Aston Villa have completed the signings of Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus.
The Athletic reported last week that Villa had agreed a €22million ($18.6m; $23.6m) fee for Iling Junior, 20, and Barrenechea, 23, with Juventus. The pair have signed five-year contracts with their new club.
In a separate deal, Juventus have signed midfielder Douglas Luiz from Villa for €50m. Luiz’s departure from Villa was confirmed on Sunday.
Iling-Junior joined Juventus from Chelsea’s academy in 2020 and has made 45 first-team appearances since making his debut in 2022. Last season, the winger played 27 times for Juventus, scoring once, and also featured regularly for the England Under-21s.
Barrenechea spent last season on loan at Frosinone. The Argentinian midfielder started 32 of their 38 Serie A games but could not prevent them from suffering relegation to Serie B on the final day of the campaign. He joined Juventus from Swiss side Sion in 2020 and played five times for them during the 2022-23 season, before heading to Frosinone on loan last term.
Barrenechea played 39 times in all competitions on loan at Frosinone last season — collecting 10 bookings (Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
Villa, meanwhile, have already confirmed the departure of midfielder Tim Iroegbunam to Everton. Forward Lewis Dobbin has moved to Villa Park from Everton in a separate transaction.
Villa begin their 2024-25 Premier League with a trip to West Ham United on August 17.
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‘Depth, variation and a youthful injection to this Villa side’
In Iling-Junior, Villa have signed a player they long admired. Emery has required alternative options out-wide, with the 20-year-old capable of operating at left wing-back and in central areas. His strengths lay in being used as a ball-carrying vehicle — last season, he ranked in the top five per cent of full/wing-backs for carries into the penalty area — which is crucial to Villa’s ability to transition from deep, a staple under Emery.
While the same cannot be said for Barrenechea — he only became part of talks when a deal for Weston McKennie broke down — he is sufficiently pliable to elevate his levels under Emery. He will add midfield depth, provide cover for Boubacar Kamara — who is out with an ACL injury until October at the earliest — and provide an alternative option to the current pool of midfielders, with the 23-year-old often used as a lone No 6 when building in the defensive third in Juventus’s under-23 side and on loan at Frosinone last season.
Typically, Barrenechea operates as the more conservative of the midfield pair, displaying metronomic tendencies — in the 76th percentile for passes attempted (60.93) and 93rd percentile for touches in the defensive third, particularly impressive in a low-possession team — and an ability to play through midfield, crucial to an Emery midfielder
Both add depth, variation and a youthful injection to a Villa side that has had to change its summer plans due to PSR.
(Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
