Aston Villa have signed a young goalkeeper who was recently told he was not good enough to cut it at League One level. Jack Allan was told he would not be offered scholarship terms by Portsmouth before Christmas, receiving crushing news as he pursued his dream of making it as a professional. But far from giving up on his dream, Allan joined Villa for a three-week trial with the hope of securing a deal at Villa Park. The stopper did enough to impress academy coaches and then some. After just three weeks, he has been offered a three-year deal consisting of a two-year scholarship agreement and a one-year professional contract after that.
Soon after penning a deal, Allan linked up with the Villa under-17s for an international tournament in Egypt. As detailed by the Portsmouth News, Oscar Glover was chosen ahead of Allan, explaining his release, but the League One leaders may now be doubting themselves given Villa feel they may have found a potential goalkeeper for the future.
The academy will remain an important part of Villa’s progress going forward, and they will hope it will take the burden off the cheque book over the coming years. Behind starting keeper Emiliano Martinez and back-up stopper Jed Steer, Villa also have Joe Gauci, the 23-year-old Australian who joined the club in January.
