Who could solve Aston Villa’s left back dilemma?

One man that has been tipped to remain in the Premier League following his team's relegation is Alfie Doughty of Luton Town.

The 24 year-old left back was a shining light in a poor Luton team and has attracted several admirers from the Premier League as a result of his impressive performances. Doughty finished the season with 8 assists and 2 goals having missed just one match.

Lucas Digne was Villa's regular left back this season but at the age of 30 and on wages of over £120,000 a week it is clear that he will be a priority to shift this summer. With Villa lying close to the FFP and PSR limits they must be smart in their business during the transfer window. The club need to reduce the average wage across the squad whilst building a team that will compete in the Champions League next season.

Doughty certainly has a profile that would suit the Unai Emery system. His weaknesses come through in the defensive side of his game where, although he can be solid and make crucial interventions when out of possession, he can be incosistent. What Doughty does possess however is real attacking intent down the left hand side. The young wing-back has an excellent crossing ability as well as good pace that sees him get to the by-line and in behind opposition defensive lines.

Luton Town boss Rob Edwards has commented on the club's transfer situation this summer which could determine what will happen with the likes of Doughty:

""Our aim is to keep as many as we can. I can't sit here and promise that no-one's going to go but I can say we are under no pressure to do that""

- Rob Edwards

Despite playing in the Premier League at a young age, Doughty had a long road to playing in England's top flight. Prior to joining the Hatters in 2022, the left-back had injury-hampened spells with Cardiff City and Stoke City that saw him play just over 50 games in four years. The previous campaign saw Doughty feature in 34 league games, so the evidence that he has moved past early-career injury worries is clear to see.

Doughty has been heavily linked in the past 48 hours with Brentford and it is rumoured that a deal could be completed quickly. It will be interesting to see if Manager Emery and Director of Football Monchi join in the race to sign Doughty, as a deal to sign him would prove to be financially advantageous rather than having Lucas Digne remain at the club.

UTV