Aston Villa vs West Brom: Two clubs battling for supremacy in the same talent pool
Scouting networks circle one another in the Midlands.
The catchment area is broad and diverse, with several clubs competing for inner-city talent. Increasingly, however, a common direction of travel has emerged — staff and players moving from West Bromwich Albionto Aston Villa.
In the last five years, Villa have signed over a dozen young players from their neighbours directly, with others, such as Lino Sousa, Louie Barryand Morgan Rogers, taking detours before joining. In addition, a number of scouts and key academy staff have left West Brom to join Villa, significantly impacting the foundations at both clubs.
This month, Villa signed 16-year-old Max Jenner from West Brom, five months after Keilan Quinn, another highly-rated teenager, moved in the same direction for £1million ($1.3m). Both players received interest from elsewhere but wanted to remain close to home and viewed Villa as the most conducive environment, signing scholarship deals in July.
Other examples include Finn Azaz, Tim Iroegbunam, Chisom Afoka, Triston Rowe, Rico Richards (who made his West Brom Championship debut in March 2023 but signed for Villa four months later) Luka Lynch and Jamaldeen Jimoh.
The defection of academy manager Mark Harrison to Villa in June 2019 served as the watershed departure. Harrison had been a senior figure in charge of Albion’s academy for 13 years and laid fruitful foundations alongside technical director Dan Ashworth, who is now Manchester United’s sporting director.
Harrison’s work was lauded at West Brom, developing a structure that punched above its weight. The success stories were underpinned by local recruitment, building good relationships with junior clubs, and the work of Ashworth and head of player identification Steve Hopcroft.
Harrison was responsible for bringing through Saido Berahinoand Izzy Brown, with other graduates such as Romaine Sawyers, Kemar Roofe, Rogers and Nathan Ferguson — all young teenagers from the West Midlands — sold for money that helped to prop Albion up.
When Harrison joined Villa, his aim was to put the academy back on an upward trajectory following a period of flatlining. He was supported financially by the incoming owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris who, alongside chief executive Christian Purslow, intended to provide resource for youth recruitment.
Gradually, West Brom colleagues moved across. Hopcroft joined later, while head of academy goalkeeping Mark Naylor and head of coaching and development Ryan Maye reunited with Harrison along with Mike Scott, head of youth development.
Harrison and Hopcroft have continued to work in tandem at Villa. They are seen as having complementary skill sets, with Harrison described by sources, who wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships, as upfront and straight down the line in his organisational ability.
Hopcroft’s remit was to identify the best talent and he is regarded as energetic and engaging, helping to strike up relationships with junior teams in the region and player families. Together, both were fundamental in West Brom keeping hold of their top players for the best part of a decade.
The pair recognised the importance of making West Brom attractive for young players. The idea was to outline a pathway into the first team from an early age, guarding against the temptation of being prised away at 16 before scholarship forms. They would sign the best under-8s and under-9s, some of whom had been offered contracts at Birmingham City and Villa but whose preference was to join West Brom.
Intermediaries and scouts who spoke to The Athleticsay the pair’s attention to detail and the Birmingham region was their unique selling point. In some ways, life was made easier by some of their competitors’ dysfunction. It was described as “the stars aligning” at points, with Villa seen as being nonchalant in their recruitment, Birminghamin ownership turmoil and Wolvesundergoing regular staff upheaval. Consequently, West Brom could capitalise through continuity of staff and a combination of solid talent-spotting and coaching.
But power shifted upon Harrison’s move to Villa. A steady stream of players and coaches started to leave West Brom, including Rogers to Manchester Cityand Barry to Barcelona. West Brom’s grievances were at their highest following Barry’s return to England six months later, when he reunited with Harrison at Villa in January 2020, the club the player and his family supported, for just under £1million.
Albion complained to FIFA, claiming €130,000 (£110,000) in ‘training compensation’ from Barcelona, having signed Barry when he was six. The club told a judge from FIFA’s dispute resolution chamber they had offered Barry a scholarship agreement in 2017 and it was accepted by his parents when their son was 13. However, FIFA ruled they had failed to formally offer Barry a scholarship in 2019, when he turned 16.
In the same summer Barry departed, Rogers left for Manchester City in a deal worth £4million.
West Brom required investment to keep the first team competitive under incoming manager Slaven Bilic, crucial to aiding an immediate promotion push to get from the Championship. Despite Rogers’ exit leaving a sour taste in the mouth, West Brom were vindicated in the short term, reaching the Premier Leaguethe following year.
