Aston Villa wrong to let Enzo Barrenechea go after what happened in Benfica loss vs Newcastle
Enzo Barrenechea departed Aston Villa to join Benfica on loan in the summer.
Villa signed Barrenechea from Juventus in 2024, but he has yet to make a competitive appearance under Unai Emery.
Barrenechea flourished on loan at Valencia last season, but still wasn’t given a chance at Villa Park before being shipped out again.
The Villans opted to prioritise their current options and send Barrenechea out again, this time to Benfica with an option to buy.
The Portuguese giants are in the Champions League with Barrenechea, and it seems the claret and blue outfit might regret their decision regarding the Argentine.
Enzo Barrenechea shows class for Benfica vs Newcastle United
Villa could soon land over £10million for Barrenechea as he continues to be a regular at the Estadio da Luz this season.
The Eagles frustratingly sit third in Liga Portugal, but are just four points off Porto at the top of the tree after eight games.
The Villa loanee has been seen as one of the Reds’ most consistent assets, featuring across seven league starts so far.
His spot in the side was maintained against Newcastle in the Champions League on 21 October as the 24-year-old featured alongside Richard Rios in midfield.
Jose Mourinho was right to back the ex-Juventus man as he put in a superb defensive shift at St James’ Park, despite the 3-0 defeat.
Barrenechea featured for 90 minutes, maintaining an 89 per cent pass accuracy while also creating one chance for his teammates.
The Argentinian also flourished defensively as he completed six tackles, three clearances, one interception and eight recoveries in the north east.
He also won nine duels on the night, the most on the pitch despite coming up against the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Nick Woltemade and Joelinton.
Aston Villa to reget losing Barrenechea
Emery does have positive depth in his midfield, but there could still be room for a shrewd operator like the Benfica loan star.
Boubacar Kamara and Lamare Bogarde represent more defensive options, with Barrenechea in a similar mould to this trio.
Aston Villa midfield options:
- Youri Tielemans
- Boubacar Kamara
- John McGinn
- Amadou Onana
- Ross Barkley
- Lamare Bogarde
He could have featured well in the squad and likely represents a better and more progressive option than a 31-year-old Ross Barkley right now.
To let him go for such a low potential fee seems foolish, especially in today’s day and age, where transfer fees are becoming increasingly inflated.
There is reasoning behind his sale regarding PSR and the need to bring in funds, but losing players who could prove to be excellent is a risky strategy.
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