Aston Villa’s first signing is already with Unai Emery’s side for pre-season ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Aston Villa’s transfer business is back in the spotlight after the FIFA World Cup concluded. Clubs are now circling their targets and hoping to seal deals immediately. The Lions are certainly one of them.
Many fans might have thought that Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi was Villa’s first signing. Yet, they had actually secured another player beforehand. It was LASK man Modou Keba Cisse.
His arrival was confirmed by Jacob Tanswell, the journalist from The Athletic, on his X account.
“He will start pre-season this week (1st week of July) with AVFC after spending the summer back in Senegal, training twice a day.”
Modou Cisse was actually signed by Aston Villa last summer, in July 2025. The club spent £4 million on his transfer through a pre-contract agreement with LASK Linz. As part of the deal, the youngster would remain with the Austrian side for a year before moving to Villa Park this summer.
Such an arrangement really benefited him as it enabled him to play regularly in the Austrian top flight. In fact, he became a regular starter there and helped his team win the second league title in the club’s history. The young centre-back is tied to a contract until the summer of 2029.
The Senegalese defender was promoted to LASK Linz’s first team in the middle of the 2024/25 season after playing five games for the club’s amateur side. Prior to his arrival in Austria, he had a brief spell with Real Ávila, a lower-tier club in Spain.
Last season, Cisse played regularly, making 26 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga and contributing two goals and three assists. Both of his goals came in crucial games as LASK dismantled Austria Vienna 4-1 at home and secured a 3-2 win over Red Bull Salzburg away from home.
Based on the data from FotMob, Cisse’s performances last season were quite promising. His xG and xA were 2.47 and 1.27 respectively. His successful pass rate was 85.3%, with 50.5% accuracy for long balls and a 50% success rate for crosses.
Meanwhile, his successful dribble rate was 40%, while his duel success rate reached 64.7% and his aerial duel success rate stood at 61.4%. His defensive prowess really highlighted his potential, with 240 defensive contributions, including 41 tackles, 21 interceptions, 18 blocked shots, and 160 clearances.
It is still unclear if he will be integrated to the first team this season or he will be loaned out elsewhere. Villa’s defence line still needs reinforcement considering the aging players in the squad such as Tyrone Mings and Victor Lindelof.
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