Last month, The Athletic asked our Aston Villa subscribers what they wanted to read about in our Inspired by You series. Rest assured, many of your ideas impressed and articles will be in the pipeline. However, several subscribers asked for insight into Villa’s rising talents. So a notable thanks to Chris H, David H and Mike P for their recommendations.
The Athletic has met and talked to multiple sources associated with the inner workings of Aston Villa’s academy. Each spoke in detail, but on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships. Below is a group of the club’s emerging talents, highly regarded among footballing circles and progressing well.
Leon Routh, central defender, 17
Routh joined Luton Town aged eight, briefly playing up front before displaying the physicality and natural tendencies to make a switch to central defence.
The past 12 months have represented a remarkable rise for Routh, going from eight years with Luton — where he was playing Category 3 academy football (the second-lowest level) — to facing Barcelona’s rising La Masia stars this month at Villa Park in the UEFA Youth League, the age-group version of the Champions League.
Villa monitored Routh at Luton and despite playing against more direct, lower-level opponents, felt his qualities would translate to Category 1 football with them. Scouts identified a young player with a good build at 6ft 2in (188cm) tall already, and he was a left-footed centre-back — a trait regarded as “gold dust” within the recruitment environment.
Routh could sometimes struggle at under-18s level but Villa weren’t put off; he was dominant in his own age group and they came to the view that having a tough time as an under-16 up against players two years older should not be held against him.
Villa have gathered a reputation in the game for being effective recruiters. Interestingly, other Premier League clubs have told senior club staff they will aim to replicate the Villa blueprint in efforts to rejuvenate their own academy. “They work in silence,” says one agent of Villa. “They surprise a few people with academy recruitment and who they identify.”
Reports on Routh were fed back to academy director Mark Harrison, who has significant influence in Villa’s youth recruitment, with an alignment connecting his staff to first-team manager Unai Emery’s senior aides — president of football operations Monchi and Damian Vidagany, the director of football operations.
Routh, right, was signed from Luton (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
This thread runs up to Villa’s owners, Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris, who are made aware of every player signed, even ones as young as 14 years of age, and whom Harrison maintains a good relationship with. There is clarity at every level as to which players suit Villa. Sources state there is a straightforward nature to the football department and a small circle of decision-makers, meaning processes are more streamlined than at some other clubs.
Villa only recruit players at positions they are short in. For instance, they will never buy on top of players already in the position, which attracts youngsters to join them.
Under-18s manager Jimmy Shan worked with Harrison and head of player identification Steve Hopcroft previously at nearby West Bromwich Albion and is well thought of with players, while under-21s head coach Josep Gombau is among Emery’s closest friends.
“Villa are one of the best academy recruiters for value for money,” says another agent. “There is a clear plan and even if it does not materialise, Villa have shown their players can have very good careers at another Premier League side, or in the (second tier) Championship. My players’ family saw that as a key reason in moving.”
On Monday night, Villa play Manchester United in an FA Youth Cup semi-final. Though not favourites in that tie at Villa Park, winning this year’s competition would be their under-18s’ second triumph in it in five years.
As for Routh, he moved to Villa in January 2024 and has recently trained with the seniors under Emery. Had he not been called up to play for England Under-18s in the recent international break, he would have joined the first team for their training trip to Dubai.
There are tentative plans for Routh, who will be a second-year scholar in the under-18s, to play for Villa Under-21s and he will get opportunities due to being a left-footer, which is a cornerstone of what Emery looks for in a centre-back.
He is now regarded among the club’s top young performers, growing technically to match his physique.
Triston Rowe, right-back, 18
Rowe arrived at under-15 level after turning down a contract extension at neighbours West Brom. In doing so, he followed a long line of academy graduates to defect from The Hawthorns to Villa.
Villa are purposeful in signing players from EFL sides and certain markets overseas. After academy director Harrison joined from West Brom in June 2019 and was tasked with bolstering an under-16 team short of players, he and his staff identified Polish goalkeeper Oli Zych and headed to the Netherlands to watch both Sil Swinkels (Vitesse Arnhem) and Lamare Bogarde (Feyenoord) on the same day. Combined, they cost just £360,000 and should they move on one day, will undoubtedly make Villa considerable profit.
