A sure value. At 32 years old, Lucas Digne is a very reliable player in the eyes of Aston Villa. Last summer, the English team did not hesitate for very long to extend his contract. Further proof of the trust placed in the Frenchman. “Aston Villa are delighted to announce that Lucas Digne has signed a new contract with the club. The defender has signed a deal that will keep him at Villa until 2028.we could read in the official press release published on August 7. Since then, the left-back has confirmed on and off the pitch that the Villans were right to continue moving forward hand in hand with him. This season, the former PSG and FC Barcelona player participated in 39 matches in all competitions, including 27 as a starter (2,416 minutes played, 0 injuries).
At the start of the season, Unai Emery was spinning a bit. Which is typical for the Spanish coach. But in the money-time of the season, it is Lucas Digne who is in his favor, and rightly so. He notably started 4 of his team’s last 5 matches in the Premier League. Ditto in the Europa League, where he started 6 of his team’s last 7 matches. His professionalism, his experience at a very high level and his qualities are valuable assets for the Villans, as is his ability to be decisive. He actually took advantage of his playing time to deliver 6 assists, including 2 in his team’s last 3 matches (1 in the Premier League against Sunderland and 1 in C3 against Bologna).
A serial smuggler
We can say that it is one of the specialties of the Frenchman, who is co-best decisive passer for Aston Villa this season. He is also tied for number one in assists among Premier League defenders this season. Finally, he has just joined the top 10 best passers in the history of the English championship among defenders with 35 assists. An aspect of his game that makes him proud, as he admitted to us. “It’s an incredible feeling to make an assist – perhaps even more so for a defender, because our main role is to defend. Each assist is a little extra for the team. I enjoy it a lot, but I also appreciate good defensive actions, because in my position, you have to perform well both in attack and in defense.
Endowed with great playing intelligence, Lucas Digne has many other talents which make him a solid full-back and an essential piece in the well-oiled Aston Villa collective. And good news for the Villans, the Frenchman feels very good as he approaches the final sprint of the season. “I feel in great shape and I love this time of the season when everything is at stake. Every game is important, and that’s what I love – and that’s what we all look for as footballers: a big deal. I hear about the players’ fatigue at the end of the season, but I give it my all. I feel like I’ve progressed throughout my career and, with experience, I’m at the top of my game today.”
A sure value for Villa
If certain footballers are accused by the media of preserving themselves for the 2026 World Cup, we cannot say that about Lucas Digne. Obviously, the Frenchman has the World Cup in the back of his mind. But above all he wants to finish the season well with his club, he who is considered a reference to his position on the other side of the Channel as Salim Baungally, journalist and specialist in the Premier League, explains to us. “We don’t realize how reliable he is at Villa. I find it good, sometimes even very good. But I never find it bad. In terms of assists, he’s there. When it comes to crosses and free kicks that lead to potential actions, he’s there. He has a great left foot. He is, for me, the most reliable left-back in the Premier League. He gets hurt very little. Today, in England, there is no one more reliable than him. »
Thursday evening, Emery and the Villans will also count on him to face Nottingham Forest in the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg. They also need him to qualify for the next Champions League campaign. Lucas Digne is ready to take on all these challenges as he admitted to us: “We are in the last month of the season and everything remains to be played for. Our main goal is qualification for the Champions League, an extremely difficult goal to achieve in the Premier League. It is by far the most competitive championship in the world, with an impressive number of excellent teams. Every season, very big clubs finish outside the qualifying places for the Champions League, but if they had qualified, they would certainly go far in the competition.
On all fronts in 2026
He continues: “I love playing in the Champions League and I’m happy to have had this experience with clubs as different as LOSC, PSG, AS Roma, Barça and now Aston Villa. Our goal is to please the supporters, and they enjoy playing in the Champions League as much as we, the players, do. Last season, we came very close to eliminating PSG, which proves our potential. In recent seasons in Europe, we have acquired one essential thing in football: experience. Digne already has a good dose of it thanks to her very rewarding career which has taken her to the best clubs in the world and to the French team.
Always thirsty for success and titles, the left back dreams of lifting the Europa League. “We are in the semi-finals of the Europa League and we have only one ambition: to win the competition. Unai Emery is a coach with extensive experience in international football and he knows how to win. It would be great to bring a trophy to Villa supporters and write a new chapter in the rich history of this club.” Then, the native of Meaux will have a trophy to collect in the national team if Didier Deschamps calls on him this summer. With 56 capes under his belt and solid experience, the sure bet Lucas Digne will surely have his say. And not just one…
