The Premier League have confirmed the list of players that Aston Villa have released on the expiry of their respective contracts on June 30.
Villa had already confirmed that both Ashley Young and Jed Steer would be leaving at the end of the month, but the list has also now revealed which youngsters will not have their deals renewed.
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As per the Premier League site, Declan Frith, Hayden Lindley, Arjan Raikhy, Ruben Shakpoke, Myles Sohna, Steer, Young and Brad Young will all move on this summer, and it’s hoped that they’re all able to find another club to take the next step in their careers.
Naturally, there is always a sense of disappointment when some of our Academy players don’t make it through to the senior side, especially when some have really high hopes having impressed at youth level.
Raikhy and Young stand out in particular after helping us lift the FA Youth Cup in 2021, but they’ll now hopefully have plenty of interest elsewhere in acquiring their services and they’ll continue to improve.
Ultimately, there is trust in the judgement of those who have monitored their progression more closely, and the decision has been made that they simply don’t see a long-term future in the first-team squad.
Instead of renewing and keeping them around to either play in the U21s or be loaned out again, it makes sense for all concerned to move them on, and Villa will no doubt be proactive in recruiting top young talent in the coming months to fill out those squads and ensure we’ve got a good mix of experience and youth available to Unai Emery moving forward.
Time will tell who else departs this summer as outgoings are expected at Villa as Emery continues to stamp his mark on the squad, but for now these eight players have now exited, and it seems highly unlikely that Villa will re-enter talks to bring any of them back at this stage.