Aston Villa sign teenage defender Thierry Katsukunya to first professional deal
Teenage defender Thierry Katsukunya has signed his first professional contract at Aston Villa after an impressive start to the season.
The 17-year-old has been instrumental in the Under-18s success so far this season having started three of their four Premier League Under-18 games to date.
Kastukunya signed for the Villans last season from fellow Midlands club Coventry City when he was just 16 but has already made a big impression on the coaches at Bodymoor.
“We are delighted to see Thierry sign his first professional contract,” Academy Manager Mark Harrison said to the club’s official website. “It is recognition of the potential he has displayed and his excellent attitude.
“This has also led to him being involved in our Under-21s and being selected for Wales at Under-17s level. We look forward to seeing how he continues to develop with us.”
Homegrown
Katsukunya might not be an academy graduate in the regular sense having arrived from Coventry last season but if he stays for long enough, he will still be classed as a homegrown player for Aston Villa.
With Brexit rules likely to put a much greater dependence on players coming through a club’s own academy, it is massively beneficial for the Villans to have plenty of talent on the conveyor belt ready to go.
Jacob Ramsey has already proven that the pathway works and is well trodden for the rest of the academy starlets to follow and Katsukunya will want to be one of them.
There are some closer to that elusive first-team appearance such as Cameron archer and Jaden Philogene-Bodace but both have been frustrated so far with the latter leaving on loan.
That might be a path for the teenager to go down if the path is blocked at Villa Park but he is doing everything right so far.
In other Aston Villa news, there is pressure on this Villan to step up and be counted for after problematic injury news emerged on Thursday.