Villa continues to make waves in the academy following the summer additions of Ajani Burchall, England under-16 captain Josh Freeney, and Kyrie Pierre from Bristol City.
Aston Villa have announced the signing of Bournemouth wonderkid Ajani Burchall for a ''substantial compensation fee.''
Burchall, a winger, made his Championship debut just 37 days after turning 16 in the 5-0 win over Huddersfield at the Vitality Stadium.
By featuring in that match, the 16-year-old became the third-youngest player in the history of the club to turn out for AFC Bournemouth in a league match.
It is believed that Aston Villa had to fight a few host clubs over the signature of the Bermudian along which, the name of Arsenal has been buzzing earlier this year.
Burchall, who will turn 17 in November, is expected to join the ranks of Louie Barry, Aaron Ramsey, and other wonderkids that Aston Villa posses in their arsenal at the moment.
Rumors are churning up as Villa is on the verge of another young prospect — the 18-year-old midfielder Tim Iroegbunam from West Brom academy— in the coming days. The club is tying up a compensation package with their neighbors to take the player under their wing.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, has announced nine new scholars who have all signed terms with the club, including the capture of England Under-16 captain Josh Feeney from Fleetwood Town.
Homegrown youngster Todd Alcock, Mikell Barnes, Charlie Lutz, and Kobel Moore have all signed the contracts along with midfielder Kyrie Pierre who signed from Bristol Rovers earlier this summer.
Climbing up the ladder into the U23s, Aston Villa hot prospect Louie Barry has seen his contract extension triggered by another year which will keep the ex-Barcelona youth startlet in the Villa Park until 2024.
The young forward has won over the fans since the very first moment of his arrival almost 18 months ago. He has impressed in every youth category and climbed up the ranks with sheer brilliance.
Barry joined the Aston Villa youth team from Barcelona for a fee of £950,000 around 18 months ago and is now expected to feature in Dean Smith's first-team plans over pre-season. Barry started his career at Albion, later joining Barcelona where he stayed six months in a spell surrounded by controversies.
Gabby Agbonlahor has tipped Louie Barry alongside another Villa youth Carney Chukkwemeka for a role in the Aston Villa first-team next season. With the majority of the club's young talent heading out for load, the club is keen to keep the two prospects in keen observation as they can lead to becoming key personalities in the squad in the future.
So much so that the club is not willing to loan the player out and rather give him chance to train with the first-team squad in the pre-season and keep a keen eye on him.
The Birmingham Mail's Ashley Preece has made major claims about Barry as well as another youth prospect, Carney Chukwuemeka, and their future at Aston Villa.
The 17-year-old was a revelation for Villa's youth side last season, scoring seven goals and providing two assists in just six FA Youth Cup games as the club's young guns went on to lift the trophy.
Preece has now revealed that Chukwuemeka will not be going out on loan and instead is likely to be eased into the first-team action alongside fellow youth prospect Louie Barry like Dean Smith has done with Aaron Ramsey.
At 17, there is no doubting about Chukwuemeka is one of the brightest young talents at Villa, if not the brightest. The teenager netted a hat-trick in Villa's 6-1 win over Newcastle to reach the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup last season; a performance which had Preece absolutely raving.
Unlike Louie Barry, Carney Chukwuemeka is a rather unfamiliar name among the fans, but given the proper environment to shine and adapt himself, Chukwuemeka can become one of the club's finest youth products.
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