New cohort of Villa scholars welcomed to Under-18s

Aston Villa is pleased to announce the latest intake of youngsters to join the Academy's Under-18 squad ahead of the 2026/27 season.

Find out more on each of our 11 new scholars below…

Pictured left to right: Erin Orebowale, Kairi Ketebu, Jayden Garthwaite, Lennon Moss, Oscar Johnson, Vincely Mudame, Curtis Mitchell, Josh Blake, MJ Iyeli, Daniel Adediran, Olly Lloyd. 

Jayden Garthwaite – Goalkeeper

Jayden joined us in 2023 from Oxford United. He is very good technically and has a fantastic mentality with a real good understanding of the game and a lot of potential.

He has been invited into England goalkeeper training camps over the last two years, also recently being involved in a training camp for Zimbabwe.

MJ Iyeli – Right-Back

MJ joined us from Whitestar grassroots academy in London in 2024, and is a forward-thinking right full-back who likes to get forward and join in our attacks.

He has good technical ability and a great mentality to compete. MJ has shown a very positive attitude to his development since he joined us and demonstrates a real humble attitude, on and off the pitch.

Kairi Ketebu – Centre-Back

Kairi has been with us since Under-9 level, and is a local lad. He is a very competitive player who defends with real purpose and is uncompromising.

Kairi has good athletic qualities which means he can be difficult to play against. With the ball, he has an ability to drive and play into midfield areas, as well as proving a presence in both penalty areas.

Curtis Mitchell – Centre-Back

Curtis joined us as an Under-9 and is a local lad. He has very good technical ability and reads the game very well. He is calm in possession, and when defending, looks assured and purposeful.

He has always displayed a very good attitude. Curtis’ older brother was a scholar here and he comes from family who are all Aston Villa supporters.

Vincely Mudame – Centre-Back

Vincely joined us in 2023 from Swindon Town. He is a very strong, powerful defender who competes very well.

Vincely has the ability to dominate his opponent and also played a number of times for the Under-18s towards the end of last season, putting in some good performances. He can manage the ball well and bring it out of defence with a purpose.

Lennon Moss – Centre-Midfielder

Lennon is a local lad who joined us in 2021 from Birmingham City. He is a huge Aston Villa fan and is a very competitive all-round midfield player, who can play box to box and has a range of attributes, with and without the ball.

Lennon also had some playing experience with our Under-18s last season, and has represented both England and Wales at youth level.

Olly Lloyd – Centre-Midfielder

Olly joined us in 2022, having previously been with Tottenham Hotspur. He is an all-round midfield player who is very competitive, has many attributes required for a modern-day central midfield player and can contribute in all areas of the pitch.

Olly has played for England at youth level a number of times, and was involved with our Under-18s on multiple occasions last season.

Josh Blake – Attacking Midfielder

Josh has been with us since Under-9s and is a local lad. He is a very good technical player who can play from the sides and find pockets of space.

He has the ability to take players on and operate in tight areas, as well as the ability to create and score goals. Josh was involved with our Under-18s last season, and has been involved with England at youth level a number of times.

Oscar Johnson – Wide Attacker

Oscar has been with us since Under-9s. He is a very competent, efficient player, who can be very direct and go past opponents. He has a great mentality and maturity.

He can contribute with assists and goals, and he played many times for the Under-18s last season, being involved in our FA Youth Cup run. He has represented England at youth level a number of times.

Erin Orebowale – Attacker

Erin can play in a number of the forward positions, and joined us from grassroots football in 2023. He has an excellent mentality to improve and has some very positive technical qualities, as well as an ability to go past players and create and score.

He also displays a real thirst to defend without the ball, an important trait in the modern-day game.

Daniel Adediran – Striker

Daniel has been with us since Under-9s and is a goalscoring centre-forward with a real thirst to get on the scoresheet. He likes to make runs in behind and has a good range of finishing skills.

He was involved with the Under-18s towards the end of last season and manged to score on a few occasions. He has an ability to close down and press defenders, making their lives difficult.

Congratulations to all of our new first-year scholars!