Among Rogers’ influences at youth level were Harrison and Hopcroft, who first identified him as a nine-year-old. Both rated Rogers highly and viewed him as the best academy player they had worked with and he was eventually sold for a club-record figure. While the decision to sanction Rogers’ exit was out of their hands, owing to first-team decision-makers, they remained firm backers. Rogers credits Harrison as a key figure in his development.
The impression from multiple sources involved in deals is that West Brom were slow in offering contracts and offering clarity on players’ futures. It left them vulnerable to having players picked off, with Azaz a case in point. Less than a year after making his senior debut for West Brom, a club he had played for since the age of nine, Azaz moved to Villa in 2021.
It should be noted that this was at a time when West Brom were under a different staff and ownership, with the new regime under Shilen Patel now inheriting a first-team squad that includes several academy players on long-term contracts. This suggests the rectifying of past mistakes, with West Brom now far more effective at holding onto their youngsters. Goalkeeper Alex Palmer, and Tom Fellows, the 20-year-old forward, for example, are homegrown and regarded as considerable assets.
During an interview with The Athletic, Azaz said he initially wanted to stay at West Brom. Instead, he left for Villa, who would end up selling the 23-year-old for £2.5million to Middlesbrough, banking the money as pure bookable profit.
“It was a complicated situation,” Azaz said. “I always wanted to play for West Brom. It’s a shame that didn’t happen. I felt I wasn’t wanted at the time. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know, but I was coming back from my loan at Cheltenham Town and there was an issue with the contract situation. I was then able to move to Villa on a free and Mark is part of the reason why.
“It was tough because people didn’t know the true story which was they didn’t send me my contract before the deadline. I became a free agent and I still wanted to try and sort something out at West Brom but, for whatever reason, we weren’t able to do that.”
Iroegbunam moved to Villa at the end of his scholarship. A source involved in the deal said West Brom, despite Iroegbunam winning academy player of the season, was offered a contract perceived to be below his value, with Villa signing the midfielder for around £500,000 in 2022. Two years later, Iroegbunam has left to join Evertonfor £9m, although West Brom had inserted a sell-on clause, as they have done with other players, meaning they received further compensation.
Highly rated 18-year-old Rowe joined at under-15 level after turning down an extension at West Brom. The right-back, who has been training with Villa’s under-21s this pre-season, visited clubs in London and in the northwest of England but decided on Villa.
Sousa reunited with Harrison and Hopcroft in January this year. The full-back had long been highly thought of and, having left West Brom for Arsenaltwo years earlier, was entering the final six months of his contract. Push came to shove and Arsenal knew they had to sell Sousa, fielding interest from multiple clubs in Europe.
An emotional pull played its part. Sousa arrived in England from Portugal as a young child, settling in Wolverhampton. Returning to the Midlands appealed, helped by the academy staff’s knowledge of him, his family and representatives. Villa finalised an agreement for Sousa, a player who the club hold high hopes for later down the line. In the short term, the 19-year-old is expected to head out on loan.
The value of partnerships for inner-city clubs is paramount and the sense is that, under Harrison and Hopcroft, Villa do a better job at maintaining them than West Brom. Several agents contacted for this article said they remain keen on moving young players to Villa, citing the club’s communication as a key factor, with clear plans for each player.
At The Hawthorns, Harrison and staff established relationships with local partner teams such as CS Colts, Phoenix United and West Brom All Stars. While this has been undoubtedly helped by local scouts who have knowledge of West Brom and the Midlands joining Villa, Harrison invested time in developing connections with players and parents.
In recent times, academy recruitment has acted as a release valve when Villa have felt the pressure of profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Over the past three years, Villa have raised around £180million from academy sales, including the £100m Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish.
Villa are not afraid to sell homegrown talent. That makes them an attractive option for a young player shaping their career. Ideally, however, Villa would like some of their departing academy players to have flourished in the first team, with sources close to the situation name-checking Omari Kellyman, who left for Chelseain a £19million deal, and Jaden Philogene. Villa staff, including Emery, did not want to lose Kellyman.
However, in a changing, PSR-influenced landscape, there is an acceptance that if a player does not break through immediately, the likelihood is they will need to be moved on. Academy staff base their work on key performance indicators, which are to provide first-team players but, failing that, provide value to Villa through sales.
Meanwhile, West Brom will hope the new ownership can continue to turn their academy fortunes around, reducing the threat of Villa and other clubs picking off their best players. Yet, for the time being, that direction of travel appears to remain an all too common problem.
