Aston Villa have confirmed that midfielder Enzo Barrenechea has joined Valencia on a season-long loan deal.
The 23-year-old joined us from Juventus earlier this summer, and he went on to make a positive impression in pre-season to give Unai Emery a decision to make.
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However, as he sits down the pecking order ahead of Boubacar Kamara returning to group training next month, the expectation is that the Argentine ace is likely to continue to struggle to make our matchday squad, having failed to do so for our opening two Premier League games.
In turn, a loan exit makes sense for him to gain valuable experience through regular playing time, which will of course help him to continue to improve and develop his game to maintain his progress, rather than stagnate on the Villa bench or on the sidelines.
As per the club’s official statement, Barrenechea’s move to Valencia has now been confirmed, while the La Liga side have noted that the deal will run through to June 2025, and fortunately there is no mention from either club about any potential option to buy clause being included in the loan agreement.
A straight loan would be ideal from a Villa perspective, as it gives us the opportunity to bring an improved player back to the club next summer, with a view of Barrenechea still going on to become a key player for Emery.
He possesses many important attributes and characteristics that make him well-suited to the Basque coach’s preferred style of play and wanting control in midfield, and so it’s hoped that this temporary fix at Valencia will help him develop those skills to make him an important part of our future plans.
It remains to be seen if Leander Dendoncker joins him in leaving on loan ahead of the transfer deadline, but it’s hoped that Villa have the necessary quality and depth in midfield this season to be able to compete right through to the end of the campaign for major honours and to replicate our top-four finish from last season.
