Aston Villa have fresh transfer decision to make after long-awaited breakthrough
Aston Villa haven't hung around at the beginning of January in making executive decisions on the immediate futures of loanees Louie Barry and Lewis Dobbin, after loaning the pair out in the summer transfer window. Barry has returned from Stockport County having left with his name at the top of the League One scorers' list, while Dobbin has been redirected from West Brom to Norwich City.
Villa made calls late in the summer window to loan out imports Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior, too; both missed out on places in the match-day squad for the opening couple of games against West Ham and Arsenal and opportunities presented themselves at Valencia and Bologna respectively.
Midfielder Barrenechea, 23, has been a part of a Valencia side which is struggling in La Liga; the club from the Mestalla, who boast a proud history and won the league in 2002 and 2004, find themselves in the relegation zone, four points adrift of safety at the halfway point in the campaign.
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Under new management, after the club sacked Ruben Baraja before Christmas, Barrenechea is currently being coached by former Albion boss - and Unai Emery's acquaintance - Carlos Corberan. Valencia were narrowly defeated by ten-man league leaders Real Madrid on Friday night having taken the lead in the game.
It was a breakthrough for Barrenechea, though, who completed 90 minutes in a Valencia shirt for the first time since he made the move to Spain in the summer; the Argentine, who has since had an international call up this season during his loan, has made 13 appearances so far, including ten starts, and he scored in the 1-1 draw at Getafe in October.
Reports in Spain this week claim that there are 'conversations' being held as to whether the agreement in place between Bologna and Villa should continue for the second half of the season regarding Iling-Junior. Bologna are supposedly keen on taking Barrenechea, something which - if it were to materialise - could have a knock-on effect on the young English winger's future in Serie A, although Valencia aren't keen on losing the midfielder.
