Tommi O’Reilly
O’Reilly is an attacking midfielder currently playing for Crewe Alexandra on loan from Aston Villa, where he has spent the majority of his development after joining the club’s academy as a child. Highly regarded within Villa’s youth setup, he was part of the side that won the FA Youth Cup in 2021 and later made his senior debut for the club in European competition during the 2023–24 season.
His senior development has largely come through loan moves designed to give him regular first-team football. A short spell in Spain with Real Unión was disrupted by injury, but he later gained experience in the English Football League with Shrewsbury Town and Milton Keynes Dons. A season-long move to Crewe Alexandra has provided his most productive period so far, with the midfielder beginning to turn potential into consistent senior performances.
He’s crushing it with Crewe, and recently Pete O’Rourke suggested loads of Championship and League One clubs want him next season. The natural move is League One, but a team jumping up might see him as a calculated gamble. He’s got 16 goal involvements from 35 League One matches this season, and prefers being out wide on the right.
He’s combative, ranking highly for tackles and blocks in his position, but aerially, he’s not all that effective.