Pre-season admission made as Aston Villa close in on Enzo Barrenechea transfer
Dan Bardell has suggested that pre-season will be important for Enzo Barrenechea to establish a role at Aston Villa if he signs from Juventus.
Fabrizio Romano has reported (27 June) that the Argentine has completed his medical with him set to be named as a Villa player within days.
This transfer has been done as part of the deal which will see Douglas Luiz move to Juventus while Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior move to Villa Park.
Sky Sports and talkSPORT journalist Bardell has spotted a trend in Unai Emery’s summer business while suggesting where the Argentine’s future lies.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bardell said: “He’s a player who has been exposed to first-team football last season which is positive.
“Similarly to Luiz, he is more of a ball-playing midfielder. What is significant about him is that he is six foot one, it seems to me like Villa have noticed that they weren’t the most physically opposing of sides last season.
“I’m not sure that even Villa will know where he fits in at the moment in the short term and pre-season will sort that out.
“There will be some gaps in midfield at the start of the season without Luiz and Kamara so there is an opportunity for him to get in there for the start of the Premier League.
“It is an interesting signing and not one that has been typical of Aston Villa over the years. I’m looking forward to seeing him in action but I wouldn’t expect him to be immediately firing on all cylinders.“
Aston Villa set to sign Enzo Barrenechea
In a transfer saga that appears to have lasted weeks, the Villans look set to announce a swap deal for Luiz to join Juventus this summer.
This deal has almost been forced through due to PSR concerns which have hampered plenty of Premier League clubs before the 30 June deadline.
Villa have already sold Tim Iroegbunam but once a deal goes through for the Brazilian star, the financial aspect of the summer appears to be safe.
Although Emery loses one of his star players, swapping him for a fee plus Iling-Junior and Barrenechea could prove to be positive.
The Argentine is an unknown quantity to the majority of Villa fans having spent last season on loan with Frosinone where he made 39 appearances in all competitions [FotMob].
At 23, he has plenty of room to grow and is likely to improve under Emery’s tutelage in the coming seasons.
He will join the Villans ahead of pre-season and fans can judge the midfielder for themselves but there is certainly some promise there.
In other Aston Villa news, Jack Grealish’s stance on a summer return to Villa Park has been mooted following his Euro 2024 snub
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