Enzo Barrenechea - on loan at Benfica

[eye digress]

I think we (fans in general) have a tendency to lean towards a couple of "common knowledge" style viewpoints that aren't necessarily correct.

Agree with this, and would add one other tempting fallacy - which is that the answer to our current problems will be provided by anyone other than the players currently available for selection (i.e., not Enzo, not Barry, etc., however tempting that may seem).

[OCD]

Personally I'd have kept Barrenechea around in the summer, not necessarily to play regularly or to be cover if Kamara hadn't come back but more because I think the demands Emery has for his central midfielders are very high and we can already see all of the options we have (along with Luiz last year) struggling to do everything he wants from them. I think a year of being around that would have him in a better place to step up next season and be a valuable member of the squad.

I think the risk is that he would have struggled for minutes and he would see it as a wasted year. He's already lost a chunk of his young career to an ACL and his loan last year was his first season in senior football so the experience does him good.

There is an upside to being around the first team squad but the player's mentality and their mindset have to be considered. I think he wants to be playing considering the above and not getting many minutes would have been frustrating. He wasn't even making the 18-man squads at the start of the season when Valencia made their approach.

Next pre-season will be interesting for him.

[Brend'Watkins]

I wonder what the club’s formula is? As good as Paul’s theory is about ourselves I bet theirs is far more scientific than anything we might think.

[paul_e]

Personally I'd have kept Barrenechea around in the summer, not necessarily to play regularly or to be cover if Kamara hadn't come back but more because I think the demands Emery has for his central midfielders are very high and we can already see all of the options we have (along with Luiz last year) struggling to do everything he wants from them. I think a year of being around that would have him in a better place to step up next season and be a valuable member of the squad.

I think the risk is that he would have struggled for minutes and he would see it as a wasted year. He's already lost a chunk of his young career to an ACL and his loan last year was his first season in senior football so the experience does him good.

There is an upside to being around the first team squad but the player's mentality and their mindset have to be considered. I think he wants to be playing considering the above and not getting many minutes would have been frustrating. He wasn't even making the 18-man squads at the start of the season when Valencia made their approach.

Next pre-season will be interesting for him.

I agree, and I suspect he shared similar concerns which is why we let him go out for the year.

I was talking about the best thing for the club, that's not always the same as the best thing for the player.

[Dave]

He's started the last three games for Valencia, so seems to be developing nicely.

Now back to being an unused substitute. Valencia lost to previously-bottom Valladolid yesterday and are now two points adrift at the bottom themselves.

So probably just sell Barrenechea for spare organs.

[Demitri_C]

He's started the last three games for Valencia, so seems to be developing nicely.

Now back to being an unused substitute. Valencia lost to previously-bottom Valladolid yesterday and are now two points adrift at the bottom themselves.

So probably just sell Barrenechea for spare organs.

Thanks for the update.  For me at the time i had issue of us loaning him out when we have had a demanding schedule of games. Enzo would have got game time here as we have struggled defensively and its only recently kamara has come back.

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

He's started the last three games for Valencia, so seems to be developing nicely.

Now back to being an unused substitute. Valencia lost to previously-bottom Valladolid yesterday and are now two points adrift at the bottom themselves.

So probably just sell Barrenechea for spare organs.

Thanks for the update.  For me at the time i had issue of us loaning him out when we have had a demanding schedule of games. Enzo would have got game time here as we have struggled defensively and its only recently kamara has come back.

We’ve had problems at right back but Kosta hasn’t really had a look in, similar profile of player.

[Somniloquism]

Difference is Kosta was wanted at the time. Enzo was a make-weight who, if we are lucky, will be sold for a few mil.

[pauliewalnuts]

Difference is Kosta was wanted at the time. Enzo was a make-weight who, if we are lucky, will be sold for a few mil.

Although we don't actually know that.

[jwarry]

Rumours of his being recalled.  We are clearly down to the bones on midfield at the moment

[ozzjim]

Been very good for Valencia lately, and would give us a viable ball player next to Kamara.

[coreyfeldman]

Rumours of his being recalled.  We are clearly down to the bones on midfield at the moment

From anywhere credible?

[Clampy]

Rumours of his being recalled.  We are clearly down to the bones on midfield at the moment

From anywhere credible?

Yeah, he's from Argentina.

[jwarry]

Rumours of his being recalled.  We are clearly down to the bones on midfield at the moment

From anywhere credible?

Collomosse being coy

https://x.com/tomcollomosse/status/1882371354764403177?s=61&t=5gNHKFDBiIG50p8ei1L0Vg

[eamonn]

Collomosse stealing a march on the JTs - Jacob Tanswell, John Townsley and John Terry who you think might be good for Villa intel.