“Assessing Aston Villa’s New Signings for Fantasy Premier League”
Aston Villa has been active in the transfer market recently, bringing in Ian Maatsen (£5.0m), Samuel Iling-Junior (£5.5m), Enzo Barrenechea (£5.0m), and Ross Barkley (£5.5m) to reshape their squad.
This Scout Report evaluates the future potential of these players in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
Ian Maatsen joined Aston Villa from Chelsea at the end of June for £37.5m. The Dutch international struggled to find his place under Mauricio Pochettino at the start of the 2023/24 season, leading to a six-month loan to Borussia Dortmund in January, where he excelled.
During his stint in Germany, Maatsen played 16 Bundesliga matches, scoring twice and providing two assists. He also made seven appearances in the UEFA Champions League, earning a spot in the tournament’s Team of the Season.
Despite Aston Villa’s top-four finish in 2023/24 and Champions League qualification, neither left-back, Lucas Digne (£4.5m) nor Alex Moreno (£4.5m), thrived in Unai Emery’s system. Maatsen, with his pace and dribbling skills, fits well into this role and could excel.
Maatsen needs to adapt to Emery’s high-line/offside trap and improve his chance creation stats from last year (0.5 key passes per game in the Bundesliga). However, priced at £5.0m in FPL, his potential is promising.
Aston Villa’s initial two matches in 2024/25 are challenging, but a fixture swing in Gameweek 3 will place them at the top of the Season Ticker. This favourable schedule could make Maatsen a strong option for early FPL squads.