Signed from Exeter City in the summer, Chrisene was one of seven teenagers Villa signed to begin a new academy overhaul, with player identification and recruitment the main focus.<\/p>\n
Behind the scenes, Villa are quickly becoming one of the more forward-thinking Premier League clubs with a long-term, thorough blueprint in place to create a sustainable pathway for many academy hopefuls at Bodymoor Heath.<\/p>\n
After investing up to \u00a3200 million in transfer dealings since taking over at the club, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are equally invested in improving an academy that has for several years fallen victim to other priorities at Villa Park in previous years.<\/p>\n
While five youngsters were drafted in from Europe in the summer, it was the Exeter born Chrisene that might be the pick of an exciting bunch of promising youngsters.<\/p>\n
The South Coast club who have developed Villa\u2019s record-breaking signing Ollie Watkins<\/a> and Chelsea\u2019s Ethan Ampadu, have a conveyor belt of talent that is showing no signs of letting up.<\/p>\n Chrisene, the youngest player to have made a senior appearance for Exeter, joined Villa\u2019s academy after signing for an undisclosed fee in August<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 16-year-old midfielder has been a shining light in Villa\u2019s U18s after Verity\u2019s side made a positive start to the 2020-21 Premier League campaign \u2013 winning the first five fixtures.<\/p>\n Villa\u2019s intention is to populate their academy sides with some of the best youngsters from across England, and the capture of U15 England international, Chrisene is a statement of intent.<\/p>\n Academy Manager, Mark Harrison alongside Christian Purslow have restructured Villa\u2019s ambitious academy strategy.<\/p>\n After chasing Chrisene for some time, Harrison said<\/a>: \u201cWe are delighted to have secured Ben\u2019s signature. He\u2019s a very talented youngster who we are very pleased to have at the club.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to thank the owners, the Board and the CEO for their support in bringing talent like Ben\u2019s to Aston Villa and for their ongoing backing in helping us to work towards our shared vision of a thriving and successful academy.\u201d<\/p>\n Exeter\u2019s president and director of football and external affairs, Julian Tagg also praised Villa for their professional approach and fairness during the transfer dealing, which saw the Grecians receiving a compensation package.<\/p>\n \u201cWhilst the fee is undisclosed when a possible arbitration fee is considered we are pleased with the valuation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAston Villa have been very professional and fair in their dealings with Exeter City and we as a club would like to acknowledge that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must, of course, thank our coaching staff, in the academy and the first-team environment, for their continued excellent work in producing players of such high quality, but also recognise the hard work and dedication both Ben and his family have shown whilst he has been part of academy and first-team set-up.<\/p>\n \u201cBen is a talented footballer, but also one who works hard and is dedicated to learning and improving. Therefore, he deserves all the success he gets, and we wish him well at Aston Villa and hope he goes on to have a long and successful career at the top of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Chrisene is a product of the youth system at St James Park and made his senior debut for the League Two club last August in the Carabao Cup \u2013 becoming the club\u2019s youngest-ever player to pull on the red and white stripes.<\/p>\n Exeter\u2019s wonderkid came off the bench to beat Ethan Ampadu\u2019s record, when aged 15 years, 7 months, and 1 day, he came off the bench in the EFL Cup defeat to Coventry City in August.<\/p>\n He then made five more first-team appearances last season, as well as representing England at youth level, so it\u2019s no wonder Villa were keen to snap up the promising midfielder despite interest from Europe\u2019s elite clubs Liverpool, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.<\/p>\n Frank Lampard had invited Chrisene to train with Chelsea, while Southampton were also keen to watch the youngster up close.<\/p>\n After making his record-breaking debut at St. Andrew\u2019s, Exeter boss Matt Taylor praised academy product Chrisene.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s going to play at the top level, it\u2019s as simple as that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat that top level is for Ben, he\u2019s 15 years old, I can\u2019t tell you that yet. But I think he\u2019ll play at a top, top standard of football.<\/p>\n \u201cThe opportunities we give to our academy players are second to none in terms of the country, and possibly worldwide as a football club,\u201d added Taylor, who is a former Exeter captain and ran the club\u2019s Under 23 side before succeeding Paul Tisdale as manager last summer.<\/p>\n \u201cBut there\u2019s a reason we do that. We see the value in it in years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n In recent seasons, the Grecians have earned millions from selling homegrown graduates like Matt Grimes, Watkins and Ampadu, while many more have gone on to forge a career away from Exeter.<\/p>\n There is no shortage of success stories on the South-Coast and the vast amount of youngsters that keep emerging from this productive conveyor-belt of talent is down to meticulous planning and preparation.<\/p>\n In July of 2018, Exeter\u2019s most notable graduate to date, Ampadu, joined German giants RB Leipzig on a season-long loan from Chelsea.<\/p>\n Wales international Ampadu was regarded as one of the brightest talents on these shores prior to his big move to Chelsea. He\u2019s now back in the Premier League on loan with Chris Wilder\u2019s Sheffield United.<\/p>\n The Grecians\u2019 success in producing young players for first teams across Europe is above the average where only five-per-cent of academy players go on to earn a contract as a first-year pro.<\/p>\n Academy Operations & Performance manager, Arran Pough, told Devon Live: \u201cAny positive programme that is going to be successful takes a long time to build. This has been a long time coming and the club has also been so supportive.<\/p>\n \u201cAbove and beyond that, it is the core values that we have got at the club; ensuring that the players develop away from the field and develop as well-rounded young men is key for us.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will never promise a player that signs he will become a professional footballer. We are very honest at the start and manage expectations, but what we will promise is that we will do everything we can to ensure that players develop as people off the pitch, that their Academic studies improve whilst they are with us and we set some characteristics that will allow them to be successful in whatever they do in life.\u201d<\/p>\n Chrisene made five appearances for Exeter last season, appearing in four wins following his debut in August 2019. His cameos in EFL Trophy win against Cheltenham, Newport and Exeter impressed Taylor enough to hand him the first league appearance of his career in a 2-0 win over Cambridge last January, a day short of his 16th birthday.<\/p>\n Whilst admitting his disappointment that Exeter fans won\u2019t be able to see more of their starlet, manager Taylor is pleased to oversee Chrisene\u2019s move to the Midlands.<\/p>\n \u201cBen goes with our best wishes,\u201d said Taylor.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has gone to a Premier League Club, which we are delighted about. However, it is a shame that we are losing our players before we get the chance to really work with them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to balance Ben\u2019s final year in school with his training, within the first-team environment, and his availability for fixtures. So, the move is a great reflection on the work the academy and first-team coaches have done in terms of developing young players but is a shame for the fans because they haven\u2019t really seen Ben Chrisene play.<\/p>\n \u201cHe got a couple of minutes in a home league fixture and came on late in the cup game against Coventry, but he hasn\u2019t had enough appearances to get any relationship with the fans. That is a real shame because it is part and parcel of our club and the fans want to see the young talent coming through.\u201d<\/p>\n Chrisene\u2019s signing is another indication that Villa are serious about generating the next pool of English talent in an academy that is starting to translate savvy recruitment into results on the pitch.<\/p>\n The post The shining light in Aston Villa\u2019s Under-18s<\/a> appeared first on AVFC – Avillafan.com – Aston Villa Fansite, Blog, & Forum..<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Stand](\"http:\/\/www.avillafan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chrisene-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nChrisene an Exeter City record-breaker<\/h3>\n