Aston Villa take West Brom by surprise as last-gasp transfer decision made hours before deadline
Aston Villa have decided to recall Samuel Iling-Junior from his loan spell at rivals West Brom.
Iling-Junior joined West Brom from Villa in September but has struggled to make a consistent impact at The Hawthorns.
In 24 Championship appearances, the winger has scored just one goal and is yet to provide an assist in the league.
The Baggies are languishing just three points above the relegation zone and have made a difficult start to life under new boss Eric Ramsay.
Villa‘s decision has perhaps, in part, been taken with that mind, with the 22-year-old set for a new temporary home for the remainder of the season.
Who is in for Aston Villa winger Samuel Iling-Junior now?
According to Football Insider, Iling-Junior is now set to join Serie A side Pisa for rest of the 2025-26 campaign, marking a return to Italy for the forward.
Iling-Junior arrived at Villa Park from Juventus and was then sent on loan to Bologna to continue his footballing development.
According to the X account @talkwba, Villa’s decision has caught rivals Albion off guard as they did not expect Iling-Junior to be recalled so late in the window.
However, Villa are clearly unsatisfied with how things are going for Iling-Junior’s development in the Championship, hence the return to Italy seemingly being sanctioned.
It will certainly be one for Villa fans to monitor his progress at Pisa, who are mired in relegation trouble, sitting 19th in Serie A and three points adrift of safety.
What else could Aston Villa do on deadline day?
Aston Villa have already secured returns for Tammy Abraham and Douglas Luiz this month, while Leon Bailey is also back at Villa Park having spent the first half of the campaign at Roma.
Youngsters Alysson and Brian Madjo were also signed by Villa this month, with both players having significant potential for the future.
As such, boss Unai Emery has suggested that there might not be too much activity at Villa on Monday, as clubs in the Premier League scramble to get their last-minute business done before the 7pm deadline.
Academy prospect Ben Broggio has received the green light from Villa to leave on loan, with Scottish Premiership side Falkirk his likely destination.
Barcelona ace Ferran Torres had also been reportedly tracked by Villa but it looks as though he will not be departing Camp Nou at the 11th hour.
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