Aston Villa are one point off the top four after ten Premier League matches and secured their 12th top-flight home win in succession at the weekend.

The Villans have won seven of their league games so far and Unai Emery deserves plenty of praise for the immense job he has done since taking over from Steven Gerrard last year.

He has been able to get the best out of his players and Leon Bailey is a prime example of this as the forward has finally hit his stride in the Midlands.

The stats that show Bailey’s improvement

The 26-year-old whiz did not provide consistent quality at the top end of the pitch throughout the 2022/23 campaign as he struggled to make a significant impact from out wide.

Bailey ended the season with four goals and four assists in 33 Premier League outings, having started the term with Gerrard at the helm, and this was an average of one goal contribution every 4.13 games.

However, the Jamaica international already has three goals and two assists in eight top-flight clashes during the current campaign, despite only starting two of

This means that the ex-Bayer Leverkusen man has increased his attacking output to a goal involvement once every 1.6 games on average in the Premier League, albeit there is still plenty of football to be played before the end of the season.

Whilst Villa supporters and Emery should be delighted with his improvement, one eye could already be on a talented young ace who has the potential to be Bailey’s heir – Omari Kellyman.

The stats that show why Kellyman is a bright prospect

The 18-year-old wizard is, like the current first-team ace, a left-footed forward who predominantly plays on the right flank whilst also being able to operate in a central role, which could make him a dream future replacement.

Journalist Ashley Preece lauded him as a “star in the making” last year and it is easy to see why when you look at the impact he has made on the pitch.

Kellyman managed three goals and five assists in ten Premier League 2 outings for the U21 side last season and has followed that up with five goals in four matches for the U21s in all competitions this term, which shows that he has the potential to make a big impact in the final third.

Emery handed him a huge opportunity at first-team level against Hibernian in a Europa Conference League qualifier in August and he grasped that chance with both hands.

The teenage whiz completed 100% (1/1) of his dribbles and created two chances in 90 minutes on the pitch, which was rewarded with one assist in the 3-0 win.

This performance showed that the U21 star has the ability and maturity to make an impact at senior level already, despite being 17 at the time of the match.

Now 18, Kellyman has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and progress to a point where he is able to start for Emery’s side on a regular basis.

He is a whopping eight years younger than Bailey and could patiently bide his time whilst taking any opportunities that do come his way before eventually being able to step in and become the 26-year-old gem’s heir at Villa Park in the future.