Tommi O'Reilly

Tommi Dylan Brooklyn O'Reilly (born 15 December 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Shrewsbury Town, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa.^[1]

Tommi O'Reilly

Personal information
Full name	Tommi Dylan Brooklyn O'Reilly
Date of birth	(2003-12-15) 15 December 2003 (age 20)
Place of birth	Birmingham, England
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Shrewsbury Town (on loan from Aston Villa)
Number	29
Youth career
2010–2023	Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2023–	Aston Villa	0	(0)
2024	→ Real Unión (loan)	2	(0)
2024–	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	7	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:50 (UTC) 28 October 2024

Early life

O'Reilly joined the Aston Villa academy at the age of seven years-old. He is a fan of the club and attended the club's successful Wembley Stadium trip for the 2019 EFL Championship play-off final against Derby County on the terraces.^[2]

Career

Early career and debut

O'Reilly was part of the Aston Villa side which won the 2021 FA Youth Cup.^[3] He signed his first professional contract with Aston Villa in March 2022.^[4]

During the 2021-22 season he was called up to first-team training by manager Steven Gerrard,^[5] and featured in friendly matches for the club.^[6] That season, he was included in Villa match-day squads and named as a substitute for matches in the Premier League without making his debut.^[7] He made his debut in the EFL Trophy against AFC Wimbledon in August 2022.^[8] The following season he captained the Aston Villa side in the competition.^[9]

On 14 December 2023, O'Reilly made his first team debut in a 1–1 UEFA Europa Conference League draw away at Zrinjski Mostar.^[10] On 19 January 2024, O'Reilly signed a new contract with Aston Villa.^[11]

Loan moves

On 1 February 2024, O'Reilly signed for Primera Federación club Real Unión, a sister club of Aston Villa managed by former Aston Villa U21 manager Iñigo Idiakez, on loan until the end of the season.^[12] O'Reilly made his debut from the bench in a 0–0 draw against Lugo on 3 February.^[13] O'Reilly's season was curtailed by injury, and he went onto make only 2 appearances at the Spanish club.

On 11 July 2024, O'Reilly signed for EFL League One club Shrewsbury Town on a season-long loan.^[14] On 10 August 2024, O'Reilly made his English Football League debut in a 1–0 defeat to Stevenage.^[15]

International career

Born in England, O'Reilly is of Irish descent. He was called up to a training camp for the Ireland U19s in August 2021.^[16]

Style of play

A diminutive but skillful midfielder, he has been nicknamed "Philly" or "Fodes" by his Aston Villa academy youth teammates because of a perceived similarity to Phil Foden in his playing style. He has also been nicknamed "Tommi Wilshere", after Jack Wilshere, in his time at Villa.^[17] At Shrewsbury, Tommi plays on the wing, however has recently been on the bench behind Alex Gillead or Tom Bloxham

Career statistics

As of match played 17 October 2024^[18]

Appearances and goals by club, season, and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Aston Villa	2022–23	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		3[a]	0	3	0
	2023–24		0	0	0	0	0	0	1[b]	0	3[a]	0	4	0
	2024–25		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	6	0	7	0
Real Unión (loan)	2023–24	Primera Federación	2	0	—		—		—		0	0	2	0
Shrewsbury Town (loan)	2024–25	League One	7	0	0	0	2	0	—		2[a]	0	11	0
Career total			9	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	8	0	20	0

1. Appearances in EFL Trophy
2. Appearance in UEFA Europa Conference League

Honours

Aston Villa U18

• FA Youth Cup: 2020–21

References

1. "T.O'Reilly". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
2. Bliss, Greg (8 March 2023). "Aston Villa youngster Tommi O'Reilly added to FIFA 22 as rating and potential confirmed". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
3. Evans, Gregg (16 April 2022). "Iroegbunam, O'Reilly, Lindley and Hart: The future of Aston Villa's midfield?". The Athletic. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
4. "Midfielder O'Reilly signs professional contract". BBC Sport. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
5. Preece, Ashley (3 February 2022). "Aston Villa duo promoted as Steven Gerrard dusts off his Liverpool magic and Celtic banter is rife - things spotted in training". Birmingham Mail.
6. Vegas, Paul (7 February 2023). "Tommi O'Reilly proud to see action for Aston Villa against Molde". Tribal Football. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
7. Townley, John (13 March 2022). "Aston Villa's next four wonderkids in line to continue Steven Gerrard youth revolution". birminghammail.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
8. "AFC WIMBLEDON VS. ASTON VILLA U21 2 - 1". Soccerway. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
9. Cawley, Richard (12 October 2023). "Charlton Athletic steered back on course to make EFL Trophy progress". Londonnewsonline. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
10. UEFA.com. "Zrinjski-Aston Villa Live | UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
11. "Tommi O'Reilly pens new contract". Aston Villa Football Club. 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
12. "Josh Feeney y Tommi O´Reilly refuerzan la plantilla del Real Unión". Real Unión Club (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-01.
13. "El Lugo no pasa del empate ante el Real Unión y se aleja de la cabeza (0-0)". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
14. "Shrewsbury snap up Tommi O'Reilly on a season-long loan". Shrewsbury Town Football Club. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
15. "Stevenage 1 - 0 Shrewsbury - Match Report". Sky Sports. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
16. "U19 | Mohan hosts U19 training camp in UK | Football Association of Ireland". www.fai.ie.
17. Preece, Ashley (9 February 2022). "Meet 'little Phil Foden' who has been called up to Aston Villa's squad vs Leeds United". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
18. "T. O'Reilly". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 December 2023.