22-year-old Sarkic was promoted to third-choice goalkeeper back in January following the season-ending injury to No.1 Tom Heaton after he enjoyed a successful spell at Livingston before being recalled in the New Year.<\/p>\n
The Montenegrin supported both Pepe Reina and Orjan Nyland<\/a> on matchdays as Villa secured their Premier League status for another year, but without a pathway to the first team in the foreseeable future, Sarkic has since made way for a new crop of exciting goalkeepers at Villa Park<\/p>\n From Finnish 19-year-old \u2018keeper Viljami Sinisalo to Hungarian stopper Akos Onodi and new signing, 16-year-old Oliwer Zych, Villa are well stocked in youth sides and in safe hands with an excellent coaching department.<\/p>\n Neil Cutler<\/a>, who heads up goalkeeping at Villa, previously explained how he wants to be coaching the very best, promising goalkeeper goalkeepers from around Europe.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to be the best goalkeeping department in the Midlands, if not the country\u201d, Cutler said.<\/p>\n \u201cGoalkeepers through the system and into the first-team has to be the way forward.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got detailed goalkeeping coaches who believe we can do that. We don\u2019t want to be out spending millions and millions. We want to be developing our own first and foremost.\u201d<\/p>\n When Villa\u2019s new \u00a322 million goalkeeper Emiliano Mart\u00ednez signed<\/a> on in September, it was a real coup by the club \u2013 a transfer mainly exploited by Cutler.<\/p>\n The Argentine explained how starting his next chapter after ten years at Arsenal was never going to be easy.<\/p>\n \u201cI did my research first,\u201d Mart\u00ednez told Villa TV.<\/p>\n \u201cI spoke to many goalkeepers that I know and they only told me good things about him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I spoke to him, he told me the way he works and how he wants me to improve my game. I truly believe his words, that\u2019s why I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n Cutler joined Villa with a track record of improving goalkeepers he\u2019d worked with at Walsall and West Bromwich Albion.<\/p>\n At Walsall, he nurtured a young Neil Etheridge, who played in the Premier League with Cardiff in the 2018-19 campaign and also helped current Bradford City goalkeeper Richard O\u2019Donnell.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s one of the best coaches in the country in my opinion,\u201d O\u2019Donnell told Vital Walsall<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOn a personal note I can\u2019t thank him enough for the work he did with me while I was at Walsall\u2026he took me to the next level, pushed me every day all to make me better.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only is he a great coach, but a great guy and a very good friend. Still, we speak daily and still we speak after games about performances and goals conceded.\u201d<\/p>\n 18-year-old Sinisalo is the No.1 for Villa\u2019s Under-23 side and a regular for the Finland Under-19s. Standing at 6ft 2in tall, Sinisalo started his career in his native Finland with FC Espoo.<\/p>\n He moved to the UK during the 2018\/19 season, aged just 16, and almost immediately became the number one for Villa\u2019s U18s.<\/p>\n Cutler believes the shot-stopper is one of the best of his age anywhere in Europe and after training with Villa\u2019s first-team for over a year on top of making himself the club\u2019s regular first choice at youth level, senior experience north of the border was key for the Fin.<\/p>\n Sinisalo penned a season-long loan deal with Ayr United<\/a> as he looks to build experience of first-team football in the SPFL as Sarkic did with Livingston last season.<\/p>\n Sarkic shone on loan at Livingston in the first half of the 2019\/20 campaign, keeping six clean sheets in 18 Scottish Premiership games, but if Cutler is right in believing Sinisalo is one of the best 18-year-old\u2019s on the continent, Villa could have a star on their hands.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s very calm when he\u2019s stepped in and doesn\u2019t look out of place,\u201d Cutler said recently when speaking to Villa TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you see a young goalkeeper like Viljami who\u2019s got a really good chance to accelerate his learning, he needs to be training with the likes of Pepe Reina, Orjan, Tom and Jed. It will really help him in terms of what he needs to be doing, and to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n The goalkeeper department is an area Ayr manager Mark Kerr was looking to strengthen ahead of the new season. Last term\u2019s number one Ross Doohan is now with Ross County, so Sinisalo will get his fair share of minutes.<\/p>\n Kerr was delighted to get his man before the window slammed shut.