Aston Villa Academy: Caleb Chukwuemeka struggles to find goal-scoring boots at Crawley Town
Aston Villa youngster Caleb Chukwuemeka’s struggles at Crawley Town have continued to grow ever more despairing, with his time at the club slowly drawing to a close.
Since his move to the League Two club in the summer on a loan-to-buy deal, the 20-year-old is yet to find the back of the net in what has proven a disappointing season.
After moving to Aston Villa from Northampton Town in August 2021, Chukwuemeka made a quick impression at Bodymoor Heath, scoring seven goals and assisting eight more in 12 games for the Under-23s side.
Chukwuemeka made his Villa debut as a substitute for his brother in the 6-0 EFL Cup victory over Barrow last season but was then sent out to Livingstone for the second half of the season, partly due to a glowing endorsement from Villa captain John McGinn.
During his time with the Scottish Premiership club, the Austrian-born youngster picked up eight appearances without scoring a goal.
His younger brother Carney was subject to a £20million transfer to Chelsea in the summer after turning down a contract offer from Villa, and it now seems the club are set to lose their second Chukwuemeka in as many years.
With just 12 months of his contract remaining, Villa allowed the forward to make a move to the Red Devils with an obligation to buy him at the end of his season-long loan.
Upon snapping up the highly-touted attacker, Crawley Town manager described Caleb as a “real coup” for the club given his ability as a “versatile forward who can play anywhere across the front line.”
After making his debut two days after his move, in a 2-2 draw against Salford City, the striker has featured just four more times since, as he continues to face the harsh realities of the football league.
Although his spell at Aston Villa has been a short one, you can’t but feel what could have been with Caleb Chukwuemeka. A striker with bags of potential who can’t seem to shift himself out of the shadow of Carney.
In other Aston Villa news, here are three things we learned from Aston Villa’s 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.