Aston Villa vs West Brom: Two clubs battling for supremacy in the same talent pool
Scouting networks circle one another in the Midlands.
The catchment area is broad and diverse, with several clubs competing for inner-city talent. Increasingly, however, a common direction of travel has emerged — staff and players moving from West Bromwich Albionto Aston Villa.
In the last five years, Villa have signed over a dozen young players from their neighbours directly, with others, such as Lino Sousa, Louie Barryand Morgan Rogers, taking detours before joining. In addition, a number of scouts and key academy staff have left West Brom to join Villa, significantly impacting the foundations at both clubs.
This month, Villa signed 16-year-old Max Jenner from West Brom, five months after Keilan Quinn, another highly-rated teenager, moved in the same direction for £1million ($1.3m). Both players received interest from elsewhere but wanted to remain close to home and viewed Villa as the most conducive environment, signing scholarship deals in July.
Other examples include Finn Azaz, Tim Iroegbunam, Chisom Afoka, Triston Rowe, Rico Richards (who made his West Brom Championship debut in March 2023 but signed for Villa four months later) Luka Lynch and Jamaldeen Jimoh.
The defection of academy manager Mark Harrison to Villa in June 2019 served as the watershed departure. Harrison had been a senior figure in charge of Albion’s academy for 13 years and laid fruitful foundations alongside technical director Dan Ashworth, who is now Manchester United’s sporting director.
Harrison’s work was lauded at West Brom, developing a structure that punched above its weight. The success stories were underpinned by local recruitment, building good relationships with junior clubs, and the work of Ashworth and head of player identification Steve Hopcroft.
Harrison was responsible for bringing through Saido Berahinoand Izzy Brown, with other graduates such as Romaine Sawyers, Kemar Roofe, Rogers and Nathan Ferguson — all young teenagers from the West Midlands — sold for money that helped to prop Albion up.
When Harrison joined Villa, his aim was to put the academy back on an upward trajectory following a period of flatlining. He was supported financially by the incoming owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris who, alongside chief executive Christian Purslow, intended to provide resource for youth recruitment.
Gradually, West Brom colleagues moved across. Hopcroft joined later, while head of academy goalkeeping Mark Naylor and head of coaching and development Ryan Maye reunited with Harrison along with Mike Scott, head of youth development.
Harrison and Hopcroft have continued to work in tandem at Villa. They are seen as having complementary skill sets, with Harrison described by sources, who wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships, as upfront and straight down the line in his organisational ability.
Hopcroft’s remit was to identify the best talent and he is regarded as energetic and engaging, helping to strike up relationships with junior teams in the region and player families. Together, both were fundamental in West Brom keeping hold of their top players for the best part of a decade.
The pair recognised the importance of making West Brom attractive for young players. The idea was to outline a pathway into the first team from an early age, guarding against the temptation of being prised away at 16 before scholarship forms. They would sign the best under-8s and under-9s, some of whom had been offered contracts at Birmingham City and Villa but whose preference was to join West Brom.
Intermediaries and scouts who spoke to The Athleticsay the pair’s attention to detail and the Birmingham region was their unique selling point. In some ways, life was made easier by some of their competitors’ dysfunction. It was described as “the stars aligning” at points, with Villa seen as being nonchalant in their recruitment, Birminghamin ownership turmoil and Wolvesundergoing regular staff upheaval. Consequently, West Brom could capitalise through continuity of staff and a combination of solid talent-spotting and coaching.
But power shifted upon Harrison’s move to Villa. A steady stream of players and coaches started to leave West Brom, including Rogers to Manchester Cityand Barry to Barcelona. West Brom’s grievances were at their highest following Barry’s return to England six months later, when he reunited with Harrison at Villa in January 2020, the club the player and his family supported, for just under £1million.
Albion complained to FIFA, claiming €130,000 (£110,000) in ‘training compensation’ from Barcelona, having signed Barry when he was six. The club told a judge from FIFA’s dispute resolution chamber they had offered Barry a scholarship agreement in 2017 and it was accepted by his parents when their son was 13. However, FIFA ruled they had failed to formally offer Barry a scholarship in 2019, when he turned 16.
In the same summer Barry departed, Rogers left for Manchester City in a deal worth £4million.
West Brom required investment to keep the first team competitive under incoming manager Slaven Bilic, crucial to aiding an immediate promotion push to get from the Championship. Despite Rogers’ exit leaving a sour taste in the mouth, West Brom were vindicated in the short term, reaching the Premier Leaguethe following year.
