West Brom to seal Louie Barry transfer as Aston Villa claim made
West Brom have been mooted with an interest in Louie Barry.
West Brom are headed for relegation under Eric Ramsay, and the former MLS coach may be helpless in preventing that this season.
That is unless the Baggies can make the most of the final days of the winter transfer window, with Albion in desperate need of new quality to help them steer clear of the Championship’s bottom three.
Scoring goals has been a major issue for West Brom this season, with the arrival of a new attacker set to be high up on the list of priorities.
And in order to achieve that, a move for Aston Villa’s Barry could be on the cards.
Former scout hints at Louie Barry transfer to West Brom
Aune Heggebo and, perhaps surprisingly, Karlan Grant have been Albion’s only two sources of threat this season, and even that has been rare.
Samuel Iling-Junior has failed to impress, Isaac Price has been frustratingly inconsistent, and Josh Maja and Daryl Dike have managed just one Championship goal between them in 33 total appearances.
If Ramsay is to steady the ship at The Hawthorns, he needs to see a new attacker come into the building with the ability to change a game in an instant.
That’s where Barry comes in, with former scout Bryan King suggesting that a loan move to West Brom could be on the cards before the 2 February transfer deadline.
Speaking to Villa News, he said: “I think if he goes anywhere, it’s got to be on Villa’s terms, not his. I would have thought he’d be ok in the Championship, but I don’t think Sheffield United was the right place.
“I’d have said someone like Birmingham City or West Brom will want him. That would let Villa keep an eye on him for a local side.
“If a Championship club wants a forward, it’s time for him to move on.“
Why did Barry leave West Brom?
You’d be forgiven if you had forgotten that Barry was once on the books of West Brom.
The Villa star left The Hawthorns at the age of 15, when he joined Barcelona, before returning to England just six months later.
In typical Albion fashion, the Baggies never received any monetary value from his exit to Spain, though, on this occasion, it wasn’t necessarily their own doing, at least not entirely.
Back in 2021, it was revealed that FIFA did not recognise the second scholarship offer that was made to Barry when he turned 15.
The teenager was handed one a year prior, but this was only recognised within the UK.
As a result, Barcelona were able to sign the forward for free.