Aston Villa are at risk of losing a striker from their youth academy who has been compared to Bayern Munich and English international Harry Kane.
There has been one constant in the Unai Emery and Monchi era at Aston Villa, and that is their investment into the future of the football club.
Whether that is signing youngsters such as Kosta Nedeljkovic, Morgan Rogers and Lino Sousa, for instance, or tying down their current stars to new contracts, the importance of the future has been emphasised.
The average age of Villa’s squad in the Premier League is the fifth lowest (25.1) and in their opening-day win against West Ham, the five players they brought off the bench were all aged 23 or under, with 20-year-old Jhon Duran scoring the winner.
Emery’s faith in the stars of the future is unwavering, so he’ll therefore be saddened about the prospect of potentially losing one of his most talented youngsters.
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Rory Wilson’s contract situation at Aston Villa reaches boiling point
Rory Wilson is regarded as one of the club’s most promising talents. The 18-year-old was signed from Rangers in the summer of 2022 and has since plundered an eye-watering 27 goals in 25 matches for Villa’s under-18s before netting seven in 25 for the under-21s.
Dubbed the ‘next Harry Kane’ due to his clinical finishing in front of goal and physical prowess in the box, Villa understandably want to tie down Wilson to a long-term contract.
It is understood that the Villans have submitted several five-year contract offers to the teenager, who has less than 12 months remaining on his current deal.
This puts the Birmingham outfit in a precarious situation as without the striker agreeing on a new contract, they risk losing him for less than what they paid for him two years ago.
Indeed, Villa would be entitled to €270,000 if a foreign category one academy club signed him, paid in three instalments of €90,000, as per Birmingham Live, while A category two academy club would pay a total of €160,000.
Clubs can negotiate with Wilson on January 1st, providing he doesn’t sign a new contract, so the clock is ticking to resolve this situation.
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What Aston Villa must do with Rory Wilson?
For the club and fanbase, it’s concerning that such a talented youngster still hasn’t agreed terms on a new deal at arguably the best time to do so.
Wilson is at a Champions League-level club, where his development has the potential to skyrocket in the youth sides, with the Scottish forward keen on impressing Emery.
In this situation, Villa have to promise a clear pathway into the first team, perhaps not now, but in the next few years as Wilson could be the ideal successor to Ollie Watkins.
The club must also look to send him out on loan, as they did with 20-year-old Lamare Bogarde to Bristol Rovers, as he’s since returned and impressed in pre-season, with Bogarde signing a new contract.
Bogarde is now a fourth-choice defender at Villa Park, behind only Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Diego Carlos in the pecking order.
Wilson must look at Bogarde’s incredible development as inspiration for himself to remain in Birmingham and showcase why he’s regarded as one of England’s most promising gems.
