Former Aston Villa Striker Pens Swiss League Deal

Former Northampton and Aston Villa striker Caleb Chukwuemeka has sealed a switch to Switzerland, signing for AC Bellinzona.

The striker went straight into the side for the second-tier outfit, scoring on his debut against Stade Nyonnais. His fourth-minute goals were a great way to announce himself to fans, but a late red card saw the home side snatch a 2-1 win.

Chukwuemeka, who was born in Austria, came through the youth ranks at Northampton Town, scoring twice in 28 outings during the 2020/21 season. That alerted Aston Villa, who paid an undisclosed fee for his services. He settled quickly in their Under 18 sides and was awarded Premier League 2 Player of the Month for September 2021 by bagging five goals and an assist.

He made a single appearance for Villa in the League Cup, coming on late as his side beat Barrow 6-0.

He later went on loan to Livingston, but that wasn’t a success—he was hauled off after seven minutes of one game, and his work rate was brought into question. He had a spell with Crawley in League Two, with the move seemingly intended to be permanent. However, he returned to Villa and trialled at Bristol City after being released.

That started a European adventure for the young attacker. He joined Tabor Sežana, a second-tier Slovenian side, scoring twice before his Swiss switch.

Over the years, the Granata has experienced fluctuating fortunes, with stints in both the Swiss Super League and lower divisions. In recent years, they’ve focused on rebuilding and promoting local talent, having last played top flight Swiss football in 2012, before being declared bankrupt in 2013.

Site Opinion

Chukwuemeka was highly rated at Villa, but that Livingston spell seemingly killed off his reputation.

Moving to Europe has benefited many young players in recent seasons, and he’ll be hoping it is the same for him.

A debut goal will certainly help – it might be a little thing, but he’ll settle much quicker with that out of the way.