West Brom: Aston Villa deal could be repeat of Harvey Barnes, Mikey Johnston success stories | OneFootball

Barnes and Johnston both enjoyed highly fruitful loan spells with the Baggies, and that should inspire a move for Villa's Louie Barry.

Aston Villa look set to recall forward Louie Barry from his loan with Stockport County in January, and previous success stories with Harvey Barnes and Mikey Johnston should inspire West Brom to secure his signature.

It's understood that Villa are planning to bring the 21-year-old Barry back to Villa Park when the winter window opens, with the view to sending him back out on loan to a Championship side for the second half of the season.

Sheffield Wednesday along with a host of second tier sides are reported to be interested, as are Middlesbrough, and the Baggies shouldn't hesitate to throw their hat into the ring for their former academy starlet.

Barry spent a decade in West Brom's youth system before being signed by footballing giants Barcelona as a 16-year-old. His ability and potential have never been in question, and now the versatile forward looks to have put it all together.

As such, Albion should think back to two previous loan signings that made a huge impact at The Hawthorns, and use that as the spark to bring Barry back to his former stomping ground in the new year.

Harvey Barnes was a revelation for West Brom while on loan in 2018

Signed on a season-long loan deal in July 2018, Harvey Barnes joined West Brom as a player who'd already shown he was capable at Championship level, but hadn't proven he was ready to make the leap to the Premier League level just yet.

He'd bagged five goals and four assists in 23 Championship appearances for Barnsley in the first half of the 2017/18 season, but after impressing then Leicester City boss Claude Puel whilst on loan with the Tykes, he was recalled in January 2018.

Barnes wasn't able to truly show his talent in the second half of that season, however, providing no goals or assists in five total appearances. That left the Foxes with the opinion that he needed yet more time in the Championship to refine his ability.

As such, West Brom was the destination, and he quickly proved just how good of a player he was, as well as offering a glimpse into the levels he would reach later in his career.

Barnes would register nine goals and seven assists in just 28 total appearances for Albion during the first half of the 2018/19 season, before Leicester would snatch him from the Baggies in January, recalling him from his loan deal with the club.

His six-months at The Hawthorns remains one of the finest individual spells from a West Brom player in recent times, and given the fact they'd lose in the play-off sem-finals to Aston Villa later that season, Baggies supporters can only wonder what might have been had he been allowed to stay.

Mikey Johnston proved vital in helping West Brom secure play-off spot last season

It's not controversial to say that in the second half of the 2023/24 season, there weren't many players playing better football in the Championship than West Brom's Mikey Johnston.

Arriving from Celtic on a short-term loan deal until the end of the campaign, the winger made the move to The Hawthorns after failing to make a significant enough impact at Celtic Park, and needed a change of scenery in an attempt to reignite his form.

He soon began setting the Championship alight with his dazzling displays off the left flank, and will no doubt have had Celtic supporters adjusting their television sets just to make sure they were watching the same player they'd seen in a green and white shirt.

Johnston played with confidence, swagger and flair, whilst displaying a knack for scoring brilliant goals. His form undoubtedly played a leading role in helping Albion secure a play-off place last season.

So big was his impact, Corberan made sure the Baggies would secure a permanent deal for Johnston in the summer, for a reported fee of around £3m.

Louie Barry can have similar impact if West Brom capture his signature in January

With rumblings of a potential exit for Josh Maja in January, West Brom may well be in need of some extra firepower in attack come the new year.

Even if the Baggies marksman remains with the club beyond the winter window, adding more goals to the squad will likely remain a priority for Corberan and his recruitment team, as they've found it a struggle to unlock defences at times this season.

However, Barry looks like a player who has no issue doing exactly that, and could add a real versatile weapon to Albion's attacking arsenal, and one that could bring about a similar impact that the likes of Barnes and Johnston had.

Whilst on loan at League One Stockport, Barry - who can play as a centre-forward, a number 10 or on the wings - had already comfortably surpassed double-figure goals before the month of November was even out.

With other play-off and promotion chasing sides looking likely to be after his signature in January too, West Brom should lean into their advantage of being in close proximity to his parent club Aston Villa, as it may allow the Villains to keep a better track of how he's performing as opposed to him going somewhere further afield.

Albion look like a side in desperate need of an injection of attacking creation and inventiveness to unpick sturdy Championship defences, and Barry could be the player they're crying out for to keep their promotion push on course.