We’ve had ‘Fergie’s Fledgings’. But how about Stevie’s starlets?
FA Youth Cup winners for the first time in nearly 20 years last season, the future is positively gleaming at Aston Villa. As pointed out by The Athletic, only six teams in the Premier League – or the ‘big six’, as they are often known – had more players included in England’s youth teams last season than Aston Villa.
And it’s not just at international level where the boys from Bodymoor Heath are starting to make their mark.
Was there a more exciting young midfielder in the top-flight than Jacob Ramsey in 2021/22? Born and raised in Great Barr, Ramsey’s driving runs and emphatic finishing – he was the club’s third-highest goalscorer with six – are eerily reminiscent of a man now in charge with overseeing his development in claret-and-blue.
“It’s only a matter of time (before Ramsey gets an England call-up),” Steven Gerrard told The Mail after the 21-year-old’s majestic performance against Leeds United in February.
“He is a top talent. I’m loving every moment of working with him. He is getting stronger with each game because we’re giving him the platform to express himself. He is in a wonderful place.”
A new-look midfield at Aston Villa?
Tim Iroegbunam is yet to emulate Ramsey’s striking impact. But the classy, cultured central midfielder – snapped up from Midland neighbours West Brom – certainly looked the part during the odd cameo appearance towards the tail end of last season.
Ben Chrisene, the one-time Bayern Munich and Chelsea target, is another who appears to be on the verge of a first-team breakthrough.
According to The Athletic, some at Aston Villa think the former Exeter City whizzkid, following in Ollie Watkins’ footsteps, is actually the cream of this generation’s crop. Some claim, especially when you consider that Ramsey, Carney Chukwumeka and the prolific Cameron Archer are also Aston Villa players.
“(He’s a) really good prospect,” Gerrard said of the attack-minded left-back/winger. “And we’re really excited to try to help him become a Premier League player.”
Cameron Archer; The future of Aston Villa and England?
Don’t be surprised if Chrisene, Iroegbunam and the aforementioned Archer – one of the most natural-born goalscorers currently rising through the ranks in English football – are some of the first names on Aston Villa’s team-sheet three years from now.
In fact, some believe that Archer should immediately become part of Gerrard’s first-team plans. Particularly with Danny Ings struggling to live up to his £30 million price-tag.
“Cameron has got an abundance of talent,” Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe told the Lancashire Evening Post during Archer’s eye-catching loan spell at Deepdale from January to June.
“His quality levels are fantastic. He’s bullish, strong, he can roll (defenders). He has got that little burst of pace too.”
Archer scored 20 goals in 33 games at youth and senior level last term. He showcased his ice-cool finishing skills once again during Aston Villa’s 4-0 thumping of Walsall in pre-season.
The future’s bright, the future’s claret and blue
Boubacar Kamara, Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings, Emi Martinez, John McGinn, Diego Carlos and Watkins should all be in their prime by 2025, assuming they stick around.
And keep an eye on Louie Barry (once of Barcelona), plus former Rangers starlet Rory Wilson. Dutch centre-halves Lamare Bogarde and Sil Swinkels are held in very high regard at Aston Villa too. But, on the other hand, Chukwumeka’s seemingly inevitable departure will be a crushing disappointment to a club desperate to keep one ofd Europe’s finest teenage midfielders.
Chukwuemeka, reportedly a target for none other than La Liga giants Barcelona, is not part of Villa’s pre-season plans.
“Carney is yet to sign a contract,” Gerrard tells Villa TV this week. “I’ve decided the best thing for him would be to continue his training programme back at Bodymoor.”
You’d get long odds on Chukwuemeka still being a Villa player in 2025. But, in Iroegbunam, Ramsey, Archer and co, the positives certainly override the negatives as an exciting future awaits.
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