 87.

His four league assists from a limited number of appearances should not be sniffed at, but his chance-conversion rate was his standout figure. Having scored 5 times from an average of just 1.1 shots per match, Albrighton hit the net with every 4.4 shots, way below half the rate of Nani, and almost half the rate of Downing, leading the way in this regard.

Confidence is a key facet to the young winger’s game but he may need to pick the opportune moment to run at defenders more carefully. His 30% dribble-success rate was the lowest of the top five, though improvements in his game are more than expected at the Under-21 international’s tender age. Albrighton also ranked bottom of the leader board when it came to key passes per game with 1.5, though his ability to create clear goalscoring opportunities is not in question, having set up four efforts from those figures.

The rate in which he assisted goals and scored goals was markedly higher than Downing last term due to his inferior number of starts and importantly, Villa have him tied down for a few years to come having noticed his potential early on last term.

If Villa can secure N’Zogbia to play on the other flank, the Frenchman’s abilities when it comes to dribbling would be an invaluable asset. Albrighton’s willingness to deliver would counterbalance the Wigan man’s tendency to cut inside very well, but if he is not brought in, the club have already identified a number of targets with the likes of McGeady and Juan Manuel Vargas both being touted as alternatives.

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