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da lvbet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
When Aston Villa splashed the cash this summer, £144.5m on 12 players, it was easy to forget those who were already under contract at the club.
In January, one of Dean Smith’s first moves was to sign French right-back Frederic Guilbert, but he was loaned back to Caen for the remainder of the season whilst Ahmed Elmohamady continued to occupy that place as Villa gained promotion to the Premier League.
With the Egyptian at the Africa Cup of Nations during the summer, Guilbert was given a chance to impress in pre-season, which he duly did by helping towards two clean sheets in five matches.
But on the opening day, Elmohamady kept hold of his place, perhaps a surprise, as Smith rewarded those that got them to where they are now.
On the Chalkboard
Guilbert has since been given his debut, against Everton, where the west Midlands club picked up their first win and clean sheet of the season thanks to a 2-0 victory.
The 24-year-old picked up a 7.16 rating and even though they lost to Crystal Palace, he continued to impress in defence.
He is averaging four interceptions per game, which is above and beyond anyone else in the Villa squad with Bjorn Engels next best at 1.8 per match.
Only Wilfred Ndidi has been averaging more at 4.3 per game in the entire division, so it only goes to show the impact Guilbert has had on this impressive Villa defence already in just two matches.
This isn’t the first time the Frenchman has racked up impressive stats, however. In Ligue 1, Guilbert managed 2.9 tackles in 2018/19 whilst registering 2.3 interceptions.
The fact he’s been able to adapt so quickly to life in England is impressive.
In two games, Guilbert has clearly has been well worth the seven-month wait. It remains to be seen whether he can maintain this performance level after the international break but initial signs bode well.
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