Travis Patterson goalscoring return for Aston Villa Under-18s may reawaken Spurs transfer interest
Aston Villa academy prospect Travis Patterson made a goalscoring return to action for the Under-18s after a lengthy injury layoff – a cameo that might reawaken Tottenham’s transfer pursuit of the youngster.
The 17-year-old came from the bench to score in extra-time of the 2-0 win against Brighton on Saturday (18 March) – a win that moved the Young Lions off the foot of the Under-18s Premier League South table.
The versatile youngster, who can either play in a deeper left-back role or preferably on the left side of midfield, was continuing his return to fitness after sustaining a stress fracture earlier this season.
As reported by Football Insider [22 April 2022], Spurs were keeping tabs on the rising star and had been to watch Patterson feature for the Aston Villa Under-23s last campaign.
The England Under-17 international has seen his development stalled by a lengthy spell on the Bodymoor Heath medical table recently and made his first appearance for the Under-18s this season against the Seagulls.
It will realistically take a little while for Patterson to get his game back in tip-top shape after such a rough injury, but Spurs scouts will surely be keeping close tabs on his performances over the coming months.
Considering the sheer number of top talents rising through the ranks in the West Midlands setup, the prior transfer pursuit of Patterson by a club of Spurs’ size isn’t surprising.
Chelsea snapped up ex-Villa academy star Carney Chukwuemeka for a pricey looking £20million deal last summer, and this is likely going to be used as an example as to why scouting top talents such as Patterson early on in their careers can save a club vast amounts of money in the long run.
The Villa hierarchy will hope that the starlet can continue his return from injury without any complications and that Spurs stay well away from one of the academy’s next up-and-coming talents.
In other Aston Villa news, the club could climb into the Europa League places if they sign the Premier League midfielder that Emery is “crazy” about.