Fabrizio Romano: Man City ‘finalise’ deal to sign exciting Aston Villa defender Freddie Lawrie after deadline day
Man City have continued to strengthen after transfer deadline day
Manchester City have strengthened their academy by finalising a deal to sign a highly-rated prospect from the Aston Villa academy.
The transfer window slammed shut on Monday after a whirlwind summer which saw City land Champions League winning goalkeeper Gianlugi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain and Villa hit the headlines with moves for Jadon Sancho, Harvey Elliott and Victor Lindelof.
The closure of the transfer window means teams now have to wait until January to add to their first team squad unless they are signing players that are currently unattached and without a club. However, this rule does not apply to deals involving academy footballers, therefore facilitating City’s decision to go out and sign a rising Villa star.
Man City complete signing of Aston Villa ace Freddie Lawrie
Manchester City have finalised the signing of Aston Villa centre-back Freddie Lawrie. Lawrie is a 16-year-old defender from Uttoxeter, who has been at Villa since September 2023. He spent time on the books at Port Vale before making his move to the West Midlands and has since progressed to play in the Under-18 Premier League.
Lawrie is believed to be a player of high potential. He’s represented England on nine occasions at Under-16 level and has even found the net once. Villa are renowned for having a strong academy and are the current champions of the FA Youth Cup after beating Man City 3-1 in the final. Lawrie didn’t play in that particular match but was expected to be given more opportunities in the Under-18 team. However, it’s now been confirmed that his future lays in Manchester with Under-18s coach Oliver Reiß after he guided the team to the Northern division title last term.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano confirmed news of the transfer while also revealing that midfielder Dexter Oliver had also been brought in from Tottenham Hotspur’s academy at the same time.
He posted on X: “Manchester City are have finalised the signings of Dexter Oliver and Freddie Lawrie from Tottenham and Aston Villa. Two more signings for #MCFC Academy.”
Have Aston Villa strengthened sufficiently this summer?
Aston Villa fans have experienced one of their most frustrating summers since returning to the top-flight but could well have rescued their window with a late flurry of signings on deadline day. Harvey Elliott in particular looks to be a standout one as he completed a loan move from Liverpool which includes an option to buy for a reasonable price of around £35m. Elliott helped Liverpool win the league last season, has gained bags of experience in the top-flight and European competitions and was the standout performer for England Under-21s as they lifted the Euros under Lee Carsley.
Elliott could slot in nicely to Marco Asensio’s old position behind the striker as a central attacking midfielder due to his eye for a pass and ability to chip in with goals. However, like Morgan Rogers, he’s a multifaceted footballer that can also play on the right-wing due to his speed and ability to run at defenders and create chances by taking people on.
Similarly, Jadon Sancho also offers further attacking firepower. Sancho was once one of the most feared attackers in Europe during his peak years at Borussia Dortmund and despite struggling at Manchester United, did show flickers of quality during his time at Chelsea.
Free agent arrival Victor Lindelof was the least glamorous of the deadline day signings, but one that’s more than capable of filling the role that Axel Disasi played last year as a backup centre back. The Swedish international played 284 times for the Red Devils in total and offers experience of winning silverware such as the League Cup and FA Cup. He’s a 71-cap international and one that could potentially prove a shrewd signing for the club.