Aston Villa have appointed West Brom’s Mark Harrison as their new academy manager. Harrison held a similar position with the Baggies for over a decade but has been brought in to help bring through young talent with the club returning to the Premier League. “Aston Villa is a football club steeped in a rich tradition of producing its own players,” said chief executive Christian Purslow. “Mark’s appointment is another cornerstone of the process and journey that we set out upon last summer. “As a football club, we want a clear pathway right through the academy to the first-team with outstanding recruitment and development. “I have every confidence that Mark, working closely with Dean Smith and Jesus Garcia Pitarch, will build an excellent academy that will be able to nurture the next generation of stars to entertain the crowds at Villa Park.” Topics Dean Smith, Premier League, Aston Villa Manchester United receive boost as Manchester City cool interest in defensive target Arsenal dealt blow as attacking target casts doubt on transfer Liverpool out of the running to sign Ligue 1 forward – report Here’s how much Manchester United will have to pay for defensive target Woodgate appointed Middlesbrough boss on three-year deal Arsenal could sell English defender to Lazio for just £12.5m – report 5 areas where Liverpool can improve this summer – and get to the next level Quiz! Name the winning managers from Europe’s Big Five leagues + Europe since 2008/09 8 Copa America players looking to put themselves in the shop window for a Premier League move Quiz! How many of Real Madrid’s 50 biggest ever transfers can you name?
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