Aston Villa have confirmed that Louie Barry has signed a contract extension ahead of joining Stockport County on a season-long loan deal.
The 20-year-old’s previous contract was set to expire next summer, and so to avoid the risk of losing him for nothing in 12 months time, Villa have decided to agree on new terms and extend his stay.
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As per the club’s statement, Barry will now immediately join Stockport on loan for the upcoming campaign, and it’s hoped that it proves to be a positive experience for him to act as a potential catalyst for his career.
This is now his fifth loan spell since he joined Villa from Barcelona in January 2020, and although he has enjoyed some great moments in our shirt – namely helping us lift the FA Youth Cup in 2021 as well as scoring in the FA Cup against Liverpool – the question remains as to whether he has a future with us at senior level.
Competition for places is fierce and he remained behind with the U21s this summer rather than travelling with the squad for the pre-season tour of the USA, with the likes of Jaden Philogene and Omari Kellyman being favoured by Unai Emery.
In turn, the decision to agree a contract extension is still a sensible one, as if Barry enjoys a good season with Stockport, it will hopefully lead to interest in a permanent transfer next year and Villa can cash in if they don’t feel as though he will be involved with the first-team squad moving forward.
While it’s always hoped that the ideal scenario plays out and our youngsters eventually make their breakthrough at the top level and deliver, that is ultimately relatively rare, and so selling our talents is a vital part of balancing the books too and that may well be the route we go down with Barry.
Having now sealed his loan move though, the focus for the time being will be on him having a productive stint at Stockport to showcase his talent, and we’ll see what comes from that next summer.