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Steven Gerrard sends his best wishes to Carney Chukwuemeka as he completes Aston Villa exit
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has wished Chelsea’s new wonderkid signing Carney Chukwuemeka the best and has labelled the teenager a “big talent”.
The young midfielder has now secured a move away from Villa Park, joining Premier League giants Chelsea in a reported £20m deal [BBC Sport].
However, his former manager has wished him luck at his new club and taken the opportunity to bring attention to the impressive work the Villa youth academy has been doing. [Birmingham Mail]
Gerrard said: “I really enjoyed working with Carney, he’s obviously a big talent, someone who’s got big potential.
“I think the Academy boys and when we came in, we worked ever so hard to work on his development and shape him, try and polish him up, so Chelsea are getting a big talent.
“We wish him well and we move forward.
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“We’ve got a lot of talented players and we’re committed to trying to get as many through, committed to give pathways them to get first-team football.”
The former Liverpool midfielder also revealed that he is happy that the club stuck to their guns and did not place the youngster above the club.
He added: “The door was open for a pathway for Carney, for sure, there was a lot of hard work and attention to try and get him signed up here, but I’m really happy I got the support from the owners, Christian and Johan, and we also needed to set a precedent that no-one is as big as the club or the Academy.
“And if someone isn’t committed or prepared to commit to the club, the supporters and the journey then we have to give them the opportunity to go somewhere else.”
Life after Carney
With the Carney Chukwuemeka transfer saga now officially over, the club can move forward and start to focus on the future.
Gerrard is not wrong when he says the club have other promising youngsters on the books, ready to make an impact in the first team.
The majority of the Premier League is already aware of the talent of Jacob Ramsey, who signed a five-year deal with the Villains in April. [AVFC]
The 20-year-old has already amassed 63 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring six goals and providing two assists, and his new contract will keep him at the club until the year 2027.
Young duo Cameron Archer and Tim Iroegbunam, have also seen their impressive performances at youth level be rewarded with first-team appearances.
Archer looks like to go on loan this season, but Iroegbunam, who is of Nigerian descent, is in line to feature in the first-team this season.
Losing Carney is an undeniable loss, but big players have left Villa Park before and for Aston Villa as a club, life goes on.
In other Aston Villa news, Cameron Archer wants to stay at Aston Villa and fight for his place.