View: Where are the Aston Villa 2021 FA Youth Cup winners now?
Aston Villa cemented their position as one of the best academies in the country when the club lifted the FA Youth Cup in 2021.
Goals from Ben Chrisene and Brad Young were enough for the Young Lions to triumph over the Reds 2-1 and pinch the trophy, but where are these crop of rising stars now?
The majority of the Under-18s have either left the club on loan since the win, while a handful have left Aston Villa on a permanent basis.
Filip Marschall – (Goalkeeper)
Marschall has continued to impress for Villa since starting between the sticks in the Youth Cup final win. The 19-year-old was in line for his Premier League debut if Robin Olsen had failed a late fitness test, with Emi Martinez also absent due to the World Cup, but ended up with a spot on the bench.
The Young keeper has captained Poland’s Under-19s in the past few weeks and was sent out on loan to Gateshead in the January transfer window.
Kaine Kesler-Hayden – (Right-back)
Kesler-Hayden has remained one of the brightest gems in the Villa academy in the last two years and impressed while out on loan at Huddersfield Town earlier this season.
Now back at Villa after the club terminated his loan contract, the 20-year-old has drawn rave reviews from those within the club and from the fanbase. The Atheltic’s Dan Bardell even admitted to Villa News that the Englishman’s rise through the club’s ranks mirrors that of Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool.
Lamare Bogarde – (Centre-back)
Bogarde signed a new long-term contract with Villa last summer and is highly regarded within the corridors of power at Villa Park. The 19-year-old jetted out to Australia on the club’s pre-season tour while also taking part in the first team’s warm weather training camp in Dubai during the World Cup.
The Dutch defender was rewarded for his fine form for the Young Lions with a loan move to Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers in the January transfer window.
Sil Swinkels – (Centre-back)
The centre-back was the latest academy player to feature in Unai Emery’s match-day squad as he made the bench for the 3-1 defeat to Manchester City.
This came after a nasty head injury he sustained in the early stages of this season. The Dutch defender has featured over 20 times in the Premier League 2 since the start of last season.
Seb Revan – (Left-back)
Revan hit the headlines last season when he netted a brace for Grimsby in the televised First-Round tie against Bromsgrove Sporting and was soon after granted a loan at Hereford for the remainder of last season.
This term, he has been a permanent fixture in Villa’s academy team – featuring 11 times and picking up two assists in the Premier League 2.
Carney Chukwuemeka – (Midfield)
The midfielder sent chins wagging after the FA Youth Cup final win as Steven Gerrard tried to tie him down to a bumper new contract at Villa Park.
After refusing to sign the new deal, he sealed a transfer to Chelsea last summer for a fee of £20million. Despite not regularly featuring for the struggling Blues, he did impress when coming on for the injured Christian Pulisic against Manchester City earlier this season. Many at Stamford Bridge expect big things from Chukwuemeka.
Hayden Linley – (Midfield)
Linley struggled for consistent minutes at Newport County this season while on loan and has subsequently had his move cut short. The young Englishman only amassed 245 minutes of action with the League Two outfit – starting just two games and coming off the bench in a couple more matches.
Now back at Villa, Linley will look to rebuild his career within the Villa youth setup.
Arjan Raikhy – (Midfield)
Raikhy struggled to impact proceedings at Edgeley Park while on loan at Stockport County last season, but has been one of few academy players to be warranted gamete under Unai Emery.
During the mid-season trip to Dubai, Raikhy played in friendlies against Brighton and Chelsea – picking up a smart assist against Roberto De Zerbi’s side. After not featuring in the first team since, a loan move in the summer wouldn’t come as a surprise.
Ben Chrisene (Midfield)
Versatile defender and midfielder Chrisene has impressed while on loan at Scottish side Kilmarnock this season – which was his first loan move since joining Villa from Exeter City in the summer of 2020.
The 19-year-old features 12 times in the SPL in the early stages of the season before suffering a serious knee injury which has kept him out of action since.
Louie Barry – (Striker)
Although Barry caused a stir with his potent finishing and all-around quality when he joined the club from Barcelona, he has struggled to continue this form since.
After an impressive loan spell at Swindon Town last season, he has failed to follow this up at MK Dons this term. After scoring just one goal from 22 appearances at the League One outfit, he made the step down a league in January to join Salford City on loan.
The young striker will look to get his career back on track with a goalscoring run in League Two and force his way into Emery’s plans at Villa Park.
Brad Young – (Striker)
Young is currently plying his trade at Ayr United in the Scottish Championship, where he has scored two goals in 11 games this term.
The striker proved to be the match-winner for the Young Lions in the 2021 final as he cooly slotted home his penalty to confirm Villa’s triumph.
In other Aston Villa news, the club face competition from Barcelona to secure the signing of a striker at the end of the season.