Villa hand Youth Cup hero Kaine Kesler five-year pro deal
Teenager Kaine Kesler will get the chance to stake a claim for first-team involvement this season after signing a five-year contract at Villa.
The full-back, who captained the club to glory in last season’s FA Youth Cup final, has been handed a deal through to 2026.
Fellow academy stars Mungo Bridge, Akos Onodi, Viljami Sinisalo, Myles Sohna, DJ Sturridge and Tyreik Wright are also staying at Villa Park after agreeing fresh terms.
But it is Kesler’s deal, the longest ever given by the club to an 18-year-old, which is of most interest.
Kesler, an unused substitute in three Premier League matches last season, will now aim to further impress boss Dean Smith as he trains with the first-team during the opening weeks of pre-season.
Ahmed Elmohamady’s departure has left Matty Cash and Frederic Guilbert as Villa’s senior right-backs, though the latter is entering pre-season with something to prove after spending the second half of last season on loan at Strasbourg.
Kesler will have the chance to push his case for being the primary back-up to first-choice Cash, while Villa also have the option of moving him out on loan to the EFL in order to further build his experience.
League Two Swindon Town have been mooted as a possible loan destination for winger Wright, who spent the second half of last season with Walsall.
