Aston Villa owner Nassef Sawiris has confirmed a new strategic partnership with Japanese side Vissel Kobe as V Sports expand their global network.
Following agreements with Egyptian club ZED FC and Vitoria Sport Clube in Portugal, an announcement was made this week that Vissel Kobe were the latest to join the expansion, which aims to build a strong network for the development of talent.
READ MORE: Will loanee do enough to secure permanent Villa move next summer?
It’s noted in the club’s statement that work will be geared towards youth development, sharing of ideas, techniques and practices in relation to coaching, scouting, recruitment and data analysis, as well as the opportunity for Japanese players to make the move across to Europe, with Villa the obvious eventual destination.
Time will ultimately tell if it pays dividends from a Villa perspective in terms of seeing talent arriving at the club to bolster Unai Emery and the squad’s chances of being successful, but it’s evidently an important part of V Sports’ vision and plans moving forward in terms of building that global network of clubs, like we’ve seen other ownership groups do elsewhere.
Sawiris himself confirmed the news in a video shared by Villa on Thursday morning, and as per his words below, he is clearly excited and optimistic about the benefits of such a move, and hopefully it enables Villa to become increasingly competitive and at the forefront of the ownership’s plans in the coming years.
“We are delighted to announce a new partnership with the prestigious Japanese football club Vissel Kobe,” he said in a video posted to announce the move. “I want to thank my friend Hiroshi Mikitani (the club owner) and the president of Vissel Kobe Mr Yuki Chifu for this opportunity. The partnership will benefit both Vissel Kobe and Aston Villa in many ways; The clubs will work together and share knowledge in key areas such as performance, scouting and recruitment, data analysis, first team squad management, commercial and brand awareness.
“Aston Villa will also assist with the development of elite academy players at Vissel Kobe and the development of Vissel Kobe’s youth development coaching staff, will help create pathways for Vissel Kobe players to play in Europe, and ultimately, hopefully, Aston Villa. An Aston Villa academy team will be travelling to play an international tournament in Japan in 2024 – a fantastic opportunity for the Villa boys to travel to a new country and play football in a new environment.
