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Aston Villa have dodged a massive bullet by not signing this 24-year-old winger on a €1m-per-season deal

Why Aston Villa dodged a bullet in Celta Vigo’s Pione Sisto

According to a report from Football Espana, Aston Villa had a bid accepted for Celta Vigo’s Pione Sisto but the player turned down the move in the summer.

Pione Sisto, 24, arrived at Celta Vigo from Danish side FC Midtjylland in the summer of 2016. Celta Vigo wanted to offload the player from their wage structure and secure a transfer fee this summer.

The speedy winger was offered €1m-per-season to join Aston Villa, which was more than he earns at Celta Vigo, who had apparently accepted the offer. However, the player had reservations about joining the newly-promoted side.

Aston Villa spent big to improve their squad this summer and wide players were certainly on their wanted list. 

In the end, Dean Smith’s side managed to secure the signing of Mahmoud Trezeguet from Kasimpasa and the permanent signing of Lille loanee Anwar El Ghazi. They also raided arch-rivals Birmingham City for Jota.

The Villans may have not enjoyed an ideal start to the Premier League campaign but Smith will certainly be pleased with the impact his majority of new recruits have made thus far.

As far as the wide department is concerned, Jota already looks a smart recruit by the club. He has made a real impact at Villa Park, justifying why Smith wanted to sign him at first place.

El Ghazi and Trezeguet have looked likely and shown glimpses of their potential in the English top-flight. Considering the starts all Villa’s wide men have enjoyed, Sisto would have found regular game time difficult to come by.

Since moving to Celta, Sisto hasn’t exactly been a consistent performer at the Spanish club. The Denmark international was in and out of the Celta side last season, starting just eight La Liga matches throughout the entire campaign. 

Renowned for his raw pace, trickery and dribbling skills, he is a real livewire on the flanks but his end product is frustrating and needs a lot to be worked upon.

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In 90 LA Liga appearances, the 24-year-old has managed just 10 goals and added a further 14 assists.

He managed just two goals and one assist during the entire 2018/19. Sisto royally struggled as Celta barely dodged relegation last season and those stats simply tell the Uganda-born attacker hasn’t lived up to his potential at Balaidos.

Verdict

Sisto is a direct, pacey winger who is capable of producing moments of magic on the pitch. The 24-year-old has lost his way somewhat and as he rejected a move to Aston Villa, Smith must consider it as a blessing in disguise.