Aston Villa are reportedly set to release four youth players this summer, with Brad Young and Arjan Raikhy among those tipped to leave.
It promises to be both an intriguing and important summer this year, as Unai Emery will undoubtedly have plans to stamp his mark on the senior squad, and that in turn will impact the futures of the talented young players at the club too.
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With Villa expected to strengthen by making key signings in the transfer market, that could further limit the opportunities and pathways for a number of those youngsters, and in turn that raises question marks on whether it’s best for both parties for them to stay.
According to The Athletic, Villa aren’t expected to offer Raikhy, Young, Hayden Lindley and Declan Frith new contracts, and so they are set to be released in the summer and will go in search of opportunities elsewhere.
Further, it’s noted that additional decisions are expected on a number of other youth talents at the club, whether that’s individuals still at the club currently or those out on loan, and so it will be interesting to see who has done enough to impress and remain with us moving forward.
Given those are members of the squad that won the FA Youth Cup in 2021 and particularly in Raikhy’s case given he has been part of the first-team squad this season in training and during the World Cup break, it will be bitterly disappointing to see him leave along with three other talented young players.
However, if the decision is made to release them, it will be with the best interests of all concerned in mind, as there’s little point in stunting their progress and harming their futures if they are unlikely to get chances to impress beyond youth level.
Time will tell if these decisions are made official in the coming months, but it does feel as though there is little time left for them to change the mind of the club, and so we’ll wait to see if they are indeed released and who else might be joining them.
It’s a big summer for a number of players that have come through our youth ranks, with Cameron Archer, Aaron Ramsey, Tim Iroegbunam, Keinan Davis, Jaden Philogene, Louie Barry, Ben Chrisene, Lamare Bogarde and Finn Azaz to name but a few all returning from loan spells with uncertainty over what might be next along with the likes of Kaine Kesler Hayden.
While it’s hoped that Emery does have roles for some of them in mind as he looks to build a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts moving forward, the Villa boss will no doubt make decisions that he truly believes are in the best interests of the club and for the players in question.
