Done deal: Aston Villa confirm long-awaited transfer as 'highly-rated midfielder' signs
Villa have confirmed a deal that's been in the pipeline for some time.
After an underwhelming transfer window, Villa are looking to invest in the next generation. The latest of which is an Ivorian midfielder who came from the same academy as Emmanuel Eboue, Salomon Kalou, Kolo Toure and Yaya Toure.
Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Mohamed Kone from ASEC Mimosas, as Unai Emery looks to bolster his squad. The young, Ivorian midfielder has featured for his country at under-23 and under-20 level. He became part of the Ivorian side’s first team at club level at the age of just 17 and joined the Villa’s youth ranks in the summer alongside ‘wonderkid’ Fletcher Boyd.
Aston Villa now prepare for their second Europa League match against Feyenoord away from home. De Kuip will bring back fond memories for Villa fans who travelled there in 1982 to watch them win the European Cup. As Emery gears up for that, The Villans have received a huge boost from their under-21 side.
‘Highly rated midfielder’ Mohamed Kone sign for Aston Villa
In a club statement, Kone was described as a ‘highly-rated midfielder’ by Villa, as the youngster was on the radar of clubs across Europe. He spent a number of weeks at Bodymoor Heath before joining the club, where he impressed for Villa under-21s, recently bagging his first competitive goal against Peterborough United in the Vertu Trophy.
In his five Youth Premier League matches he picked up several yellow cards, showing he’s not afraid to get stuck in. Since joining from Mimosas, he’s been a mainstay in Jimmy Shan’s team. Villa currently sit 10th in the under-21s table.
Aston Villa’s ‘productive relationship’ with ASEC
The Kone move came about through Villa’s ‘productive relationship’ between Villa and ASEC. The two club’s have worked closely together for years now, but Unai Emery will be happy to finally see some results as Kone makes his way into the Villa side.
As a symbol of the close relationship, Villa have asked Mimosas if they will compete in matches in the UK as well as in Cairo for their partner club, ZED FC. Kone will try to emulate the recent success of Lamare Bogarde and Kadan Young of making the step up from youth ranks to the first team.
The youngster won’t be the first Ivorian to sign for Villa this year, as Evann Guessand signed from OGN Nice for around £30m in the summer. The winger has made five appearances for The Villans so far and has 11 caps for Cote D’Ivoire at international level. Other prominent Villa stars from Ivory Coast include Jonathan Kodjia and Jores Okore.
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