It was a decent weekend of football for both teams from the second city last weekend with both sides picking up wins away from home against decent opposition. Villa seems to be carrying on where they left off last season, and The Blues are on track to get themselves back into the championship with a strong start to their campaign. They haven’t lost a game in three games yet. Villa is undefeated too but they are only one game into the season. Anyway, let’s take a look at the latest football news.
Kane Taylor Returns To Villa Park
We will start off with a homecoming as one of our younger prospects has seen the light and returned home to Villa Park. Like a prodigal son if you will. Securing the return of Kane Taylor is a bit of a coupe for The Villans. The promising 19-year-old midfielder initially came through Villa’s youth ranks before moving to Manchester City in 2019, and I personally feel this is a decent bit of business. It remains unclear whether he will play for the academy or head out on loan, but this one may well pay off in the future.
Taylor signed a scholarship with Manchester City in 2021 and progressed to their Under-18s, making eight appearances in the U18 Premier League and four in Premier League 2 during the 2021/22 season. His development continued as he made 16 appearances in the Premier League 2 during the 2022/23 season, followed by an impressive 19 appearances with four goals in the same league last season. Taylor also stood out in the UEFA Youth League, contributing to nine goals in six appearances. In addition to his role as a central midfielder, Taylor is versatile enough to play in defence. Despite his progress, he has yet to make his senior debut, but having an up-and-coming utility player on the books is certainly not something to sniff at.
Blues Bring Back Arsenal Man
Keeping with the theme of returns Birmingham City has also welcomed back a former player, this time though in a coaching role. Julian Gray, who played for the club between 2004 and 2007 has been appointed as the new head coach for the Under-15s.
During his time with Birmingham, Gray experienced a bit of a mixed bag of emotions. He was part of the team that suffered relegation but was also instrumental in helping the team secure immediate promotion back to the Premier League under former manager Steve Bruce. His playing career also saw him turn out for clubs like Crystal Palace, Coventry City, and Walsall, before finishing his career with an unexpected stint in Cyprus. I bet the weather was nice though.
After retiring from playing in 2014, Gray transitioned into coaching, earning his UEFA A License qualification. He initially returned to Arsenal, the club where he began his career, and served as the Under-18s assistant coach from the summer of 2021. Now, Gray has returned to Birmingham City, joining the club’s ongoing academy revamp under Knighthead’s leadership. The club is striving to regain its Category One status, and Gray’s experience is seen as a valuable asset in this effort. Developing youth especially further down the football pyramid is the key to success and stability so this is a shrewd bit of business from the blues.
That brings us to the end of the news, but keep your eyes peeled for more.
