Aston Villa suffered a potentially season-defining 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.
It was an afternoon to forget for all involved, but a moment of frustration from John McGinn really did put the game to bed.
Even Unai Emery’s most influential players struggled, with Ollie Watkins hardly getting a kick all game, and it seemed as though the side uncharacteristically gave up towards the latter stages of the game.
The Spaniard’s substitutions also failed to have a huge impact on the tie, with one of them particularly struggling yet again, despite costing the club a lot of money.
What Aston Villa paid for Zaniolo and his wage
Just over a year ago today, Nicolo Zaniolo swapped Roma for Galatasaray in an attempt to revive his career with a new adventure.
The Italian scored five goals in just ten matches and two starts in the Turkish Super Lig, and in the summer, the midfielder moved to Villa on a season-long loan.
According to the BBC, the Villans paid a £4.25m loan fee for the temporary signature of the “fantastic” Zaniolo, as per scout Jacek Kulig, but it could become a permanent deal worth £19.2m if a particular criteria is met.
For the season, the 24-year-old’s wage costs NSWE £60k-per-week, which equates to £3.1m per season. However, Zaniolo has already earned just under £800k in estimated bonuses, as per Capology.
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Zaniolo was originally signed as a replacement for Emi Buendia, who is set to miss almost all of the season due to an ACL injury, but it hasn’t exactly been the perfect start to life in England.
The former Roma prospect has played in 19 Premier League games this season, starting just seven matches and scoring once, which came in the 1-1 draw against Sheffield United.
Across all competitions, the attacking midfielder has netted twice, which means that Zaniolo is set to cost Villa £4m for every goal he’s scored for the club when you combine his loan fee, wages and bonuses.
Fortunately, he isn’t one of the highest earners in the Villa squad, earning £90k-per-week less than Youri Tielemans and £15k-per-week less than Douglas Luiz.
Boubacar Kamara
£150k
Youri Tielemans
£150k
John McGinn
£120k
Douglas Luiz
£75k
Jacob Ramsey
£70k
Nicolo Zaniolo
£60k
Nevertheless, his wage certainly hasn’t been justified on the field, with Zaniolo picking up more yellow cards than goal contributions since moving to Villa Park.
The former Inter Milan gem has struggled to have a positive impact on the side outside of his output in the final third as well, making just 5.3 accurate passes per game, 0.4 key passes, and 1.1 shots per match.
It’s fair to say that the Italian’s loan move to Villa has been a failure, with Emery being unable to trust him with a constant spot in the starting XI. However, Zaniolo may be handed an opportunity in place of the suspended McGinn, which could just be the turning point in his Villa career.
Wage Burners
Football FanCast's Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.
