Another new addition is in the door at Villa Park, as Aston Villa confirmed the signing of right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka from West Ham United on loan with a conditional obligation to buy.
Wan-Bissaka, who turns 29 this year and represented DR Congo at the World Cup, will provide the kind of depth Villa have not had at the right-back position in Unai Emery’s tenure as manager.
In terms of how he differs from current starter Matty Cash, the pair’s percentile ranks among full-backs in top Europe’s five leagues last season paint a decent picture.
Wan-Bissaka’s stats from 2024/25 are also included, when West Ham were not destined for relegation and he had a much stronger season.
The most obvious difference between Cash and Wan-Bissaka is that the latter is noticeably stronger as a pure defender.
Wan-Bissaka’s flank tackle success rate of 70% is well clear of Cash at 50%, and his 0.65 flank interceptions per 90 minutes beat Cash (0.23) by a distance. He is also a more active defender in the channel as well as in the penalty area.
Cash’s defending can be erratic at times, so bringing in a high-level one-on-one defender like Wan-Bissaka will give Emery a right-back who is better suited for tough matchups on the wing.
The assumption is that Cash provides more going forward, and while that is true to a point, Wan-Bissaka is not a zero in that department.
Cash had a better pass accuracy last season (81.6% to 75.6%) while also playing more progressive passes (7.76 per 90 minutes to 5.02).
However, Wan-Bissaka’s passing stats were more encouraging in the 2024/25 season than they were last year, and he also is a stronger crosser than Cash according to the numbers.
His 39% cross accuracy ranked in the 98th percentile among full-backs last season and was far better than Cash’s 17.3% accuracy.
Wan-Bissaka is also a stronger ball carrier than Cash. The difference was not huge last season, but AWB’s numbers from 2024/25 were elite. The idea that he does not offer anything going forward is not substantiated by the stats.
He is not going to be firing shots and scoring goals from range like Cash can, but he should still be able to provide some value in the final third, specifically through his crossing. Wan-Bissaka has seven assists over the last two seasons, compared to four for Cash.
Both right-backs should get plenty of playing time this year with Villa competing in four competitions. Cash is likely to still start more games, with Wan-Bissaka providing a change of pace for certain matchups where his skill set is more applicable.
Regardless of how the competition plays out, Emery will be pleased to finally have options at right-back, and more than that, insurance if Cash is not as healthy as he was last year.
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