‘Birmingham City a great deal’ for Louie Barry as Emery ready to sanction exit
Louie Barry’s status at Aston Villa remains unclear for next season.
Barry has been tipped to have a huge future ahead of him, and he has already starred in several loan spells in his fledgling career.
Unai Emery is once again ready to sanction a loan move for the 21-year-old to spend time away from Villa Park, as he continues to develop as a player.
The Villa gem had several Championship sides chasing him in January and that could be the case once again.
Villa’s fierce rivals Birmingham are one of the clubs said to be interested in taking the youngster, with the Blues having secured an immediate return to the Championship for next season.
Lee Hendrie tips Louie Barry for Birmingham loan
Barry enjoyed an electric start to last season with Stockport County in League One. The forward had notched 15 league goals and two assists from just 23 games when his parent club recalled him in January.
| Season | Games | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 24 | 15 | 2 |
| 2023/24 | 22 | 9 | 4 |
It was expected that he would seamlessly make the step up to the second tier in the second half of the season, but after Barry moved to Hull City and struggled with injuries during the Tigers’ fight against relegation, that didn’t really materialise.
He has plenty of potential Championship suitors again this time around, including Birmingham, who will be looking to hit the ground running after being promoted from League One as champions.
The Blues haven’t signed a player from Villa since they moved for Scott Hogan back in 2020, but EFL pundit Sky Sports pundit Hendrie believes a loan move to St Andrew’s could be beneficial to Barry.
Speaking to Football League World (2 June), the former Villa ace said: “I think signing Louie Barry would be a great deal for Birmingham City.
“He did great things at Stockport, got injured at Hull City and that’s what hampered him really going and kicking on and proving that he’s worthy of playing in the Championship.
“They’ve got a really good manager at Birmingham (Chris Davies), who plays a nice style of football that would suit Barry’s game. He’s versatile, he can play through the middle or out wide, which would suit Birmingham.
“I think he would be a great addition for Birmingham, particularly going into the Championship with fresh ideas.”
Sending Barry on loan to Birmingham could be a good move for Villa
There are several reasons why sending Barry to Birmingham could be a sensible option for Villa, even though deals between the two clubs don’t happen too often.
The former Barcelona academy player would be playing in a progressive and ambitious team on the other side of the second city. Birmingham will not be satisfied with just consolidation on their return to the Championship, and are expected to be in the market for several top-quality additions once again this summer.
Playing in a side where you are surrounded by strong players can be a big help for a young loanee, as it can often raise the level of a team as a whole and provide the confidence to showcase their ability.
In addition, sending Barry to Birmingham would also have geographical advantages for both the Villans and the player himself.
Barry wouldn’t have to move away from the city or adapt to living in a different place and, at the same time, Villa would be able to easily keep track of his progress and have the added bonus of being able to call him in for first-team training whenever they wanted.
These would not be major considerations by any means for more senior players but, where young loanees are concerned, every small factor can play a big role in how well a player develops during a loan.
Barry will be earmarked as a likely future first-team option at Villa Park, and a brief stint at Birmingham may be the perfect next step for the youngster to reach that potential.