The standout rookie ready to oust wantaway Aston Villa stopper
Aston Villa news - Head of goalkeeping at Aston Villa, Neil Cutler, has raved about Finnish international Viljami Sinisalo. The 18-year-old looks set to follow in the footsteps of his countryman, Peter Enckelman
by Ashley Preece, https://www.facebook.com/PreeceBirminghamLive/Aston Villa goalkeeper Matija Sarkic looks set to say his final goodbyes next month following the completion of his June 30 contract.
The 22-year-old was promoted to third-choice keeper in January following the season-ending injury to No.1 Tom Heaton.
The Montenegro international enjoyed a successful spell at Livingston before being recalled in the New Year. The young rookie, though, was soon on-board the team bus on Premier League match days to support both Pepe Reina and Orjan Nyland.
However, Sarkic admitted this week it may be time to move onto pastures new, and said: "I think that there will be little space for a real chance in Aston Villa in the future, so I plan to go, despite the club’s desire to extend my contract, which expires at the end of June.
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“Now I am diligently preparing for the status I want, and that is the first goalkeeper. There is interest, both in England and abroad. Aston Villa is now one of the four richest clubs. The ambitions are great, and the competition is already huge."
The competition Sarkic alluded to was, of course, Reina, Nyland and the currently injured pairing of Jed Steer and Heaton. However, with Reina set to leave following his loan agreement, why has want-away stopper Sarkic decided to go?
Well, Villa have talented, international goalkeepers in abundance at Bodymoor Heath, from Hungarian 18-year-old Akos Onodi to the two teenagers currently training with Villa's first-team, New Zealander Jamie Searle and Finnish stopper Viljami Sinisalo.
Neil Cutler, who heads up goalkeeping at Villa, explained back in February how now, at 22, is the time for Sarkic to look for first-team football. Cutler also hinted at the man who has potentially ousted the Montenegrin, the highly thought of Sinisalo.
Cutler gave the Finland international a glowing endorsement two months ago. The 18-year-old was snapped up from his hometown club FC Espoo in the summer of 2018 - and his progression has been vast.
"He's a young Finnish goalkeeper who's been around the first team," Cutler explained during a previous Villa TV interview. "He's very calm when he's stepped in and doesn't look out of place.
"It's important to keep them around the environment. If you see a young goalkeeper like Viljami who's got a really good chance to accelerate his learning, he needs to be training with the likes of Pepe Reina, Orjan, Tom and Jed.
"It will really help him in terms of what he needs to be doing, and to learn."
Cutler added: "We want to be the best goalkeeping department in the Midlands, if not the country. Goalkeepers through the system and into the first-team has to be the way forward.
"We've got detailed goalkeeping coaches who believe we can do that. We don't want to be out spending millions and millions. We want to be developing our own first and foremost."
Elsewhere in the goalkeeping department, Villa will have a decision to make regarding Croatian Lovre Kalinic. The 30-year-old joined Ligue 1 Toulouse on-loan in January, yet his contract at Villa Park runs until 2023.
Cutler said of Dean Smith's first-ever signing: "It's been frustrating for him. He came in at a time when were weren't playing great, obviously Jed came in who was excellent and consistent.
"I really feel sorry for him, he's a great guy with really good attributes. It was important he went out and got games."