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Indiana Vassilev’s new contract is a highlight of these past few months.
Words: Mark Jirobe | @VillaMarkPGH
Indiana Vassilev has been given a two-year contract at Aston Villa, marking the second youngster to be given an extended tenure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The other young talent given an extension, Keinan Davis, is also a raw talent who given time and proper guidance, could turn into be quite an investment.
The American forward made four appearances off of the bench for Villa across all competitions this season & didn’t look out of place in any of them. Vassilev also scored and assisted on a goal against Manchester United U23’s back in September. Vassilev is able to play across all attacking areas; a type of versatility that Aston Villa manager Dean Smith and his coaching staff have admired in the past. In January, the Villa boss opined:
“He is definitely ready to start, the kid’s a bright spark, and we’ve seen that when he’s come on so far.
He gave them (Brighton) problems on Saturday when he came on. It was a super ball from Douglas but, unless Indi makes that run down the side, he doesn’t drag Webster across, and Jack gets in for the goal. He knows what he’s doing up there, he’s got a lot of pace, and he can run all day as well.”
He’s got a goalscoring ability, he knows where the back of the net is, he knows what runs to make. Tactically he’s intelligent. Physically he’s impressive as well.”
Vassilev himself seems very thankful and excited about the opportunity to continue to ply his trade for Villa. Speaking to VillaTV on the official Aston Villa website, Vassilev said about committing his future to Villa:
“It was really a no-brainer. This past year they’ve supported me a lot. Thankfully I was able to break my way into the first team and since I’ve broken away into the first team, I’ve received a lot of support from everyone. Staff and players included.
So, really it was a no-brainer. I’m really happy to have signed for another two years. I’ll keep on working hard and hopefully, the future will hold a lot of great things.”
Villa brass seems to be starting to put plans into motion of trusting and promoting youth talent within their own system, something that hasn’t always been the case at Aston Villa. Now that Vassilev and Keinan Davis have signed deals to keep them at B6 for the immediate future, fellow youngsters Andre Green and Callum O’Hare may be the next in line to receive a contract. Gregg Evans of The Athletic reported earlier in the month that a deal for O’Hare has not yet been discussed and rumours are swirling that Coventry City are very interested in the midfielder after a successful loan spell this season.
Vassilev may have been promoted to the senior team a little early due to an injury crisis at Villa in January, but the future is indeed bright for the American. Even if Villa are damned to be relegated to the Championship when and if the current Premier League season continues, Vassilev is a solid investment for the future of Aston Villa at a time of major uncertainty on and off the pitch.