Similarly, Omari Kellyman was signed from Derby County’s academy for £600,000 in 2022 and left for Chelsea two years later for £19million.
Rowe taking on Bayern Munich in the UEFA Youth League (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Rowe visited clubs in London and the north west of England but decided to join Villa.
Close observers say he has made major strides in possession in recent months, becoming assured when receiving under pressure and showing a better passing range. The England youth international impressed in Villa’s UEFA Youth League campaign with several sources remarking on his improvement. He is an athletic full-back also capable of playing as a third centre-back and knows when to combine with his right-winger Bradley Burrowes (of whom, more below). “Triston is very solid,” says one source. “He will go on to have a good career.”
Rowe has steadily grown more involved in first-team training at Villa but there is an increasing sense the next step in his career could be a loan away to gain senior experience. It is unknown whether his possible involvement with England in the Under-19s European Championship this June will impact any such move.
Aidan Borland, central midfielder, 17
Borland’s family are Celtic fans, which brought complications when Villa expressed an interest in signing him from the serial Scottish champions in August 2023. He has represented Scotland at several age-group levels and Villa scouts became enamoured with him — so much so that Celtic, aware of the admiration from the Premier League, left Borland out of a match against arch-rivals Rangers. This proved to be the decisive factor in persuading him to swap Glasgow for the West Midlands.
Data in youth football is difficult to obtain and usually does not exist until a player reaches age 17 or 18. So, like many others, Borland’s acquisition was largely done based on the eye test. Villa are well financed across all departments and, as one staff member says, are “not afraid to spend money on fees”. The key difference is the reluctance to break their wage structure and consequently inflate other youngsters’ salaries.
Borland plays as a midfield pivot, with his standout attributes being in possession. “He’s 17 but plays like a 28-year-old,” says one source, who has worked with the Scot. “His characteristics are made for an Emery midfielder. He has a maturity beyond his years.”
Borland moved south from Celtic in 2023 (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Emery places significant emphasis on ball retention and good decision-making — a reason why 21-year-old Bogarde has been promoted to the first team this season. Borland is described as a metronomic passer, rarely losing the ball and doing everything with accuracy. He is earmarked to one day play for Scotland’s senior side.
There is a belief he could be elevated into Emery’s squad before long, having made his senior debut off the bench in September’s Carabao Cup game away to Wycombe Wanderers of League One and joined the first team on that recent Dubai training trip.
George Hemmings, central midfielder, 18
Hemmings has been namechecked by multiple sources — scouts, coaches and agents — as a leading talent. He officially arrived in January 2024, crossing the Midlands from Nottingham Forest in a move that marked the end of protracted negotiations which saw him left to train on his own for four months at home in nearby Derby as he waited for the transfer to be finalised.
Inevitably, this disrupted his start to life at Villa, and there is a sense Hemmings, despite impressing, is still playing catch-up with that spell in limbo last season also being followed by promotion to the under-21s in the current one. Those close to him believe he is now beginning to find his feet, with this summer’s pre-season expected to take him to a new level.
Hemmings is described as quiet, naturally introverted, but it’s anticipated he will come out of his shell with more experience. Forest were extremely disappointed to lose him before signing his first professional contract, but Villa had the relevant connections and resources to convince him to choose them.
Hemmings was signed from Nottingham Forest (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Operating centrally, Hemmings can play in multiple positions, including as a No 6 and either as a box-to-box or attacking midfielder. While staff are reluctant to pigeonhole him at such a young age, his best attribute is the ability to receive and then drive through midfield, with a deeper position conducive to bringing those strengths to the fore. “He is very smooth with the ball and is two-footed,” says one observer. “He can evade pressure and break lines with his dribbling and forward passing.”
Landing Hemmings gave Villa staff immense pride. They share a similar viewpoint to wider scouting circles, where people believe he can play for England Under-21s in the not-too-distant future, provided he is able to show greater personality on the pitch.
Hemmings has trained with the Villa first team, mostly on the days after their matches where substitutes and the game’s unused players participate in a practice match.
The hope is he can catch Emery’s eye, with the teenager being the type of player the Villa manager gravitates towards.
