Aston Villa youngster Louie Barry has received the backing of Unai Emery, who has praised him and outlined the plan for his short-term future.
The 21-year-old joined the club from Barcelona in 2020 having come through the youth ranks at West Brom prior to that, and he has since been sent out on a number of loans to continue to gain experience and develop his game.
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Barry has progressively improved and most recently enjoyed a stellar stint at Stockport County before being recalled this month, having scored 25 goals and provided seven assists in 46 appearances for the club.
The expectation is that he’ll be loaned out to play at a higher level now to continue to test himself and take his game to the next stage, but Emery has revealed that a new contract is in the offing for the talented forward, as Villa evidently believe in his ability and potential.
“We are very happy with Barry,” Emery told reporters, as per VillaTV. “We have one plan with him and that is to extend his contract because we believe in him and then he must continue his process as a player.
“It is to go on loan and continue getting minutes, getting confidence and getting his success playing at another club. How we worked with him last year and with him now is the right way for him.”
Time will tell if Barry ultimately makes a breakthrough at senior level for Villa, as while that will naturally be the hope as it’s always great to see an Academy product make that jump and become a key player in the first-team squad, there is significant competition for him to overcome to climb the pecking order once he does come back.
Having opted to sell Jaden Philogene this month, perhaps that was approved with a view of Barry being integrated at some stage having been chosen as the more promising talent who is capable of featuring for us in the future, but there is also that same path which could become an option for the winger too.
Villa have done excellent business over the past two years or so to cash in on our young talent to help balance the books and strengthen our position when it comes to PSR, and so it’s hoped that whatever develops in the next six to 12 months, it results in a successful outcome for both the club and Barry in the long run.
He’s the same age as Duran so why send him out on loan again give him a new contract and a go n the first team what’s to loose.