Aston Villa have announced one of their more high profile transfers of a busy window as Ibrahim Mbaye arrives from PSG in a deal worth around £47m from PSG.
Mbaye is one of two deadline day signings for Villa, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis also expected to arrive from Southampton. The pair are believed to be Villa’s final additions in the transfer window.
Villa had been looking for a pacy right-winger all summer and at just 18 years old, Mbaye was one of the most exciting wingers on their shortlist.
His percentile ranks among Ligue 1 wingers from last season offer some insight as to what type of player Villa are getting.
Mbaye is a bit unique in the modern game in that as a right-footed player, he has mostly been used on the right side, rather than cutting in from the left, although he is comfortable playing on either flank.
He is a versatile winger with various tools in his box. What jumps out first is his speed and acceleration. Mbaye can win a foot race with any full-back and can burst past them from a standing start.
For a team that seemed slow and stale at times last season, Mbaye, who was described in the club’s announcement as “fast and fearless”, will be a breath of fresh air for Villa’s front line.
His dribble success rate may be on the low end, but the more important statistic is the pure volume of successful dribbles he averaged per 90 minutes at 1.90.
He is equally comfortable taking on defenders with space to work or in a phone booth, with the ability to shift the ball in the blink of an eye, stop and start to get opponents off balance and eventually leave them behind.
While he is only 5’9”, Mbaye has enough upper body strength to hold off defenders once he does get half a step ahead, allowing him to surge away.
Mbaye will lose the ball, as shown by his lower ranking for times dispossessed, but the job of a winger is to attempt difficult actions which naturally come off at a low rate. He is trying to create one or two moments per game that change the result.
More than just dribbling, Mbaye is a very competent and creative passer. He ranked in the 72nd percentile for expected assists last season.
He is not just a moments player either, having averaged 72.4 touches and 44.5 passes per 90 minutes, showing he is comfortable dictating the game rather than just waiting to be fed the ball in the final third.
Mbaye is also a goal threat and has some impressive ones on his highlight reel, finding the top corner from range. His goal for Senegal versus France at the World Cup showed his ability to literally sit down a quality defender in Theo Hernandez before powering a shot past Mike Maignan.
Three goals and two assists in the 2025/26 league season may not seem like much, but given he only played the equivalent of 11 matches in terms of his minutes, it is much more impressive. He started just 10 games in Ligue 1 and averaged only around 42 minutes across 24 appearances.
With that in mind, it is important to remember Mbaye is indeed only 18 and similarly to Johan Manzambi who also arrived as an expensive signing at just 20 years old, some patience will be required as they continue to develop.
The relationship between Mbaye and Villa’s new striker Nicolas Jackson could be a fruitful one as the duo have played together with the Senegal national team, and Mbaye has shown the ability to play incisive passes behind the defense for Jackson to run onto.
Like Jackson, he can be a nuisance for opposing defences out of possession, having a knack for stealing the ball or poking it away. Mbaye ranked in the 80th percentile for possession won in the final third last season.
As displayed by his modest crossing stats, Mbaye is more of a direct threat than someone who is going to stay wide and whip crosses in. He is more comfortable charging at goal from wide areas or towards the byline before cutting the ball back, which fits what Emery wants.
Once he gets up to speed, Mbaye could give Villa the kind of game-changing threat from the right wing which they have not had since Leon Bailey’s electric 2023/24 season, and at just 18, his ceiling is as high as any player Villa have signed in recent memory.
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