Aston Villa: NSWE find breakthrough and seal teenager transfer agreement
Villa are working hard to secure young talent to bolster their academy ranks despite the main transfer window being closed.
Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of a young talent after finalising a training compensation agreement to bring an exciting teenage midfielder to the West Midlands.
What’s the latest news involving Aston Villa?
According to Football Insider, Aston Villa are contemplating cutting ties with kit manufacturer Castore due to issues regarding the quality of the shirts provided and their tendency to weigh players down in-game.
Members of both the men’s and women’s teams have complained about the product and the outlet now indicate that the Villans could be willing to look elsewhere to secure a new kit deal, with their current one believed to be worth around £4 million per season. Premier League side Newcastle United and Scottish Premiership outfit Rangers have also had complications relating to the standard of their team wear.
In other news, Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is in talks over signing a new long-term deal at his current employers as his current terms are set to expire in the summer of 2025, as per BBC Sport.
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Arsenal and Chelsea have been linked with a swoop for the England international over the last few weeks; nevertheless, discussions are believed to be ‘progressing’ and Villans’ boss Unai Emery views the former Brentford ace as a key component of his plans moving forward at Villa Park.
Watkins has been a superb asset for Aston Villa since joining for a fee in the region of an initial £28 million back in 2020 and has gone on to deliver 47 goals and 15 assists in 126 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
His last outing came on Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup for Aston Villa against Everton, though the visitors ran out 2-1 victors in a disappointing evening for Emery’s men.
Who have Aston Villa signed?
Port Vale’s official website has confirmed that youngster Freddie Lawrie is on his way to Aston Villa after the Premier League outfit reached a breakthrough over training compensation for the teen midfielder.
Speaking about his time at the Valiants, Lawrie stated: “I’ve really enjoyed my time here and I think I’ve improved a lot. It’s thanks to Danny Lloyd and the other coaching staff that I’ve had the opportunities I have, they have given me the chance to play the games and also play up an age group, and because of that, I’ve now got this chance.”
Lawrie, who is a central midfielder by trade, has had interest from a number of clubs in his signature over the last few months; however, he has chosen to join Aston Villa and will hope to follow a similar trajectory to the likes of Jack Grealish, Carney Chukwumeka and Jacob Ramsey by securing a first-team breakthrough.
Cited by Birmingham Live, Port Vale’s head of academy Will Ryder has given his best wishes to Lawrie, saying: “This is an unbelievable opportunity for Freddie, he is now going to get the opportunity to go to a category one club and be in and around an Premier League environment as he continues his development.”
NSWE have involved themselves in trying to improve the structure of Aston Villa’s academy since taking over and the addition of Lawrie could prove to be another step in the right direction for everyone connected with the club.
