The sale of Cameron Archer, an academy graduate, has been announced by Aston Villa.

Premier League’s newest players Archer has been signed by Southampton for a total of £15 million, with a further £2 million pending performance-related add-ons.

The striker had paid £18.5 million to join Sheffield United in the summer, but Villa had a buy-back option in his contract that required them to purchase the 22-year-old back if the Blades were relegated.

Archer had four goals in 29 games for Sheffield United, but he now has another opportunity to establish himself with Russell Martin’s Southampton squad, who defeated Leeds in the Championship play-offs the previous year.
When Archer was eight years old, he enrolled in the Aston Villa academy from Walsall. He advanced through all age levels before receiving his first professional contract in 2019.

The youthful striker had stints on loan at teams like Preston North End in the Championship and Solihull Moors in the National League, but it was during his productive loan stint at Middlesbrough in 2022–2023 that he truly established himself as one to watch, scoring an incredible 11 goals in 20 appearances.

That same summer, Archer—who totaled ten Premier League matches for the Villans—kept up his good work by playing for Lee Carsley’s England squad, which won the U21 European Championship and scored a goal against Israel in the semifinals.