The summer transfer window for English clubs officially closed at the start of this month but Aston Villa were still able to offload one of their players last week.
Who has left Aston Villa this summer?
Philippe Coutinho became the 11th player to depart from the Villans this summer after he recently completed a season-long loan to Al Duhail.
Viljami Sinisalo
Loan
Philippe Coutinho
Loan
Morgan Sanson
Loan
Jed Steer
Permanent
Wesley
Permanent
Jaden Philogene
Permanent
Ashley Young
Permanent
Keinan Davis
Permanent
Cameron Archer
Permanent
Aaron Ramsey
Permanent
Marvelous Nakamba
Permanent
Unai Emery has been ruthless with his squad building and has allowed a number of players to move on, including some promising young talents, with the former Barcelona man proving to be the latest to make way.
The transfer window may be closed but the Villans head coach could unearth a player who could be like a new signing for Villa in the form of academy starlet Omari Kellyman, who has already made his first-team debut.
How old is Omari Kellyman?
Kellyman is a 17-year-old attacking midfielder who has been playing for the club’s U21 side this year, despite still being eligible to play for the U18 squad.
The talented maestro seemingly caught Emery’s eye during pre-season as the Spanish head coach opted to select the youngster against Hibernian in their Europa Conference League qualifier last month.
Kellyman has showcased his big potential at such a young age and could be a future ace for the Villans, which is what Ashley Preece hinted at when the journalist dubbed him a “star in the making” earlier this year.
Coutinho’s exit could now provide him with more opportunities to display his quality at first-team level, without being needed to emerge as a regular starter throughout the campaign.
How many games did Coutinho play for Villa?
The Brazil international has played 22 Premier League matches for the club since the start of last season and his bit-part role could be perfect for Kellyman’s first year of senior involvement.
It would allow him to gain vital experience being around Emery’s squad whilst also getting the odd chance to show off his ability on the pitch when required, whether that is off the bench or from the start if injuries and suspensions rule out the frontline options.
Coutinho, who has played 43 games for Villa in all competitions since his initial loan move from Barcelona in January 2021, failed to make a consistent impact on the pitch after making his permanent switch last summer.
The 31-year-old averaged an unimpressive Sofascore rating of 6.66 across 20 Premier League clashes during the 2022/23 campaign. 17 players within the squad averaged a higher rating than the ex-Liverpool maestro, which shows that he was far away from being one of the team's top performers.
Coutinho was unable to showcase the best of his abilities as he ended the season with one goal and zero assists to his name. He also failed to create a single 'big chance' for his teammates and provided a measly 0.4 key passes per game.
To put that into context, ten Villa players managed more key passes per match than Coutinho, illustrating how little he offered at the top end of the pitch as the Brazilian was not among the side's top creators.
Therefore, it makes sense that Emery was willing to allow him to depart on loan as the experienced technician was not offering enough on the pitch to make him a viable first-team option.
Kellyman, however, is a player who has the potential to make the step up to be an upgrade on Coutinho, or at least the version of him who played last season.
How many goals has Omari Kellyman scored for Aston Villa?
The 17-year-old has racked up ten goals for the club's academy sides to date but is yet to score his first goal at senior level, although the talented teenager has only played one match for Emery's team so far.
He made the move to Villa Park from Derby County in 2022 for a reported fee of £600k as the Villans took advantage of the then-Championship side's need for funds to secure one of their promising young talents.
Kellyman slotted straight into the U18 team and initially struggled during the second half of the 2021/22 campaign as he produced one goal and one assist in nine outings.
The versatile ace, who can play out wide or in a central or attacking midfield position, then managed five goals and five assists in 22 matches for the U18 and U21 sides combined last season. This showed that the exciting talent is capable of delivering goals and assists on a regular basis, something Coutinho struggled with on both fronts in the Midlands.
He then started the current campaign on fire for the U21s with a stunning four goals in two Premier League 2 matches against Southampton and Manchester City last month, which seemingly caught Emery's eye and led to his first-team bow against Hibernian.
The Villa academy prospect recorded a Sofascore rating of 7.1 and played the full 90 minutes against the Scottish side in the Europa Conference League qualifier as he registered one assist, for Leon Bailey, and created two chances for his teammates in total.
Amazingly, Kellyman matched Coutinho's number of goal involvements (one) in his 24 matches since the start of last season on his debut for the club.
The former Derby prodigy's academy form this term also suggests that the potential is there for him to add goals to his game at first-team level if he can translate his performances over to the senior setting.
His impressive outing against Hibs and his production for the youth team indicates that Kellyman could be a fantastic option for Emery to call upon when needed this season, particularly if the likes of Bailey, Ollie Watkins, or Moussa Diaby suffer an injury.
Indeed, by unleashing Kellyman as a regular member of the first-team squad, the Spanish head coach could already have his dream replacement for Coutinho.