Despite still only being 21 years of age, Jacob Ramsey made his 100th Aston Villa appearance this past weekend, and there is so much more to come from the youngster.
Having joined the club at just six years old, he has embarked on a brilliant journey in a Villa shirt to date, from making his senior debut in February 2019, to a vital loan stint at Doncaster Rovers to gradually establishing himself in our first-team XI.
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In those 100 outings, Ramsey has scored 12 goals and provided eight assists, and while a lot of credit for his development goes to the coaches at youth level at Villa as well as Dean Smith who gave him the chance to break through, the Villa midfielder is seemingly now set to flourish and take his game to the next level under Unai Emery.
The Spanish tactician has lauded his mentality, desire to improve, ability to learn and implement new ideas and use his energy, athleticism and awareness to become an integral player for us.
Further, he understands the importance of having a player come through the youth ranks, who is ultimately Villa through and through given his affinity with the club from a young age, to then establish himself as a key figure in our long-term plans.
Perhaps one of the most important factors this season has been that Ramsey is starting to thrive in a settled role and position on the pitch, with Emery now consistently deploying him on the left side of our midfield.
It’s something that important figures at the club, past and present, have noted previously, in that while there was no denying Ramsey’s ability and potential, he needed to nail down a specific position on the pitch to showcase his talent on a consistent basis, and we’re seeing that with the youngster scoring five goals and providing four assists in 21 Premier League games under Emery’s stewardship.
“I’m really proud,” he told VillaTV after reaching his 100th appearance for Villa against Liverpool last Saturday. “I’m 21 and I remember my first appearance for the club at home against West Brom, coming on, looking nervous, shaky.
“But I’m proud and thankful for all the managers I’ve had in my time here to believe in me and play me.”
The Villa faithful know just how special he could be as he continues to improve, develop and mature, as we’ve seen first-hand his improvement this season and how much potential he still has to be unlocked. Further, it’s hoped that his younger siblings also eventually follow in his footsteps and write their own chapter in the family’s story with Villa.
It’s an impressive landmark that he’s already reached and his form under Emery in this campaign was crucial given the expectation that the Villa boss will bring in reinforcements this summer to strengthen his squad and mould it into his own.
Given what Ramsey has contributed and shown him thus far, we’ll hopefully see him remain a pillar of the Villa XI moving forward and be built around, and there will surely be plenty more goals, assists and success to be enjoyed in the coming years.