Aston Villa have another Jhon Duran as Unai Emery waits to unleash wildcard

Aston Villa teenager Brian Madjo could be a wildcard for Unai Emery next season, but his involvement rests entirely on a legal battle against FIFA at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Signed from FC Metz for £10 million back in January, eyebrows were raised at the size of the fee Villa paid for a player who had just turned 17, especially considering their lack of flexibility in the market due to UEFA's financial rules.

Villa's comparatively smaller revenue than the traditional 'big six' makes it difficult for Emery to strengthen his squad every transfer window. However, the club placed its faith in Madjo and Alysson from Grêmio, who also joined for a similar fee.

Alysson's time at the club has so far been stop-start due to injury niggles, while Madjo has yet to feature in a competitive game after FIFA denied Villa's request to register the striker before he turns 18 in January 2027.

The world governing body refused to approve the transfer because Article 19 of its Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players prohibits the international transfer of players under the age of 18.

However, Madjo was born in Enfield, north London, before moving to Luxembourg with his parents, where he was raised, so Villa are hopeful of a positive outcome in their legal dispute.

The striker trained with Emery's first-team squad during the second half of last season following his return to England and played in a friendly against Elche in Spain during the March international break.

It is his three appearances this pre-season, though, that have whetted supporters' appetites to see the young forward bully defenders in the Premier League.

Leading the line against Walsall in Villa's first pre-season outing of the summer, Madjo scored twice in the space of two first-half minutes, showcasing both his strength and finishing ability.

He then received 20 minutes of playing time against FC Porto last weekend before being handed 70 minutes to demonstrate what he could do against experienced La Liga centre-backs Jon Martín and Igor Zubeldia.

Both endured a torrid time against Madjo, who not only scored Villa's equaliser after powering his way into the box before reacting quickest to score, but also forced two Real Sociedad players into bookings as they struggled to contain him.

Despite his age, Madjo is a bruising forward who is exceptionally difficult to handle with his back to goal, as a couple of Spanish players discovered. On more than one occasion, they had little option but to pull him back on the halfway line to halt his progress.

Madjo also won a free-kick on the edge of the box during the first half after another Sociedad defender barged him in the back while attempting to match his physicality.

Although Villa are only three games into their pre-season schedule, Madjo still has another four opportunities to impress. However, he will not be eligible to play in the UEFA Super Cup unless Villa win their battle with FIFA and overturn the registration decision.

For Emery, Madjo could become a unique impact option from the bench next season in a similar way to how Jhon Durán was used during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.

Durán arrived from Chicago Fire in January 2023 as an unknown quantity in the Premier League but quickly showed his willingness to compete physically. Still only 19, he rattled the crossbar against Manchester City at the Etihad in one of his earliest appearances.

By the start of the 2023/24 season, Durán was ready to make his mark, scoring a stunning late winner against Crystal Palace after also finding the net against Everton and Legia Warsaw. He later added goals against Ajax, Manchester City and Liverpool.

While Madjo and Durán are different types of striker, Emery will be acutely aware of the problems the teenager could cause Premier League defences late in games.

Madjo made his first-team debut for Metz in August last season, starting against Strasbourg, managed by Liam Rosenior, before retaining his place in the starting line-up for the following match against Lyon.

He went on to make three further substitute appearances in Ligue 1. At international level, Madjo has also represented England Under-17s on four occasions, scoring in a 2-1 victory over Venezuela last September.

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