<\/p>\n \u201cVilla considers Viljami one of the best of his age, anywhere in Europe\u201d, Kerr said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is extremely highly rated and has been training with the Villa first team for the last year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have had him up to have a look at him and he has shown us the level of his potential and our goalkeeping coach has been hugely impressed by him.\u201d<\/p>\n The Finnish keeper made his move to Ayrshire after lengthy conversations with Villa\u2019s own Scot, John McGinn.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m only 18 so for my career plan it is massive to get these experiences out on loan and play competitive football. It\u2019s completely different to U23s and I\u2019m looking forward to getting these experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cI spoke to John McGinn<\/a> and he also spoke to the gaffer as well. It was really nice to get some encouraging words from a seasoned pro like him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been with the first team at Aston Villa for a good 18 months so I feel like I\u2019ve developed as a player. It\u2019s been great to train with the player\u2019s Villa have and see the quality that everyone has.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Sinisalo, Akos Onodi joined Villa from his homeland after catching the eye as a teenager.<\/p>\n Onodi penned a deal at Villa in 2018, after plying his trade with Eto FC Gyor in his native Hungary.<\/p>\n Onodi had been providing competition for Sinisalo with the Under-18s and Sarkic with the Under-23s development squad before at the start of this season being promoted with his Finish teammate to the under-23s.<\/p>\n The 19-year-old goalkeeper won the U18 Premier League Save of the Season for a sensational reflex save onto the crossbar, denying Arsenal a goal in spectacular fashion last year.<\/p>\n When Onodi joined Villa, he announced his arrival on Twitter, writing: \u201cI\u2019m really glad to get everything sorted and officially become an Aston Villa player. I\u2019m delighted to belong to a club like Aston Villa.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m delighted to belong to a club like @AVFCOfficial<\/a> \u2014 On\u00f3di \u00c1kos (@OnodiAkos) September 29, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Prosoccerglobal, the agency that represents Onodi, added: \u201cMassive congratulations to our friend and Hungarian U18 International GK, Akos Onodi, who has officially transferred to Aston Villa FC.\u201d<\/p>\n The teenager is also capped for Hungary\u2019s Under-16s and Under-17s, so he is certainly rated as an up and coming \u2018keeper in his home nation.<\/p>\n The 16-year-old was a part of Zag\u0142\u0119bie Lubin\u2019s youth system, having joined them from Arki Gdynia in 2018 but continuing to develop his career, Zych is one of several new recruits for Aston Villa\u2019s Under-18 squad.<\/p>\n The Polish Under-16 international has been invited to trials at Arsenal, Liverpool<\/a> and Bayern Munich in years past, but despite not making his debut for Zag\u0142\u0119bie Lubin\u2019s first team, he was on the bench for two Polish Cup games last year.<\/p>\n It\u2019s being reported that Villa paid training and development costs to his former club Lubin, who play in Poland\u2019s top flight. Having played at multiple youth levels for Poland, Zych is well accustomed to the pressures of emerging as a shining light in his homeland.<\/p>\n After Cutler helped scout Finland\u2019s Sinisalo and Hungary\u2019s Onodi, Zych has all the credentials to become a contender for Villa\u2019s first-team in the years to come.<\/p>\n Mark Harrison said upon Zych\u2019s arrival: \u201cThis signing, along with all of our new additions, is the result of a lot of hard work in terms of recruitment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is further evidence of the club\u2019s vision to build a long-term player development strategy, which is backed by Nassef, Wes, Christian and Johan.\u201d<\/p>\n Goalkeeper Zych most recently met up with Poland\u2019s Under-17s for their October internationals.<\/p>\n The post The budding goalkeepers at Bodymoor Heath<\/a> appeared first on AVFC – Avillafan.com – Aston Villa Fansite, Blog, & Forum..<\/a>.<\/p>\nViljami Sinisalo<\/h3>\n
![\"One](\"http:\/\/www.avillafan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Viljami-Sinisalo.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAkos Onodi<\/h3>\n
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![\"🤩\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/13.0.0\/72x72\/1f929.png\")
pic.twitter.com\/VZJJRk3xp8<\/a><\/p>\nOliwer Zych<\/h3>\n
![\"Goalkeeper](\"http:\/\/www.avillafan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zych.jpg\")
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