Aston Villa starlet set for Chelsea medical ahead of transfer

Chelsea’s controversial policy surrounding youth players is well-documented. A loan-centric view has been employed by the club since Roman Abramovich’s takeover and eventual exit.

Whether this will remain the case under new owner Todd Boehly remains to be seen, but the Russian oligarch’s successor, who is intent on manning the ship relatively unaccompanied, has ensured his side’s transfer business isn’t purely short-sighted.

The signing of Kalidou Koulibaly could be labelled as the latter. At 31 years old, many assumed the opportunity to ply his trade in the Premier League had come and gone.

For Carney Chukwuemeka the journey to do so has only just begun. The latest youngster to graduate Aston Villa’s famed academy with a swarm of anticipation surrounding his progress, Chukwuemeka started his career with Northampton Town before joining Villa aged 12.

He quickly rose through the ranks, winning an FA Youth Cup in the process, before making his Premier League debut against Brentford last season.

Chukwuemeka, a central midfielder by trade, went on to make 12 appearances in 2021/22 with only two coming from the start under managers Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard.

The ambitious 18-year-old undoubtedly hoped for a more prominent role, leading him to put talks of a new contract on hold. As a result of the player’s reluctance to commit, Gerrard left him out of Villa’s pre-season tour.

What Steven Gerrard had to say about Carney Chukwuemeka

"“Carney is yet to sign a contract offer that has been in place for some time now. I’ve decided the best thing for him would be to continue his training programme back at Bodymoor,” Gerrard told Villa TV.“We believe this is the right place for him. If anyone else thinks it’s not, then I would like to sit in front of them and discuss it. We don’t see a problem. He’s got 18 months left on his deal, we just need to let the kid play football.”Via: The Mirror"

Gerrard is preparing to build upon his underwhelming start to life in the West Midlands which saw Villa finish 12th.

The former Liverpool man’s pulling power has been for all to see with the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara all joining the club.

A clear tactical approach has been less prevalent, and although the causal factor for this is unclear, higher-ups at Villa Park will be looking to put their head coach in a position where the only variable is his management ability.

Chelsea agree deal with Aston Villa for Chukwuemeka

With Aston Villa seemingly forced into a corner by Chukwuemeka, on Tuesday, news surfaced that a bid of £15m plus add-ons potentially rising to £20m had been accepted from Chelsea.

Fabrizio Romano has followed up on initial reports, stating that the England youth international will undergo a medical today and a contract until June 2028 is set to be signed.

It is no doubt the outcome that the Villa faithful dreaded might come to fruition. While members of the board will be thankful that they have managed to accrue a return for their prospect, supporters weren’t allowed to see the full potential of their homegrown talent in action.

The consensus is that Chukwuemeka will go on to achieve great things wherever he is, however, the career paths of Chelsea’s young players in comparison to that of Aston Villa do raise some questions.

Now England international and Premier League champion Jack Grealish is an example of the platform Villa provide their talent to build from, as well as Jacob Ramsey, who is going from strength to strength in claret and blue.

Alike Grealish, Chukwuemeka could have been offered assurances that if an approach from an elite side arrived in the future it would be accepted. The fact this avenue hasn’t been explored suggests the relationship between himself and the club’s hierarchy has become fraught.