Aston Villa have officially announced the signing of Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi from Bundesliga side Freiburg on a long-term contract.
The 20-year-old arrives at Villa Park after impressing with both Freiburg and the Switzerland national team. Villa accelerated their pursuit of a midfielder following Amadou Onana's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained during the FIFA World Cup, while the transfer also comes shortly after Youri Tielemans' move to Manchester United.
Speaking after completing the transfer, Manzambi said:
"I'm very excited to be here and to be training with Unai Emery and the team. I am very, very happy and I am excited to play with this club.
"It's a very big club in England and they're playing in the Champions League. I've already played against Aston Villa, and for me, it was the perfect plan."
Manzambi played a key role for Switzerland at the World Cup, featuring in the team's opening four matches and registering three goals and two assists. He missed the Round of 16 penalty shootout victory over Colombia and Switzerland's 3-1 quarter-final defeat to Argentina.
The midfielder joined Freiburg in 2024 after progressing through the academy of Swiss side Servette. He made his senior debut later that year and went on to make 58 appearances for the German club, scoring nine goals and providing 11 assists before completing his move to Aston Villa.
