Aston Villa have secured a crucial boost as the club have won their appeal to have youngster Brian Madjo registered and eligible to play in competitive games.
The 17-year-old was signed from Metz in January, but due to FIFA regulations, Villa weren’t able to register him until his 18th birthday.
However, due to his specific circumstances in that he was born in London and is a UK citizen, the club opted to take their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in order to fast-track Madjo’s ability to play.
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As per the club’s statement, we’ve now won that appeal and Madjo will be registered and eligible to play in competitive matches, having impressed in pre-season so far this summer with four goals already to his name.
It remains to be seen whether Villa intend on keeping him as part of Unai Emery’s senior squad for the upcoming campaign or if he will be sent out on loan to gain valuable experience at this stage of his career, but the important thing is that he can now play and his progress won’t be stunted in the next six months as he waits to turn 18 years of age.
Madjo has impressed this summer, as aside from his goals, for which he has shown impressive positioning and anticipation to be in the right areas to find the back of the net, his physical strength, burst of speed and movement in leading the line have all stood out and certainly shown why Villa moved to sign him despite his age and inexperience.
It’s hoped that he can go on to make a significant impact at senior level for us, but naturally, if the path that he ultimately takes is one where he moves on for a hefty profit down the line, it looks like a savvy signing from the club of a young player with real talent.
For the player himself, he’ll no doubt be delighted to be able to play and test himself in the upcoming season, and we’ll hopefully continue to see him improve and develop into a top player.