Aston Villa face January dilemma after what Louie Barry’s done away from Villa Park
Aston Villa will most likely make changes to their squad in January.
Unai Emery has managed to steer his Villa career out of jeopardy in recent times, as the Villans beat Tottenham 2-1 on Sunday to extend their winning streak to five.
Despite this, Aston Villa’s summer transfer window was not impressive, and there are still clear holes in Emery’s squad despite the fantastic form seen at B6 at the moment.
Aston Villa have been linked with Yanis Benchaouch as a potential long-term replacement for Emi Martinez.
But incomings haven’t been the only problem at Villa Park, as Louie Barry continues to struggle on loan at Sheffield United.
Louie Barry hasn’t registered a goal contribution for Sheffield United
Villa gem Barry has always had potential since coming through the ranks.
He has had an interesting career so far, to say the least, as his loan move to Sheffield United was his eighth while being contracted to Aston Villa.
So far, Barry hasn’t hit the heights that he or Villa would have hoped for at Sheffield United.
| Games (starts) | Goals | Assists | Shots on target per game | Average rating |
| 8 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 6.44 |
Barry finds himself 23rd in the Championship as Sheffield United have made one of their worst starts to a league campaigns in their history.
Chris Wilder is now the manager, and although the Blades have tasted victory again, Barry’s performances don’t seem to be improving.
Villa now need to decide in January if they need to cut his loan short, or keep him at Bramall Lane in the hope he can rediscover the blistering form he showed at Stockport County.
With Barry’s current situation, Villa will only be kicking themselves for not cashing in on him while his market value was high.
Barry’s sale could have eased Aston Villa’s PSR concerns
In his second stint at Stockport County, Barry continued his impressive form from the season prior, leading the Mancunian side’s charge for promotion during the first half of the 2024-25 season.
Aston Villa have been under pressure from Profit and Sustainability Rules for some time now, and although Barry’s sale wouldn’t have had a significant impact on PSR, the money certainly would have helped.
Coming through Villa’s academy, Barry has one of the highest ceilings among the young academy graduates, but the Villans made a mistake in cutting short his loan spell at Stockport for Hull City.
Barry picked up a knee injury while at the Tigers and failed to establish himself as a Championship-level player, and now he isn’t performing this season.
Villa need to carefully think about their next steps to take with Barry.
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