English club Aston Villa announced on Friday the signing of Swiss attacking midfielder Johan Manzambi from German side Freiburg, following his impressive performance with his national team at the World Cup. Manzambi topped Switzerland's scoring list in the tournament with three goals, in addition to providing two assists, helping his team reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1954, before losing to Argentina 3-1. The player joined Freiburg's academy in 2023, moved up to the first team a year later, and played 58 matches, scoring nine goals. He also played a prominent role in Freiburg reaching the first major final in their history, finishing as runners-up to Aston Villa, the Europa League champions. Aston Villa stated in a statement that Manzambi will wear the number 44 shirt, the same number he wore with Freiburg when they faced the English side in the Istanbul final. Aston Villa will open their Premier League campaign against Brighton away on August 23.