Among Rogers’ influences at youth level were Harrison and Hopcroft, who first identified him as a nine-year-old. Both rated Rogers highly and viewed him as the best academy player they had worked with and he was eventually sold for a club-record figure. While the decision to sanction Rogers’ exit was out of their hands, owing to first-team decision-makers, they remained firm backers. Rogers credits Harrison as a key figure in his development.
The impression from multiple sources involved in deals is that West Brom were slow in offering contracts and offering clarity on players’ futures. It left them vulnerable to having players picked off, with Azaz a case in point. Less than a year after making his senior debut for West Brom, a club he had played for since the age of nine, Azaz moved to Villa in 2021.
It should be noted that this was at a time when West Brom were under a different staff and ownership, with the new regime under Shilen Patel now inheriting a first-team squad that includes several academy players on long-term contracts. This suggests the rectifying of past mistakes, with West Brom now far more effective at holding onto their youngsters. Goalkeeper Alex Palmer, and Tom Fellows, the 20-year-old forward, for example, are homegrown and regarded as considerable assets.
During an interview with The Athletic, Azaz said he initially wanted to stay at West Brom. Instead, he left for Villa, who would end up selling the 23-year-old for £2.5million to Middlesbrough, banking the money as pure bookable profit.
“It was a complicated situation,” Azaz said. “I always wanted to play for West Brom. It’s a shame that didn’t happen. I felt I wasn’t wanted at the time. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know, but I was coming back from my loan at Cheltenham Town and there was an issue with the contract situation. I was then able to move to Villa on a free and Mark is part of the reason why.
“It was tough because people didn’t know the true story which was they didn’t send me my contract before the deadline. I became a free agent and I still wanted to try and sort something out at West Brom but, for whatever reason, we weren’t able to do that.”
Iroegbunam moved to Villa at the end of his scholarship. A source involved in the deal said West Brom, despite Iroegbunam winning academy player of the season, was offered a contract perceived to be below his value, with Villa signing the midfielder for around £500,000 in 2022. Two years later, Iroegbunam has left to join Evertonfor £9m, although West Brom had inserted a sell-on clause, as they have done with other players, meaning they received further compensation.
Highly rated 18-year-old Rowe joined at under-15 level after turning down an extension at West Brom. The right-back, who has been training with Villa’s under-21s this pre-season, visited clubs in London and in the northwest of England but decided on Villa.
Sousa reunited with Harrison and Hopcroft in January this year. The full-back had long been highly thought of and, having left West Brom for Arsenaltwo years earlier, was entering the final six months of his contract. Push came to shove and Arsenal knew they had to sell Sousa, fielding interest from multiple clubs in Europe.
An emotional pull played its part. Sousa arrived in England from Portugal as a young child, settling in Wolverhampton. Returning to the Midlands appealed, helped by the academy staff’s knowledge of him, his family and representatives. Villa finalised an agreement for Sousa, a player who the club hold high hopes for later down the line. In the short term, the 19-year-old is expected to head out on loan.
The value of partnerships for inner-city clubs is paramount and the sense is that, under Harrison and Hopcroft, Villa do a better job at maintaining them than West Brom. Several agents contacted for this article said they remain keen on moving young players to Villa, citing the club’s communication as a key factor, with clear plans for each player.
At The Hawthorns, Harrison and staff established relationships with local partner teams such as CS Colts, Phoenix United and West Brom All Stars. While this has been undoubtedly helped by local scouts who have knowledge of West Brom and the Midlands joining Villa, Harrison invested time in developing connections with players and parents.
In recent times, academy recruitment has acted as a release valve when Villa have felt the pressure of profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Over the past three years, Villa have raised around £180million from academy sales, including the £100m Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish.
Villa are not afraid to sell homegrown talent. That makes them an attractive option for a young player shaping their career. Ideally, however, Villa would like some of their departing academy players to have flourished in the first team, with sources close to the situation name-checking Omari Kellyman, who left for Chelseain a £19million deal, and Jaden Philogene. Villa staff, including Emery, did not want to lose Kellyman.
However, in a changing, PSR-influenced landscape, there is an acceptance that if a player does not break through immediately, the likelihood is they will need to be moved on. Academy staff base their work on key performance indicators, which are to provide first-team players but, failing that, provide value to Villa through sales.
Meanwhile, West Brom will hope the new ownership can continue to turn their academy fortunes around, reducing the threat of Villa and other clubs picking off their best players. Yet, for the time being, that direction of travel appears to remain an all too common problem.