After capturing Unai Emery’s attention at Villa Park, Omari Kellyman might be someone to keep an eye on at Aston Villa.
Those close to the 18-year-old midfielder have classified his development over the previous year as “exceptional,” according to a story published by The Athletic on Wednesday, October 18.
The news source went on to say that as the England U-19 international keeps making an impression at the club, there’s a feeling that his tactical and technical knowledge of the game has “elevated markedly.”
Kellyman was signed by Villa in March 2022 for a contract that reportedly paid out around £600,000 after spending ten years playing in the Derby County system.
Although the League One team didn’t want to see one of their best players go Pride Park, at the time it was thought to be an essential step to keep the team solvent and cover staff salaries.
He has continued to grow after signing his first professional deal with the team in September 2022, therefore the Villans have gained from their loss.
Following his early-season success with the U-18s, the attacking midfielder was promoted to the U-21s squad, where he went on to score three goals and dish out two assists in ten Premier League 2 matches.
This season, he got off to a fast start, scoring four goals in two Premier League 2 games to catch Emery’s eye.
In the second leg of the Europa Conference League qualifications against Hibernian in August, the adolescent was given his first-team debut by the Villa manager. He played the full ninety minutes and contributed an assist.
In the Carabao Cup match against Everton last month, he again played off the bench, but he was unable to stop his team from losing 2-1 and losing the competition.
Despite not having made his Premier League debut just yet, he has been added to the bench three times already this year, and it seems like a matter of time until that happens.
Villa has adopted a somewhat different strategy when it comes to their youth players; as evidenced by the buy-back clauses attached to the sales of academy products Cameron Archer, Jaden Philogene, and Aaron Ramsey.
Those moves helped Villa Park’s finances balance as Emery tried to sign some more big-name players in the summer.
Later on, it will be interesting to watch how the team handles players like Kellyman, but for now, he just wants to get more playing time for the first squad.
His progress over the next year or so will undoubtedly be fascinating to watch, as it sounds like he could have a great future in the game.
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