Bradley Burrowes, winger, 17
Burrowes joined in 2021 after five years in Bristol Rovers’ academy. Hopcroft spotted the then 13-year-old and presented plans to his family, detailing the pathway and the logistics of travelling the three-hour round-trip drive between Bristol and Birmingham.
His father, Bradley Senior, competed in weightlifting for England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and those genetics are discernible in his son: a quick, powerful winger who can play on either flank or as a centre-forward and is comfortable on the ball with both feet. This adds variation and a greater threat to his play, and he has six goals and two assists in seven under-18 Premier League appearances this season.
On Tuesday, Burrowes was Villa’s sole representative in the England Under-17s side, playing 74 minutes of a 5-0 win against their Northern Ireland counterparts.
Burrowes is a lively winger (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Burrowes shed tears when he left Bristol Rovers, but has settled well at Villa and is well thought of among club staff. Eight matches (and two more goals) in the UEFA Youth League against older and high-calibre opposition such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus demonstrated his continual adjustment to increasing demands.
Tactically, Burrowes understands the range of movements Villa expect from members of their front line and is expected to be an even greater presence in their academy ranks next season.
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba, attacking midfielder, 18
Jimoh-Aloba joined West Brom at age six, having started at nearby junior side Phoenix United, and was there for a decade before moving to Villa in August 2023. Harrison knew of him from his own time at The Hawthorns, which partly contributed to the player opting for Villa, despite several other clubs also showing an interest. These included Manchester United, neighbours City, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur.
Another key factor was that Jimoh-Aloba preferred to stay local as it was easier for his three brothers, who also play football, to carry on with their own budding careers in the game.
Jimoh-Aloba was highly sought after when Villa signed him (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Before turning 18 last October, Jimoh-Aloba played as a deep-lying midfielder or in a box-to-box role. Yet lately, under the instructions of Emery, he has had success at No 10, where he can use his vision and ability to manipulate the ball in higher areas of the pitch.
Jimoh-Aloba is the closest of the players in this article to Emery’s first-team environment, often being included in matchday squads in recent weeks and making substitute appearances in both domestic cups this season.
There has been interest from elsewhere regarding a loan, which was a possibility in the recent winter window. Emery preferred for Jimoh-Aloba to continue his education in Villa training, but with a long-term contract understood to run until 2029, the next step in his development may take place after being farmed out to another club.
Mason Cotcher, striker, 18
His arrival at Villa last summer brought personal relief. It put an end to 12 months of flux, spent across several academies on trial, once it became evident he would not sign a professional contract with Championship side Sunderland.
Cotcher had just left school when he initially impressed in under-18s fixtures for Sunderland. In the 2022-23 season, he scored 12 goals in 31 games and was a standout performer in a side marginally edged out of an under-18 league title by their Manchester City counterparts.
The striker was among Sunderland’s best prospects but approaching a career intersection.
A pro contract was offered and was named in the first-team squad for an FA Cup third-round tie away to Shrewsbury Town that January. Cotcher decided against signing the deal with Sunderland, preferring to explore opportunities he perceived as better for his development. Arsenal, Manchester United, Leeds, Sheffield United and Bournemouth had expressed an interest.
Cotcher featured for Arsenal in a youth-team match and spent time training with the age groups above that level. And until Villa pushed to sign him, Arsenal were the closest of any club to agreeing compensation with Sunderland.
The England Under-17 international is a proficient finisher and a traditional striker — a profile of player Villa’s recruitment team were looking to fill within his age group.
Cotcher signed after leaving Sunderland (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Sunderland stayed firm on compensation demands. But that year down the tubes meant football was in danger of moving on, with Cotcher an unfair victim. Naturally, his value depreciated. Villa maintained contact and returned to the table once the price was deemed more acceptable. He signed a contract until 2027 and joined the under-18s at the start of pre-season.
Cotcher has 12 goals and five assists across 28 appearances for Villa so far but considering the lengthy absence from the game and first-season adaptation, there is an expectation he will show big improvement in 2025-26. He is enjoying living in digs close to the training ground and aims to feature more in the under-21s, providing competition for 19-year-old Rory Wilson, a highly-rated Scotland Under-21 international who is set to sign a contract extension.
(Top photo: Hemmings, left, and Jimoh-Aloba; Getty Images)
