It’s an important summer for both Jacob Ramsey and Cameron Archer, and the Aston Villa pair made a brilliant start at the U21s European Championship on Thursday.
England secured a 2-0 win over Czech Republic in their opening game, with Ramsey breaking the deadlock to give them the lead before Archer stepped off the bench to provide the assist for the second.
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It was a decisive effort from the Villa pair, and it’s hoped that they continue to make their mark in the upcoming fixtures to head into pre-season with us with real confidence and in top form.
For Archer, the tournament represents a big opportunity for him to send a message to Unai Emery and stake his final claim to be involved in our first-team squad next season.
The 21-year-old impressed out on loan yet again last season with 11 goals and six assists in 23 appearances for Middlesbrough, and with an obvious void in the group currently with a lack of competition and depth up front behind Ollie Watkins, the youngster could be the ideal understudy for him next season.
Villa will be looking to play in excess of 50 games as we hope to enjoy deep Cup runs and go all the way in the Europa Conference League, and so Emery needs options in every department to handle that fixture schedule, and to also give him tactical solutions that give him different options depending on the opposition.
It’s hoped that a strong showing from Archer in the U21s Euro Championship will seal his position in the pecking order next season, as he has shown in his loan stints that he is arguably ready now for the next step in his career and to be given an opportunity to make an impact for Villa, even if limited to a bench role and Cup appearances.
Naturally, Ramsey is at a different stage of his Villa career as the 22-year-old continues to go from strength to strength. He bagged six goals and eight assists in 38 appearances last season, with five of those goals and seven of his assists coming in 24 games under Emery’s stewardship.
There is no denying the influence and impact that the Spaniard’s coaching has had on Ramsey as he has taken his game to the next level and it goes beyond the numbers detailed above in terms of his understanding of the game and how to maximise his qualities, but now it’s about building on that and flourishing even further in his first full campaign working with the Villa boss.
He’ll want to return for pre-season training at the top of his game, and so if he continues to lead the way for England U21s this summer, it will be the ideal boost for him as he grows into a bigger role for us in the coming years with that added experience and consistency.
While there’s always something extra special about seeing our own come through the ranks and make it at senior level, Ramsey, and potentially Archer, have both the ability and opportunity to go on and become pivotal pieces in our future success. It’s hoped this tournament reinforces that, and we see them shine and develop further in their respective ways next season.
