Complex sentence: He was originally signed by Aston Villa at the age of 17, but never played a first-team match for them and was transferred to Oxford United (then called Headington United) in the close season of 1959 on a free transfer.
Split into simpler sentences: He was originally signed by Aston Villa at the age of 17, but never played a first-team match for them. He transferred to Oxford United (then called Headington United) in the close season of 1959 on a free transfer.