Aston Villa’s academy has signed young defender Leon Routh from Luton for an undisclosed fee. The
teenage defender was a member of the Hatters youth set-up and played for the U18s last season as Town won the Youth Alliance South East Division for the second consecutive year. Villa had already signed Ross Barkley, an England international who left Luton for Unai Emery’s team, which qualified for the Champions League the previous season. Now, Unai Emery’s team has returned to Kenilworth Road in order to sign Routh.According to Villa academy manager Mark Harrison, the Premier League team has a Category One academy, so Routh will now be eligible to play Premier League 2 football this season. “We are delighted Leon has joined us, we believe he has lots of potential and look forward to seeing how he develops over the next few years,” Harrison said on the club’s official website.Aribim Pepple, a striker, and Dylan Stitt, a youth international for Northern Ireland, were among the Luton Town U21s players who lost 1-0 to St Albans City in their friendly match on Saturday at Clarence Park. Meanwhile, the U18s defeated Crystal Palace U18s 3-2 at the Eagles’ training ground, with goals from Charlie Trustram, Martin Odegah, and Matthew Takawira.
McGuinness has been with the Bluebirds since joining from boyhood club Arsenal in 2021, but could seal a move away this summer after impressing last campaign under Erol Bulut.
The 23-year-old has recently been linked with a move to newly-relegated Luton by WalesOnline, and they report that Cardiff want “£10 million-plus” for his services this summer.
The Hatters are looking to bolster their defensive options before the transfer window closes on August 30, due to a raft of injuries that have decimated Rob Edwards’ backline in the post-season, as well as Gabriel Osho turning down a new deal to join Auxerre of France.Going into the final days of the summer, it’s unclear if they will take McGuinness seriously as a possibility, given that they would presumably need to pay an eight-figure price to do so.
Given that Luton is not known for lavishing money on players and that Cardiff’s alleged value would easily shatter their transfer record, it does not appear probable that a deal will materialize if they adhere to their asking price.
Jamie Castle, a Hatters supporter on FLW, thinks Luton cannot afford to pay the reported fee for McGuinness and that it would be shocking if the trade went through at that amount.
Speaking to Football League World, James stated, “Obviously, he is regarded as one of the better players of what was a fairly frail Cardiff City defense last season.”
“Considering the injuries that Reece Burke and Mads are currently suffering, Luton definitely need a defender.”
