Yahoo News The five Aston Villa teenagers people are talking about ahead of next season
V Sports have pumped millions into Aston Villa's academy operations in recent years and Unai Emery will soon reap the fruits of it.
At Brookvale, down the road from Villa Park, the club opened its new inner-city academy which provides state-of-the-art facilities for the men’s and women’s academies. Since it opened its doors for the first time in August 2023, the academy also host their early years elite programmes at the Brookvale site.
Villa have also recruited locally and across the UK to bolster their Premier League 2 and U18 sides. Meanwhile, V Sports' global network of clubs gives access to more opportunities for youngsters at home and abroad.
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Here are five stars who are catching the eye at Bodymoor Heath...
RORY WILSON
Wilson is enjoying another sensational campaign having scored 18 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions for Villa. The bulk of that total has come in the U18 Premier League, bagging 16 times in 13 games, while he's stepped up to Premier League 2 football, netting twice in nine appearances.
Villa offered Wilson a new contract a few months ago, but it has yet to be signed. The 18-year-old is loving his time at Villa since joining from Rangers in July 2022.
OMARI KELLYMAN
Since arriving from Derby County in 2022, Kellyman has made great strides at Bodymoor Heath. His progress was rewarded with a place in Villa's squad for the tour of the USA last summer, where he featured in two Premier League Summer Series matches against Newcastle and Fulham.
He missed a large chunk of the season through a hamstring injury suffered back in November, but he has still made a strong impact for the club's under-21s in the Premier League 2. Kellyman has scored seven goals in 11 appearances and even made his Premier League debut in the defeat to Manchester City earlier this month.
FINLEY MUNROE
Munroe is a composed, ball-playing defender who can play at centre-back and at left-back. Having joined the Chelsea academy at an early age, he progressed through the youth ranks at Cobham as a centre-back before leaving the club at 16 years of age despite Blues legend Ashley Cole advising the club to give him a scholarship.
The 19-year-old is a late developer and Villa saw something special in the teenager at the time of his release from Chelsea. Numerous clubs across the country were interested in snapping him up, and both Leicester City and Nottingham Forest offered Munroe a professional contract, but Villa academy chief Mark Harrison won him over before he signed for the club in 2021.
JIMOH-ALOBAH
After a decade at West Brom's academy, Jamal Jimoh-Alobah departed the Hawthorns to join Villa last summer. Baggies' West Midlands rivals put together a more lucrative package which Tottenham weren't willing to match. It is understood that, with the alternative being a tribunal, an agreement was struck between Villa and Albion, which will be worth around £1m to the latter. Albion will also receive 10 per cent of any fee if Villa were to sell the teenager on in the years to come.
The midfielder has impressed for Villa's U21s and U18s, recording 10 goal contributions in 14 appearances, with six of them coming in Premier League 2.
TRISTON ROWE
Rowe has played above his age group for some time and has made 15 Premier League 2 appearances this season. The right-back has a big future ahead of him and has been tracked by a number of clubs in recent years.
Chelsea were particularly interested last year after Rowe featured for England U16s and was competing against players five years his senior for Vila's U21s. Rowe joined Villa from West Brom in July 2021.
