Player #968 for Aston Villa, Carney Chukwuemeka, played as a midfielder for the club in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons before agitating for a move away from the club he had been at since age 12.

Chukwuemeka was born in Eisenstadt 🇦🇹 Austria, on 20 October 2003 and signed for Villa from Northampton Town in March 2016.

Having spent time in the Villa youth teams, Chukwuemeka was promoted to the under-18 squad for the 2019-20 season before becoming the youngest member of Mark Delaney's Under-23 squad for the 2020-21 season, aged just 16.

Chukwuemeka missed out on the opportunity to feature in the 3rd Round FA Cup tie with Liverpool in 2020-21, having been part of the development squad involved in First Team training at the outset of the COVID-19 outbreak that led to the entire squad being placed into quarantine.

He would, however, make up for that misfortune by making his first squad appearance in the Premier League match against Leicester in February 2021, aged 17.

Three months later, Chukwuemeka would make his debut alongside fellow debutant Jaden Philogene-Bidace as a substitute in Villa’s victory at Tottenham. Chukwuemeka would make his second substitute appearance four days later in the Premier League win over Chelsea and was expected to make a significant contribution to Villa’s first team prospects in 2022-23, even at his still tender age of 17.

As Chief Executive Christian Purslow said in 2020 ahead of his debut:

“We have one right now, probably the best 16-year-old in England, Carney. Absolutely no debate, he’s starting for the under-23s.

“That’s what you want with your 16-year-olds. Not people who are not quite breaking into the first team, but staying around on contracts because it isn’t quite happening.”

His under-23s boss Mark Delaney added: “He’s comfortable in what he’s about.

“He’s a confident lad; will receive the ball anywhere on the pitch, under pressure and not under pressure. That’s what the manager likes; he comes into an environment and settles in quickly.

“We’ve got high hopes for him, like a lot of our players. He’s still only 17, and he’s got a lot of development left in him. We’ve just got to make sure we’re pushing and stretching him all of the time.”

Already though, Chukwuemeka was showing signs of biting the hand that fed him, leading Villa boss Dean Smith to publicly remind the player that:

“He’s got a pathway at the football club.

“He’s got a plan at the football club. He’s doing extremely well. He’s training with the first team regularly. He’s been on the bench for us. He’s been in a number of squads and he’s doing excellently. We’re really pleased with his progress so far.”

Whilst Villa’s academy manager, Mark Harrison, said

“Carney and his family have shown great commitment to his development.

“We have been really pleased with his development over the last couple of years and feel this contract will provide him with the platform to continue to realise his potential and become a first-team player.”

For one reason and another however things didn’t turn out as Villa had hoped as Chukwuemeka proved more focused on engineering a move away from the club than his own development and although he would make 14 appearances across the campaign he would contribute just one assist and failed to respond to the coaching, prompting and encouragement from the otherwise limited Steven Gerrard.

Chukwuemeka would get his wish and make an €18.00m move to Chelsea, a fee the Villa hierarchy could hardly believe they had achieved for an underperforming and troublesome player, albeit with strong potential.

Sadly for Chukwuemeka, his move to Chelsea would not work out, with game time limited to 32 appearances across three seasons and eventually being left surplus to requirements.

A cautionary tale for all young players is probably not how Chukwuemeka saw his footballing legacy turning out, but undoubtedly, his status as poster boy for the hyperbole of young entitled players making poor career decisions is well deserved.