FEATURE: Mark Harrison on the art of an Academy loan

Aston Villa’s swift and decisive moves in the transfer market meant that the club were well removed from the deadline day hysteria that was in full swing up and down the country on the final day of January.  

As clubs throughout the football pyramid scrambled to complete deals before the clock struck 11pm, a tweet from Aston Villa’s official account several hours earlier let fans know that our incomings had been completed.  

While things were quiet on the senior front, those supporters who kept a close eye on the club's website and social media channels will have seen news of loan moves for a number of Academy players that were sealed on the final day of the window.

“On Monday, there were three or four potential loans bubbling – some that came off and some that didn’t. It was an interesting day and over the past few days I’ve lived on my phone,” reflected Academy Manager Mark Harrison.

Harrison, speaking a couple of days after the window closed, talked openly to the club's website to offer an insight into the work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure Villa utilise the loan market to maximum effect. 

Having spent the past 15 years in this role, firstly at West Bromwich Albion before he joined Villa in June 2019, Harrison knows how crucial loan spells can be in the development of young footballers.

The club has nine Academy players, in addition to homegrown duo Cameron Archer and Jaden Philogene-Bidace, hoping to make their mark in the EFL and non-league over the second half of the season.

“I’ve seen that the loan programme is critical to player development. Recent stats show that over 80% of players who make their debut in the Premier League have had at least one loan. That would suggest that a loan has to play a part in that player’s development,” Harrison said.

“We’ve shown that we’re very positive about allowing our players to go out on loan, how we support them and working with other clubs. We are building up a reputation that we’ve got players who have potential, we are looking to get them out on loan earlier rather than later and that we do want to work with clubs to facilitate that loan because we understand the experiences that they give them.”

Deciding when a player is ready to go out on loan and which club they should join is part of a thorough process undertaken by a number of Academy staff. At the heart of these decisions is Harrison, Adam Henshall and former Villa player Mile Jedinak.

Henshall, who is Head of Emerging Talent and Loans, and Loan Player Development Coach Jedinak took up their roles at the same time in March 2021, and both play a crucial part in Villa’s strategy towards the loan market.

In the first instance, clubs often approach Villa about a player, but the club also circulate a list of available players. Once approaches are made, Academy staff and key personnel from around the club can analyse the best fit for a player based on detailed information they’ve acquired about that individual and the club in question.

Harrison says: “This is where Adam Henshall is really good. He’ll have a profile of every club and their manager, looking at their playing style and what the statistical data shows about that playing style.”

He added: “We profile the players technically, tactically, physically and socially. Ideally, we look to see if we can tailor a loan around their needs. 

“There’s constant dialogue, communication and interaction between us as we all work together to profile and try to plot out the players’ journeys.”

Once the deals are agreed, papers are signed and club announcements published, Jedinak takes a prominent role in overseeing each loan spell and keeping tabs on the player. Visits to training grounds and matches up and down the country are undertaken, while the club also receive footage of every game to build up picture of how they are faring on the pitch.

Harrison said: “Over the last few months, he’s (Jedinak) gone to a number of the clubs to sit down with the staff there, have a look at the facilities, sit down with the player and see them in that environment. That’s a really important part of the process and a powerful part of what we do to gather the relevant information.”

“It’s important to recognise both Adam and Mile,” he continued.

“Adam will be the first point of call with the clubs and to agree the loans, making sure they’re structured correctly. Once the player has joined the club, Mile will be the first point of call.  

“To have someone like Mile, with his vast experience of playing in the game and his life experiences, bodes really well. Over the last 18 months, he’s really got a much deeper understanding of what the journey looks like and the processes that we have to go through.

“He’s a fantastic person for the players to have as a mentor. With Mile’s status in the game, when he picks up the phone to managers and coaches, you know you’ll always get an opportunity to speak to them because he’s very well respected.”

In addition to trying to break into the starting XI, many players will find themselves living away from home in alien surroundings when they head out on their maiden loan spell. Experiences off the pitch are an important part in helping them to grow as people, but they aren’t left to fend for themselves completely, and Villa provide all the support necessary to help them flourish during their time on loan.

Harrison said: “It’s about maturing the person as much as the player. That’s the whole holistic part of the loan and the development that it gives them. When they come back, you hope that they realise how lucky they are with how they’re supported at this football club.

“Being a Category One Premier League Academy, we’re very, very fortunate with the resources that we have. Not all clubs have the same level of resource, so the players have to be a bit more independent and that’s another aspect of the players we’re trying to develop.

“You’ve got to be careful and make sure that the support is there for the players. It could be their first time living away from home and they might need some help with that. We’re putting things in place with the Under-18s and Under-23s to help prepare them for that, so that they’re ready.

“We have player care people and psychologists here at the football club, so they are given a rounded support network.”

While there’s an understandable tendency to look at a player’s game time as the sole measure for whether a loan spell has been a success – and it’s a key figure for Harrison – there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration, particularly if it’s a player’s first loan spell. 

“People’s perception of loans and whether they’re a success or not, the number one KPI is game time. But if you look at research, the first loans are often the most challenging because it’s a hell of a transition from playing Under-23s football to senior football,” Harrison said.

“What you often find is the first loan doesn’t always give a great amount of game time, but it does give a great amount of learning.” 

Despite the huge amount of work and planning put into them, no loan spell is guaranteed to be a success. There are also a variety of factors you can’t account for, such as a change of manager. Sometimes they can work for or against you.

Harrison said: “That’s where you don’t have a crystal ball and you don’t know. It can become complicated when things like that happen. The good thing with all the loans is you get a recall halfway through the season, so you have the opportunity to review it in January.”

Villa took the opportunity to do just that, with several Academy players who left on loan at the beginning of the campaign returning in January. Some headed back out on loan to new teams in different divisions while others will continue their development at Bodymoor Heath while playing in Premier League 2.

“Once they’ve had half a season at a club and had that experience of a first loan, if they’re not getting sufficient game time then we can’t let that situation continue. We have a group of staff that discuss it – both at Academy level and at club level. We’ll sit down and discuss that, and it will be a joined-up decision,” Harrison said.

“Ultimately, it all comes down to what interest there is from other clubs and where the player will go to. We’re really positive about what’s happened in the January window.”

Aston Villa’s Academy players don’t need to look far to find the perfect example of what a loan move can do for their first-team prospects. Jacob Ramsey headed to Doncaster Rovers on deadline day in 2020, a move he credits with helping him to break into the first-team set-up.

Ramsey scored three times in seven games as he made a name for himself in senior football at Doncaster, kicking on when he arrived back at Bodymoor Heath. For Harrison and the rest of the Academy, it’s a reminder of how valuable loan spells can be.

He said: “The most positive thing is JJ is the most recent example, and albeit his loan was cut short at Doncaster due to Covid, the experience he had and the impact it had, gave him the opportunity to come back here and work with the first team.

“They could then see that even within those three or four months, it helped him mature as a player and as a person. Thankfully, he had a couple of good games in pre-season following his loan and he’s followed almost the perfect journey that we would lay out for the players.”