Aston Villa are set to appoint Blackburn's Tony Carss in a significant academy role after he left the Championship side.

Carss had been with Rovers for the past five years, working with their academy, and he had established a reputation as a fine coach of younger players, with several making the step up to the first-team in that period.

And, his work in Lancashire hasn't gone unnoticed, with Sun reporter Alan Nixon revealing that Carss is now going to link up with the Premier League side. It had been confirmed yesterday that Carrs was moving on, although it was unclear where he would be going.

Losing such a key figure is a big blow for Blackburn, who have had to replace several important positions this summer, notably with Jon Dahl Tommason having been named as Tony Mowbray's successor.

This appointment continues Villa's focus on improving their academy, with the Midlands outfit having made it a priority to improve that area of the club in recent years, with both players and staff arriving.

The verdict

This is obviously not ideal for Blackburn because Carss has done a good job in the past five years, bringing through a few players and he was a respected figure at the club.

But, you can understand why he has jumped at the chance to link up with Villa as they are an ambitious club who have brought in a lot of young talent.

Now, it will be interesting to see how Blackburn replace Carss as it's an important role for any Championship side.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.