Aston Villa sent several of their youngsters on loan during the summer, including attacking midfielder Tommi O’Reilly.
Like many who sign to an elite academy at an early age, Tommi O’Reilly is dreaming of becoming a first-team hero at Aston Villa.
The first step to achieving that goal is normally flourishing out on loan and Jack Grealish is the most notable example of that strategy working.
Grealish spent the 2013/14 campaign on loan at League One outfit Notts County, where he registered 12 goal involvements in the third tier, and then quickly rose to stardom at Villa Park.
O’Reilly experienced his first loan spell in February 2024, as he joined Villa’s sister club Real Union but only played twice in the Spanish third division.
Now, he’s currently on loan at League One side Shrewsbury Town, with one expert offering insight into how he’s performing.
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How Aston Villa gem Tommi O’Reilly is faring at Shrewsbury Town
O’Reilly is a diminutive attacking midfielder, who earned comparisons to Manchester City star Phil Foden for his Foden-esque playing style from his academy teammates, as per Birmingham Live.
The Englishman has since flourished in Aston Villa’s under-23 side, scoring three and assisting eight times in Premier League 2 last term.
It’s become clear for a while that O’Reilly is too good to play in the underage groups, with the 20-year-old needing to play regular first-team football.
A loan move to Shrewsbury in the summer promised the midfield metronome regular first-team minutes, although he’s only started four times in League One since arriving.
Despite his struggles for game time, journalist Jacob Tanswell explains that Villa’s coaching staff still believe he’s the ‘most technically gifted player’ at Shrewsbury right now.
Speaking on the 1874 Podcast, Tanswell said: “I think he’s suffered in terms of the typical manager is under pressure; you don’t want to play a loan player, you don’t want to play a young player but also, you don’t want to play a player like him who is very creative.
“He’s not this warhorse who is going to dig in, you don’t know what you’re going to get from him yet, purely because he’s not played a lot of games and he’s young.
“But I’ve been speaking to supporters at Shrewsbury, internally, Villa staff as well and they all broadly agree that Tommi O’Reilly is the most technical player at Shrewsbury right now. And I think there’s been a bit of bemusement by the fact he’s not played more.”
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What O’Reilly’s future at Aston Villa looks like
O’Reilly signed a new long-term contract at Villa Park in January, keeping him at the club till the summer of 2028.
The 2003-born midfielder is someone who is highly rated in Birmingham but he’s always going to find it difficult to break into the first-team.
Villa have progressed so much as a club since Unai Emery took charge over two years ago and now it’s harder than ever to make the breakthrough.
| Tommi O’Reilly’s Shrewsbury statistics (League One) | Statistic |
| Appearances | 8 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Minutes played | 400 |
O’Reilly’s favoured position is just off the striker and that is a role Morgan Rogers is currently playing under the Spaniard.
Rogers is only a year older than O’Reilly, who needs to kick on for the rest of the season to perhaps earn a Championship loan in 2025/26.
