Chelsea-linked Makise Evans can be Dwight Yorke 2.0 at Aston Villa, Brighton and West Ham also keen on transfer
Stevenage wonderkid Makise Evans is reportedly linked with a move to Aston Villa, Chelsea, Brighton and West Ham in the summer transfer window.
According to the Sun [1 May], the four Premier League sides are keeping a close eye on the 16-year-old who recently broke a record at his club.
He recently became the youngster player in their history to make his senior debut at 16 years 248 days and also holds the record for being the youngest ever player to score for non-league Potters Bar while on loan there in March.
Villa know a thing or two about iconic strikers in the past and not all of them signed for the club in their prime and it was often down to good recruitment.
The best example of this will be Dwight Yorke, who made a name intentionally for himself for his honours at Manchester United.
However, he was also signed by the Villans as a 17-year-old and he went on to spend nine years at the club, scoring 80 goals.
Then manager Graham Taylor scouted the teenager Yorke whilst the team were on a pre-season tour in the Caribbean and it proved to be a signing that will long be remembered by the Aston Villa faithful.
They can achieve a similar feat by signing Evans and the fact that Brighton and Chelsea – two clubs known for sniffing out the best young talents are keen on him – he’s certainly a player worth taking note of.
The Villa under-21s will also do well with having another striker in the team, giving manager Tony Carss multiple options to choose from.
This season, Brad Young has primarily done the heavy lifting in terms of goals, finding the back of the net seven times in the last five games. [Transfermarkt]
On the other hand, Ruben Shakpoke has just scored once in six games and the 19-year-old has struggled to really prove why he deserves to start regularly and eventually make it to the senior team.
Rory Wilson, who moved to Villa Park recently from Rangers has also enjoyed a good start to life at the club in Premier League 2.
He’s bagged four goals and an assist in seven games [FBRef] played and he’s a good example of why it makes sense to invest in good young talents.
By the time Evans joins Villa, he will be 17 and if he’s deemed to be too good for under-18s, then there’s a good chance that he’s placed in the under-21s side.
This is still a move that Johan Lange and co. must explore as Unai Emery is likely to dip into the academy next season if they qualify for Europe as he’ll want to rest his senior players and minutes off the bench could be the way forward for a number of youngsters.
In other Aston Villa news, a Villa sensation could miss up to nine months of action and faces the threat of a potential ACL tear as well.