Ipswich Town loss was Swindon Town gain when it came to Aston Villa deal | OneFootball

Aston Villa starlet Louie Barry impressed during a previous loan spell with Swindon Town, but not with Ipswich Town

Aston Villa starlet Louie Barry first came through the academy ranks at West Bromwich Albion, before earning an eye-catching move to La Liga giants Barcelona in July 2019 when he was just 16 years old.

Although the striker made three appearances in the 2019/20 UEFA Youth League campaign, he struggled to make his mark in La Masia during his short stay and moved to Villa Park in January 2020.

Barry made his first notable contribution in senior football during an FA Cup tie between the West Midlands outfit and Liverpool during the 2020/21 season, as he scored the only goal for his side during a 4-1 defeat.

A Covid outbreak within the Villa squad meant that they had no first-team players available and had to face the Reds with a starting XI comprised entirely of youth players.

This ultimately prevented the club from progressing in the FA Cup, but it did provide a memorable afternoon for the likes of Barry, who made a name for himself.

After scoring in the cup the previous season, the England youth international took his next steps in the senior game when he joined Ipswich Town on loan ahead of the 2021/22 League One campaign.

Barry struggled at Ipswich but succeeded with Swindon Town

When the Tractor Boys, then a third-tier side, got their hands on Barry back in the summer of 2021, they would have been excited about his potential, given the fact that he had scored against Liverpool just months before, and had also recently spent time in the highly renowned Barcelona academy.

However, he was unable to make a single-goal contribution during a short-lived tenure with the Suffolk side, as he made just two League One appearances, and one start.

He also failed to produce the goods during three EFL Trophy outings for the Tractor Boys, and could not find the target during an EFL Cup appearance either.

Following his disappointing spell at Portman Road, Barry was recalled by Villa in January 2022 and joined League Two Swindon Town for the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign.

After agreeing terms at the County Ground, the young striker did not look back and proved the Tractor Boys wrong for not handing him adequate playing time.

During his 16 League Two games for the Wiltshire side, Barry notched six goals and one assist, a return which fired the Robins to a play-off spot.

While the Robins ultimately lost out in the semi-final stages to Port Vale, supporters will always be grateful for the contributions of Barry, whose goals guided the side to their most recent top-seven spot.

On the other hand, some Tractor Boys fans may have even forgotten that the Villa youngster ever played for their club, given the lack of minutes he endured during his time at Portman Road.

While the starlet scored his first goal in senior football wearing Villa colours, it was during his Robins days that he first established his prolific tendencies in front of goal in first-team football.

While enduring a subsequent loan spell with MK Dons during the 2022/23 League One campaign, he managed just one goal and two assists in 22 appearances, before joining Salford City for the remainder of that season, where he would similarly struggle for form.

However, he was much more impressive for Stockport County during the 2023/24 League Two season, as his return of nine goals and four assists in 20 fourth-tier appearances helped fire the Hatters to the title.

He has since proven himself to be even more clinical in League One with the Greater Manchester outfit and is now drawing links to Premier League clubs – a development that may come as a surprise to the Tractor Boys but not those at the County Ground.