Aston Villa exercise option to extend Callum O’Hare’s contract

The on-loan Carlisle United attacking midfielder will be contracted to Aston Villa for another 12 months.

Aston Villa executives made the wise decision to extend the contract of 20-year-old attacking midfielder Callum O’Hare until summer 2020. As such, manager Dean Smith will have off-season to decide whether to integrate O’Hare into the first-team permanently, or send him out on loan again next season.

His current stint at Carlisle United has been an absolute success with the player scoring two goals complete with several assists across 12 League Two matches. For young players, professional minutes are vital to development after (playing) graduation beyond an under-23 level.

O’Hare sits in a weird spot wherein he’s probably good enough to start for Aston Villa semi-regularly, but outside factors continue to weigh-in. Firstly, there’s this guy Jack Grealish still around, and I heard he’s pretty good. He plays the same central attacking midfield position, but it’s not impossible for both to co-exist in certain formations and matchups. Will Grealish be at Villa beyond the current season? Probably – but much depends where and how Villa finish in the table.

Which brings me to my second point: can O’Hare make an impact at a Premier League level next season? I would not count out his prodigious talent, but it seems a stretch to suggest he could carry an attack in England’s top flight during his age-21 season.

Therefore, it’s fair to suggest another loan move is possible if (and it’s a big if), Aston Villa get promoted. Another season in the EFL Championship? Well, we could see a tantalizing midfield triumvirate of O’Hare, John McGinn, and Conor Hourihane in the fall.

In any case, welcome back Cal!