Samuel Iling-Junior is set to deal a blow to Aston Villa and Leeds United’s hopes after agreeing on a new long-term deal with Juventus.
According to Football Insider, Juventus have agreed on a new long-term deal with Samuel Iling-Junior. The decision from the 19-year-old English winger will kill the hopes of Aston Villa and Leeds United, who were hoping to entice the young prospect back to England.
It has been over two years since highly-rated English prospect Samuel Iling-Junior left the Chelsea academy to join Juventus’s youth setup. The 19-year-old winger felt he had a higher chance of breaking into the senior football setup abroad than in England.
While things have been slow for the young prospect, the period before the World Cup opened up new possibilities. While Juventus remained hopeful of seeing the best of the 19-year-old English winger, he did get a breakthrough in the first team before the break.
Iling-Junior made his Serie A debut in a cameo against Empoli in October and subsequently was involved in another league encounter and a Champions League game. He grabbed an assist in both those clashes, thus earning plaudits for his performances.
An ankle injury right after those appearances cut short his good run in the team, as the 19-year-old English winger remained sidelined as domestic football broke up for the World Cup. His contract with Juventus expires in the summer, and the club were keen on keeping him for the long term.
There seems to have been a breakthrough in talks with the player’s camp, as Iling-Junior is set to agree on a new long-term contract with Juventus. The youngster has attracted the interest of several Premier League clubs, including Tottenham, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Southampton and even Manchester City.
His decision to prolong his stay in Turin will come as a blow for those English clubs, particularly Leeds United and Aston Villa. The Premier League duo were chasing the 19-year-old English winger hard enough to initiate speculation regarding a possible move.
Unai Emery and Jesse Marsch were keen on adding the exciting winger to their ranks, as both managers are bent on bringing in more youth to their setup. Leeds, in particular, have added a host of players to their ranks in the summer and the team looks more energetic this season.
Similarly, Emery is looking at many options, especially from former club Villarreal. Players like Samuel Chukwueze, Yeremy Pino and Alex Baena are all targets for the Aston Villa manager. And Iling-Junior’s name was also on the list.
With the player set to sign a new deal, Aston Villa and Leeds United, among others, will have to wait a few years to get another shot at bringing the 19-year-old English winger back to his homeland. For now, they may continue to monitor his progress at Juventus and ponder their next move based on how he keeps performing.
