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Another new rumour for the Blades has seen them linked with current Stockport County loanee, Louie Barry.
Barry’s impressive form for Stockport has reportedly led to his parent club, Aston Villa to seek a Championship loan for their young forward.
According to TeamTalk, the Blades are the latest Championship side to join the race for Barry. With Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United and Middlesbrough among the numerous sides also after his signature.
So what could Louie Barry offer the Blades if he moves to Bramall Lane in January?
His time at Stockport County
His time with the Hatters this season is as a result of his brilliant return for the club last season in League Two. Barry scored nine goals and got four assists as Stockport were promoted to League One.
In that first season he was awarded both the EFL Young Player of the Month and EFL League Two Player of the Month for September 2023.
Unfortunately, Barry sustained a hamstring injury in October 2023, which saw him out until his return to the team in April 2024. Barry made 5 appearances for the club before the end of this season.
The numbers this season
This season, Barry, like Stockport, has stepped up to League One seamlessly. He has 14 league goals and an assist so far in just 20 games. His goals see him leading the League One goalscoring charts by some distance. Four goals in front of Peterborough’s Kwame Poku and Birmingham’s League One record signing Jay Stansfield.
Four of Barry’s goals in the league have come from the penalty spot but that shouldn’t be held against him given Stansfield has also scored 4 goals from the spot.
His goals per 90 is the second best in League One behind Stansfield according to FUTMOB with 0.81 goals per 90. Barry’s shot conversion rate (22.6%) is the best out of the ten players with the highest shots per 90 in League One. His actual goals are ahead of his xG (8.6) by nearly six goals showing just how prolific he has been.
Outside of his goal scoring numbers, Barry has completed 280 passes and has a great passing accuracy of 80.9%. Whilst, he has also created 20 chances and completed 9 successful crosses.
His primary positions this season is striker but he has been known to play CAM and on the left wing. This diverse ability across the frontline could make him a very useful signing with the Blades now playing with wingers.
His impressive season has not gone without accolades. Barry has been named League One Player of the Month for both August and November.
It’s safe to say, that Stockport County will be hoping to convince Villa to let him stay with them. In fairness to them, they have every right to benefit from the development he has made whilst with them.
Before Stockport County
Despite being just 21, Barry has had an intriguing and strange career in football. He spent a decade in West Bromwich Albion’s academy between 2009-2019.
In 2019, he attracted the interest of Barcelona and joined La Masia, their prestigious academy. He was also reportedly wanted by PSG. On his first start for Barca’s U19s, Barry scored in a 6-0 win over Ebro. He made ten further appearances for the U19s scoring twice in the 2019-20 UEFA Youth League. He also won the U19 league with Barca.
By January 2020, he had joined Aston Villa for a reported initial fee of £880,000. He made his debut for Villa in the FA Cup third round against Liverpool scoring as Villa lost 4-1. His only goal for Villa so far.
Speaking on Barry, Jurgen Klopp said: “The boys did really well. Little Jamie Vardy was a proper threat.”
Barry has also spent time on loan with Ipswich Town, Swindon Town, MK Dons and Salford City. Most impressively scoring six goals and getting an assist in just 16 games for Swindon.
Takeaways
It’s clear from his early career that Barry could be a quality signing for the Blades if they can win the highly contested race in January. His form in League Two and now League One shows he is ready for a step-up. Although, admittedly, it would be harsh on Stockport County who deserve a lot of credit for his development.
Any doubts about his ability to step-up should be squashed by Harrison Burrows’ season for the Blades so far. Burrows was equally effective in the third division with 29 goal contributions last season. Delving into League One is not to be avoided.
Plus, one potential trump card the Blades have is former captain Ollie Norwood. Could he get one more impressive Blades assist and convince his current teammate to choose Bramall Lane?
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