There are never any guarantees of success where new signings are concerned. Particularly when it comes to those completely alien to the hustle and bustle of the Premier League.
But the reaction to another summer of intriguing Aston Villa additions does little to quell the optimism going into Unai Emery’s second full campaign at the helm, irrespective of Douglas Luiz’s exit.
Luiz, Villa’s Player of the Year in 2023 and one of the first names on Emery’s team sheet, is not an easy player to move on from. Amadou Onana, a £50 million acquisition from Everton, should help fill the gap though it remains to be seen if the rangy Belgian shares Luiz’s perfectly-rounded skillset.
So Enzo Barrenechea – the Argentine who moved to Villa Park as part of the deal that took Douglas Luiz to Juventus – will have to pick up his share of the flack.
And while the jury will be out on the 23-year-old until he has proven himself (or otherwise) on the Premier League stage, the noises coming out of Italy suggest that the Midland giants have got themselves quite a coup.
Enzo Barrenechea could be an inspired Aston Villa signing
Barrenechea made only three first-team league appearances for Juventus.
He was, however, a revelation on loan at Frosinone last term alongside the Roma-bound former Leicester City target Mathias Soule.
“I like him a lot,” Italian expert Marco Palma tells Tuttomercatoweb of Barrenechea. “He is one of those playmakers who are beautiful to watch and has room for improvement. He has already shown great things in Serie C with Juve (reserves).
“Aston Villa could be a good fit for him. I don’t know if he will reach very high levels but I really like him.”
A deep-lying midfielder who is not afraid to stick the boot in, Barrenechea should help ease Aston Villa’s overreliance on Boubacar Kamara alongside the considerably more expensive Onana.
Barrenechea picked up ten yellow cards in Serie A last term. Clearly, his timing could still improve.
But the former Newell’s Old Boys and FC Sion youngster does not look like one of those new arrivals who will struggle with the ferocity of the English game.
Samuel Iling-Junior also joins as part of Juventus deal
Andrea Bonatti, a former Juventus reserve coach, worked with both Barrenechea and fellow import Samuel Iling-Junior in Turin.
And he cannot hide his disappointment after seeing the Italian giants cash in on two of their most exciting young talents, all of Bonatti’s hard work set to benefit not the Bianconeri but Aston Villa now instead.
“It’s a shame (to see Barrenechea and Iling-Junior leave),” Bonatti tells TuttoJuve. “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.”
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