‘Emery must unleash Barrenechea next season’ as Aston Villa find ‘new Kamara’
Aston Villa fans are desperate to see Enzo Barrenechea given a chance under Unai Emery.
The Argentine joined the Villans in the summer as part of a swap deal with Samuel Iling-Junior which saw Douglas Luiz join Juventus.
Despite some positive performances in pre-season, the 23-year-old was sent on loan to Valencia for the campaign.
It is safe to say that the midfielder has caught the eye in La Liga and that could make him a perfect player to feature under Emery next season.
Barrenechea could become new Boubacar Kamara at Aston Villa
There is no doubt that Kamara is one of the Villans’ most important players as his injuries have coincided with difficult runs in B6.
The Frenchman has an awareness and defensive nous which makes him almost as good as anyone at the base of midfield across the entire Premier League right now.
This was shown in arguably his best performance of the campaign against Manchester City where he was immense.
The 25-year-old won seven duels and three tackles while also contributing with a further seven defensive involvements, just proving his powers as a shield [FotMob].
It is fair to say that the Villans need an alternative for Kamara while he is injured or for squad depth and resting purposes.
That could prove to be Barrenechea who has been superb while on loan at Valencia.
The Argentine caught the eye on Saturday (9 March) against Real Valladolid where he grabbed an assist.
This was just the tip of the iceberg for his performance as the midfielder registered a 92 per cent pass accuracy while completing 12 out of 15 long balls.
This eye for a pass aligns with nine duels and two tackles won which is likely to translate well to the Premier League under the tutelage of Emery.
Barrenechea must be given chance at Aston Villa
Villa fans are begging to see more of the former Juventus man in claret and blue.
There are such rave reviews coming from Spain that it only makes sense to see what the young midfielder could do in the Premier League.
Barrenechea possesses qualities which are unlike anything in the Villa squad right now and could ultimately take up a useful role in the squad next season.
| Stat (LaLiga 24/25) | Enzo Barrenechea |
| Completed passes | 725 |
| Touches | 1055 |
| Duels won | 95 |
| Interceptions | 17 |
Looking ahead to next season, where the Villans will be hopeful of securing European football, a bigger squad is going to be necessary.
The Argentine could prove to be the perfect utility man in the short term and a potential replacement for Kamara in the longer term.