Aston Villa have made a habit, in recent years, of announcing transfers straight out of the blue.
Absolutely nobody saw Danny Ings’ arrival from Southampton coming. The signing of Diego Carlos took the game by surprise too. Until joining Aston Villa in a £26 million deal from Sevilla back in 2022, the battle-scarred Brazilian looked set for Newcastle United instead.
Villa maintained that tradition this summer too when their pursuit of Chelsea’s former Burnley and Borussia Dortmund loanee Ian Maatsen went from zero to 60 in the blink of an eye.
But, in the case of Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea, things weren’t quite so, well, under the radar. In rather un-Villa-like fashion, this was a transfer played out very much in the public eye. Then again, that was largely due to the complexity of a deal which eventually saw three players and a whole lot of money changing hands.
Juventus, per The Athletic, paid £42 million to bring Douglas Luiz to Turin; the playmaker seemingly the solution to their long-running midfield issues. Aston Villa, to the tune of £18.5 million, have brought Iling-Junior and Barrenechea in the other direction after initially looking at Weston McKennie.
And while Juventus’ signing of Douglas Luiz has been hailed as a coup by many in Italy, Andrea Bonatti is not quite so complimentary about the arrangement.
Juventus duo join Aston Villa in Douglas Luiz deal
Bonatti is, after all, Juventus’ former youth coach.
And he cannot hide his disappointment at seeing Iling-Junior and Barrenechea – a pair who rose through the ranks with the Bianconeri – used as pawns in a deal which sees two of Juve’s most exciting young talents depart.
“It’s a shame,” Bonatti tells TuttoJuve, having worked with both Iling-Junior and Barrenechea closely. “Because, having been part of the final growth path, they had that type of belonging (to the club) that other guys don’t have.
“The only ones responsible for making this type of decision is the club. They will probably have looked carefully at the balance sheet and evaluated the economic income deriving from their sale.
“Perhaps precisely for this reason, the thought of selling them prevailed.”
Iling-Junior actually started out in Chelsea’s academy, before moving to Italy in 2020. The England Under 21 international is a rather old-school, left-footed left-winger who can play in both attack and defence.
Iling-Junior, then, may find himself in competition with Maatsen on that particular flank amid doubts over Alex Moreno’s future even if Real Betis recently ruled out a return to the Spaniard’s old stomping ground.
Barrenechea, meanwhile, is a tough-tackling, typically uncompromising Argentine defensive midfielder. After thriving on loan at Frosinone in 2023/24, Barrenechea will look to fill a Luiz-shaped void in Unai Emery’s starting XI.
Iling-Junior and Barrenechea tipped for big things
Bonatti, meanwhile, believes that neither player will have any trouble adapting to life in English football. The London-born Iling-Junior in particular, given it was at Chelsea where he initially honed his talents.
“I am convinced that the Premier League is a championship that suits their characteristics,” adds Bonatti. “Because they are two players with excellent technique, an important physical structure and athletic skills that will allow them to adapt very well to the intense pace at which the game is played in England.”
On a busy day at Villa Park, Emery’s side was further bolstered by the return of Ross Barkley after a restorative spell at Luton Town. Aston Villa are a very different club from the one Barkley left in 2020.
So much so that the midfielder’s silverware ambitions do not feel quite so fanciful now as they would have under Dean Smith.
“For me, and everyone else at the club and the fans, (the ambition is) to win a trophy,” Barkley tells the Villa website.
“The club came so close last season and were unfortunate (in the Europa Conference League). With additions to the already great squad that we’ve got it’s going to be pivotal for the season. Hopefully we can win a trophy.
“Over the last few years the club has made huge strides since I was last at the club. As an outsider looking in, it looked fantastic, and to be a part of that is fantastic for me.
“Playing in the Champions League is a big incentive for me and the club, so I’m looking forward to that.”
