An in-depth look into our seventh winter recruit, Louie Barry…
Born in Sutton Coldfield, Louie Barry played for his local side alongside future Aston Villa teammate Tim Iroegbunam, as well as featuring for West Bromwich Albion at the age of six.
Progressing through the Baggies’ youth system, a return of four goals and three assists in 16 outings for West Brom’s Under-18s in the 2018/19 season attracted the interest of a number of clubs. The winger, who also made his Under-21s debut for the Baggies as a 15-year-old in a goalless home draw against Fulham in March 2019, made history as he joined Barcelona in July 2019, becoming the first English player to join the illustrious La Masia.
Ending his 10-year association with West Brom to join Barca, Barry made his debut for Barca’s Under-19 side in October 2019, scoring on his first start in a 6-0 thrashing of Ebro. Making his UEFA Youth League debut the same month in a 4-0 victory over Slavia Prague, the winger left Barcelona in January 2020 due to the rise of the COVID-19 outbreak and wanting to be closer to family.
Scoring twice in 10 appearances in all competitions, Barry’s contributions helped Barcelona be crowned champions of the División de Honor Juvenil de Fútbol, after COVID ended the youth leagues early. The winger joined Aston Villa as a 16-year-old and scored on both his Under-18s debut and Under-21s debut, scoring a brace against Norwich Under-18s and once against Reading Under-21s.
After youth football resumed for the 2020/21 campaign, Barry predominantly played at Under-21s level, scoring 13 goals in 18 outings. Scoring one in one in the Under-18 Premier League, he scored five and assisted four in six appearances as the Villans won the 2020/21 FA Youth Cup. The now-21-year-old would also make a goalscoring debut for the first team in the senior version of the cup competition, netting in a 4-1 home defeat against Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup in January 2021.
In August 2021, Barry took his first steps into senior football as he joined League One side Ipswich Town on a season-long loan. Making his debut for the Tractor Boys four days later in an EFL Cup first-round test against Newport County, a further four days brought his EFL debut against Burton Albion.
Limited to just six appearances for Ipswich, he was recalled by Villa in January 2022. Featuring three times in Premier League 2 for Villa’s Under-21 side, Barry headed out on loan again, this time to League Two outfit Swindon Town for the remainder of the 2021/22 season.
Making his Swindon debut in February against Crawley Town, his fourth appearance brought his first goal for the club in a 3-0 away win over Carlisle United. Three days later, a first senior brace came for the young forward in a 5-0 thrashing of Walsall. Another brace against Harrogate, as well as a goal and assist in a 2-1 win over Forest Green Rovers, helped Swindon reach the League Two play-offs. Losing in the two-legged semi-finals on penalties against Port Vale, Barry’s second career loan spell ended with six goals in 16 appearances for Swindon.
The 2022/23 campaign saw Barry begin the season on loan at League One side Milton Keynes Dons. Making his debut for the Dons in July 2022 as a substitute against Cambridge United, Barry scored his only goal for the club in a 2-0 win over Charlton Athletic in November.
Recording three assists in 32 appearances, his season-loan was terminated in January 2023 to facilitate a loan move to League Two side Salford City. Making his debut as a late substitute a day after joining the Ammies, a 1-0 win over Walsall, goals against Crewe Alexandra and Hartlepool United helped Salford reach the League Two play-offs. Sadly for Barry, a repeat of losing in the semi-finals on penalties saw him finish his loan spell at Salford with two goals and one assist in 21 outings.
Ironically, Barry began the 2023/24 campaign on loan at the club that beat Salford in the play-offs, Stockport County, penning a contract extension with Aston Villa before making the temporary switch. In just his fourth league outing, the 21-year-old scored his first goal for the club in a 1-0 win over Barrow. This was the first of seven goals scored in consecutive league fixtures for the club, before netting a brace in a 3-2 win over Grimsby Town on his 14th league outing for Stockport.
A hamstring injury picked up in late-October saw him ruled him out for six months. Making his long-awaited comeback in a 2-1 win over Colchester United at the beginning of April, Barry helped Stockport lift the League Two title as the Hatters finished top with 92 points.
Scoring nine goals and recording four assists in 22 outings, Barry returned to Stockport on loan for the 2024/25 season, after penning another contract extension with parent club Aston Villa. Netting three in four appearances in August, the winger earned the League One Player of the Month and EFL Young Player of the Month awards, becoming only the fourth player to win the latter accolade twice, winning it previously in October 2023.
November saw another League One Player of the Month award, with a return of four goals in four appearances. Scoring a total of 16 goals in 24 outings, Villa recalled the winger ahead of the January transfer window, with Barry scoring on his final Stockport appearance in a 1-1 draw at Rotherham United.
Internationally, Barry has youth caps with both England and Republic of Ireland, earning caps with the latter at both Under-15 and Under-16 levels due to eligibility through his grandparents. Some of his most notable moments in an Ireland shirt came with two goals in a 4-2 win over Bulgaria Under-16s, along with a goal in a 4-0 victory over Wales Under-16s.
Scoring a hat-trick for England Under-15s in a 6-4 win over Czech Republic in April 2018, the winger was the tournament top goalscorer as England Under-16s won the 2018 Tournoi Val-de-Marne.
Captaining England Under-16s in a 2-1 win over Türkiye in August 2018, the winger scored twice and recorded one assist on his England Under-17 debut in a 5-0 win over Finland in September 2019. With the Under-17s, Barry won the 2019 Syrenka Cup with a 3-1 win over Poland, providing an assist for Jamal Musiala for one of England’s finishes.
March 2021 saw Barry make his only appearance for England Under-18s in a 2-0 behind-closed-doors friendly against Wales at the Cardiff International Sports Stadium. The winger replaced ex-City loanee Liam Delap for the start of the second half for Kevin Betsy’s side.