Villa have been rather busy in attempting to rejuvenate our under-achieving academy of late.
Whilst the club invested heavily in infrastructure at Bodymoor Heath for the youth set-up, they have also been very active recruiting top rising talent from both the domestic leagues and abroad.
Indeed, just yesterday we learned of the arrival of Dutch defender Sil Swinkels making the switch from Vitesse Arnhem. This follows a number of first-time professional deals being agreed, including that of high profile and former Barcelona striker Louie Barry.
Ben Chrisene
Chrisene is a highly rated midfielder, who has been heavily courted by Premier League Champions Liverpool, Chelsea and Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
He has represented England at youth level and made his senior debut aged just 15 years old.
No valuation has yet been agreed between Villa and Exeter City, with his current club likely expecting both a fair fee as well as clauses linked to appearances and any future sell-on. In any event, Villa are reported by the local Devon based press to be nearing an agreement for the youngster who has refused new terms on the south coast.
This could stand to be a serious coup for Villa, after the player was called personally by Frank Lampard as well as being invited to watch Liverpool as a VIP by Jurgen Klopp last season.
Whilst Chrisene is certainly going to require further development, it marks yet another action to back up Villa CEO Christian Purslow’s attempts to overhaul the academy. On the need to change the ethos of Villa’s youth system, Purslow remarked:
I’m going to be brutal.
Twenty-two-year-olds playing in an under-23 team means your system isn’t working.
It means your system has failed because 22-year-old footballers at Aston Villa need to be in the first team.
Ben Chrisene looks set to be the latest step taken towards achieving this plan.
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