Aston Villa were unable to continue their excellent form from recent weeks with another win in the Premier League, as they were held to a 1-1 draw with Fulham at Villa Park.

Nicolas Jackson claimed the opening goal of the game with a lovely finish after beating two defenders, after John McGinn had earlier missed a penalty, before Zion Suzuki inexplicably dropped the ball over his own goal line while trying to claim a corner, gifting Fulham a deserved equaliser. Pau Torres came close to scoring a late winner, but his header brushed the outside of the post and the points were shared.

The result keeps Villa in 9th place in the Premier League table, just three points behind Liverpool in the fifth Champions League spot, which is a remarkable shift from the early weeks of the season where the team failed to win any of their opening three games.

That slow start was in part down to the fact that Emery saw the entire spine of his team ripped out in the transfer window, as all of Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Emi Martinez, and Ollie Watkins all departed for a new challenge.

As a result, Villa were forced to be busy in the market themselves, and that saw ten new faces arrive, including the likes of Ibrahim Mbaye, Nicolas Jackson, Leon Goretzka, Johan Manzambi, and Joao Gomes.

Replacing Rogers was always seen as the biggest task, with the England star leaving for Chelsea in a record-breaking £117m deal after a stellar time in the Midlands since arriving from Middlesbrough. Switzerland international Manzambi was seen by many as the obvious replacement, joining in a club-record £50m+ deal from Freiburg.

But while Manzambi has hit the ground running since his return from injury and is occupying the number ten position behind the striker, it's a different forward who seems to be taking up the Rogers role in the team.

Brazilian winger Alysson joined the club in January last season and while he didn't make an immediate impact, the manager has consistently praised him and talked up his potential.

Against Fulham, it was evident that he is the man being trusted by the Spanish boss to unlock defences and make things happen.

Alysson Can Be Next £100m+ Aston Villa Star

Emery is one of the very best in the world when it comes to improving players and helping them develop, so it's no surprise that he has identified a talent from within to replace a key star who left.

Villa brought in Alejandro Garnacho, Ibrahim Mbaye, Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson in the forward areas, while George Hemmings has also been promoted into the first-team picture. But it's evident that Alysson is someone he trusts hugely, and if he continues his current trajectory, then there's no reason he can't be the next big-money player at the club too.

He has the pace, the dribbling ability, an eye for goal, the creativity, and the hunger to continue to improve and develop into a top star. At just 20, his ceiling is high and time is on his side. Don't be surprised to see him become one of the first names on the team sheet over the next 12 months, just like Rogers did.