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Aston Villa have won an appeal over their right to use Brian Madjo in their first team squad. The forward featured five times for Ligue 1 club Metz in 2025, becoming their youngest ever debutant in the competition. He subsequently signed for a fee of up to €12 million in January 2026. Yet to make an appearance for the Villans, he was then caught in the centre of a dispute between his new team and FIFA in March 2026 that had prevented him from legally registering as a player. The FIFA registration dispute FIFA pointed out that the 17-year-old, who had moved to Luxembourg at a young age, had appeared three times for the country. Therefore, he was considered to be a foreign player, classing the move as an international transfer. Players involved in such deals are not permitted to register for foreign clubs before they turn 18, meaning that he would have had to wait until January 2027 to play for Villa. On the other hand, Villa considered him to be English because he was born in London. He has also shifted allegiances since the first half of 2025, scoring four goals in nine games for the England Under-17 team. The Villans were keen to win this war, escalating the matter to CAS last month. Madjo moves forward with his career Finally on 4 August, there was a breakthrough. Villa's appeal was upheld, so the club could register Madjo to the first team squad to represent the side in competitive clashes in the upcoming season. In the meantime, Madjo had been making an impact on the field. After making his debut for the team in a midseason friendly against Elche in March, he bagged a brace against Walsall last month. Two more goals followed in a 4-2 loss against Real Sociedad and a 3-1 victory over Indonesia All Stars. Where Madjo fits at Villa Park Unai Emery will not be relying on the teenager as a talismanic figure upfront. Ollie Watkins would again hit double figures in the Premier League on the way to the top four, while Tammy Abraham returned to Villa Park on a permanent transfer in the winter window. But if Madjo continues to make positive strides behind the scenes, it would not be a surprise to see him feature in cup competitions.