Stockport County have surely sealed major Aston Villa advantage that can help them for years to come: View | OneFootball

The loaning of players from Aston Villa to Stockport County worked wonders throughout 2023/24, but it also added to a long-term strategy that could reap rewards for years to come.

It was a club relationship that began back in 2021, while the Hatters were still in the National League, when midfielder Arjan Raikhy swapped Villa Park for Edgeley Park on a temporary basis.

That was then followed a couple of years later when both Louie Barry and Rico Richards walked the same path, with all three gaining important senior experience and adding value to the first team.

They were good moves in the short term, but the trust they have built between the two clubs could become a vital link for the Hatters as they set their sights on becoming a solid Championship side in the near future.

The foundations were laid in 2021

With regional football still in the not-too-distant past, a loan move from a Premier League side still seemed like a relatively big move for the Hatters when Raikhy joined on loan.

Although appearances were limited with County being locked in an intense and physical battle at the summit of non-league, the now 21-year-old was able to experience his first taste of senior football in Stockport and did make significant contributions, winning Man of the Match on his home debut and assisting Ollie Crankshaw for the final goal in the famous 5-3 comeback victory against Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup.

He was recalled in January but had been a useful asset to the then-National League side and his loan at Edgeley Park was undoubtedly a factor in him securing another temporary switch to fellow fifth-tier side Grimsby Town, coincidentally meaning Raikhy turned out for both sides that would go on to be promoted that season.

Although he was not a regular in the Hatters' starting XI, it was an important period for his development and both Villa and County benefitted from the arrangement.

The relationship was strengthened in League Two promotion season

Simon Wilson and his recruitment team at Edgeley Park called upon the relationship once more in the summer of 2023 to bring Barry in on loan, by far the most successful of the three moves.

He went on to score nine goals and provide two assists in 15 appearances prior to suffering a hamstring injury away at Crewe Alexandra in October, which kept him sidelined until the final handful of games.

His goals were pivotal in County's winning run, which catapulted the side to the top of the league and was a crucial factor in the resulting promotion.

Further use of the Stockport-Villa bond was most recently in action in January, when Richards joined until the end of the season. He provided a similar attacking impetus that had been lost through Barry's injury and, although he didn't have the same devastating impact that Barry did, he was still an incredibly useful attacker to have in the side for the final run-in.

The way that Barry's injury and subsequent return was handled by County and manager Dave Challinor, ensuring that Barry wasn't rushed back and that Villa were included in the process throughout, was just one example of how the trust between the two clubs has developed and continues to develop.

It is clear that the relationship is valued at Edgeley Park, and one they have put the effort in to maintain. It has already paid dividends in the form of Barry, but it could prove to be a masterstroke in years to come.

It could be a pivotal factor in Championship charge

County owner Mark Stott made his ambitions to reach the Championship in seven years clear when he first purchased the club in 2020.

Promotion to League One in 2024 makes that projection look a real possibility, but survival in the second tier will likely be the toughest test the Hatters will face should they reach their goal.

The temporary deals that took Amad from Manchester United to Sunderland and Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Manchester City to Southampton in recent years have shown how successful loans between first and second-tier sides can be. County will surely need to draft in some elite-level talent if they are to ever consolidate in the Championship, and more pressingly in League One, in the coming years.

Providing a helping hand in developing the Villans trio means much of that groundwork has already been done, and it will undoubtedly smooth any future loan negotiations for the Midlands side's top talent.

Stockport may not always be the top side interested in a particular talent from the Villa academy, but the Premier League club will have a proven track record of their players being treated correctly and being given opportunities to develop, so that level of trust could become key.

The trio have been great short-term acquisitions, but the long-term benefits that could accrue from these signings could prove pivotal to an ambitious club on the rise.