Aston Villa face an unsettled start to the season following the exits of Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne. However, the club's recruitment work behind the scenes offers reason for optimism. The arrival of 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo from Metz in January for £10m provides a significant boost to their attacking options.
Madjo, a 6ft4in London-born prospect already capped for Luxembourg, has been cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to play competitive matches. Villa and FIFA had disputed whether the transfer qualified as a domestic or international deal, which would have affected his eligibility given his age. The teenager impressed in pre-season, scoring four goals across friendlies against Walsall, Real Sociedad and Indonesia All Stars, before adding more in a 45-minute appearance against Paris Saint-Germain.
