Aston Villa missed out on signing Nigerian youngster Kparobo Arierhi, according to Africa Foot.
The 18-year-old’s rise at Beyond Limits Football Academy and his impressive displays for Nigeria U20s caught the attention of a few European clubs.
This includes Aston Villa and Lyon, but the two lost out to Lillestrøm SK in the end. The latter agreed a deal with Beyond Limits Football Academy last year for Arierhi to join them in 2025.
Africa Foot state the striker turned down offers from both Aston Villa and the Ligue 1 club to join Lillestrøm.
The outlet also had a chat with the Nigerian attacker, who explained why he rejected the Premier League club and Lyon for the Norwegian club.
“I wanted the opportunity to play in the first team. That’s why I chose to sign with Lillestrøm, despite interest from Aston Villa and Lyon,” he said.
“Signing my first professional contract with Lillestrøm is an incredible feeling, I’m making my dream come true. My goal is to establish myself in the first team, score a lot of goals and help the team win matches.”
It’s to be noted the report mentions an offer from Aston Villa, while Arierhi has only talked about their interest. Either way, even if the youngster was eligible to represent the Villans, it’s highly unlikely he’d have been immediately part of Unai Emery’s plans.
The attacker may attract interest from top five leagues if he were to shine at Lillestrøm,
The 2024 league season in Norway ended in December and Lillestrøm were relegated to the second division.
