Stockport County fans have been left with an early lump of coal in their Christmas stockings this festive period as loanee and first-team favourite Louie Barry has been recalled by Aston Villa.
After the announcement was delivered this past weekend, Barry is set to return to hisparent club in January, leaving him with just three games left before he has to say goodbye to the Hatters.
Having impressed not only in his debut campaign with Stockport but going on to hit even greater heights to emerge as their star player this season, he’s quite literally been the match-winner more times than supporters will care to count as they prepare to bid him a reluctant goodbye.
Breaking the news to the Edgeley Park faithful on Sunday evening, the update may have been inevitable but it still came as a no less painful one that has frustrated many who believe it’s a “poor from Villa” and “unfair” both on the player and the club who desperately rely on him.
Having taken his goal contribution tally from 13 in 20 games throughout 2023/24 to having notched 15 goals and three assists in 22 appearances this season so far, there can be no question that Barry has found a comfortable second home at the League One club.
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It’s come as a hard one to take for the fans who are all too aware of his potential. One person joked, “Thanks villa that’s just ruined my Christmas, All the best Louie”; another simply said, “Are you taking the p***?”, while a third dubbed him a “County legend”.
Many merely mustered the old adage, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. Thank you”, but to sum up the overall feeling, they’re simply “gutted” to be losing the super talented youngster.
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One person even went so far as to write: “An absolute box office footballer and a pleasure to watch live Up there with Anthony Pilkington as the most talented footballer I’ve ever seen in a County shirt Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of watching him, will follow his career with great interest.”
Even fans of other teams have been sharing their sympathy, with more than one echoing the sentiment: “An absolute shame. Been brilliant for you but his talents do lie at a higher level. Presume he will be loaned to a Championship team for the second half of the season.”
In fact, there were plenty of Villa fans to be found in the comments too, all debating whether or not this will prove to be a “mistake”, with several asking “Why upset his rhythm?”.
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I'm a villa fan and I agree. I think he should have seen the season out with Stockport. Then next season put him in the championship whether with you guys or not. He's only 21 there's plenty of time
With the Birmingham-based side sitting in the European places once again in the top flight this season, the assumption is that Barry will most likely be loaned once again only to a Championship club to see at what level his ability is currently at.
Just as County will now be wishing they had, there’ll be plenty looking to snap the 21-year-old up on a permanent deal should they get the chance, with Leeds, Middlesborough and both Sheffield clubs all said to be interested.
On the other hand, with the Villans still in multiple competitions, they could be looking to bolster their squad with more numbers and given the success of youngsters like high-flying Jhon Durán, Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey, they could be hoping to integrate him into the matchday squad.
However, the worry is that if he does stay at Villa Park and try to fight for first-team minutes, he could end up wasting valuable time sat waiting on the bench rather than continuing to thrive as he was at Stockport County. Regardless, the only saying still rings true: never get attached to a loan player…
Do you think Louie Barry was right to be recalled or is it a misstep from Villa?
‘Nothing is eternal’: Is Pep Guardiola hinting at the end of Manchester City’s supremacy?
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola looks to have suggested that more than a decade of Manchester City’s supremacy and Premier League dominance at the very least might be coming to an end.
Speaking in his post-match press interviews after City were knocked out of the Champions League by serial European Cup winners Real Madrid, Guardiola cut a somewhat more deflated figure than usual following the 3-1 defeat.
A Kylian Mbappe hattrick which was closed out within an hour of play was enough to stretch the aggregate score to 6-3 over the two legs and Madrid doubling their lead across the tie proved yet again why, not unlike City domestically over the last decade, they’re the kings of the continental competition.
In contrast, however, Pep seemed to accept the loss much more easily than perhaps we’ve seen in the past and rather than appearing familiarly frustrated or defiant in the press conference; instead, he seemed rather reflective, responding to one reporter: “Nothing is eternal”.
🗣️ "Nothing is eternal" – Pep Guardiola.
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Insisting that they have to decide whether a significant rebuild is needed to keep competing at the very top level consistently as they have done since the 54-year-old arrived back in 2016, he argued that it is only with that they’ll be able to determine what comes next.
As for the result itself, he made no bones about Carlo Ancelotti’s side having “deserved it”, stating simply that “the best team won” and that fans and players alike have to “accept the reality: they were better.”
Having been a familiar foe for Pep long before he arrived in Manchester, both at Barcelona and Bayern Munich – not to mention City having faced Los Blancos a dozen times before Tuesday night since 2012 – there have been less surprising outcomes for supporters to come to terms with.
“With time, the club and everyone is going to accept what it is but for now we have 30/40 games for the Premier League next season to try and be here [in the Champions League] and to improve. Nothing is eternal”, said the Catalan coaching genius.
On the other hand, he also went on to add that it was merely a reflection on the night itself and not what his team have achieved in recent years.
He went on to remark that “when we were playing outstanding it hurt more” to be knocked out of the UCL when he felt they deserved to stay in it, but still insisted: “We have been unbelievable and we have to try step by step to get better from today.” Tonight just wasn’t the night.
Who knows? Perhaps it was just some more melodrama from a manager with an undeniable flare for pageantry and playing into/in the face of narratives when he doesn’t come out on top – which hasn’t happened all that often until their dip in form this season.
Plus, there’s certainly still plenty for him and the fans to be positive about; not only has the arrival of their ‘Egyptian Prince’ and the media’s Mo Salah successor, Omar Marmoush, got plenty of people excited – especially after that first-half hattrick against Newcastle – but so too have the other January signings.
In fact, for all of his downplaying in this particular presser (which you can hear in full HERE), it felt like there were only upsides after their victory over Newcastle, even going so far as to dub new signing Nico Gonzalez a ‘mini-Rodri‘.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below:
Pep is right, nothing is eternal – but sometimes you just come up against talents like Mbappe and there’s very little anyone can do about it.
Sale Sharks sign highly-rated Harlequins hooker, Nathan Jibulu
Danny Jones
Sale Sharks are investing in youth with their latest bit of transfer business after signing one of the Harlequins’ hottest prospects, Nathan Jibulu.
The highly-rated hooker, who has already nine appearances this season, including more than half a dozen in the Gallagher Premiership, has been exciting plenty of scouts throughout rugby union and is already firmly in national team plans.
Having already been part of the England Under-20 and A squads, not to mention impressing at club level in a relatively short space of time, it’s a big coup for Sale.
From the Quins academy to the right side of Shark-infested waters.
Jibulu joined the Twickenham-based outfit back in 2022 just a year after they won their second English championship (a full decade since their first) after previously attending Seaford College and representing nearby Wimbledon Warriors.
However, now the six-foot and seriously strong forward will be swapping the life near the capital for the North and Greater Manchester, specifically.
Set to join Sale Sharks for the 2025/26 season – scheduled to kick off in September – he’s looking like a really strong addition to their front row and a future squads to come.
Speaking to the club in an official statement, he said: “When I was younger, whenever someone asked me, ‘what team would you want to play for?’ I’d always say Sale…
“I’ve scrummed a lot with Asher [Opoku-Fordjour] and I got to know him pretty well. I always tell him how special and different he is, and I can’t wait to play with him.
“The way the club has developed him and nurtured him to become an established Premiership and England player speaks volumes about the coaching and the support that he’s getting at Sale.
“The entire front row is in the England squad, with the Curry boys too, so that tells you that someone at the club is doing something right. I looked at that and I said, ‘why would you not want to be there?’”
Still just 22 years old and having made just as many appearances for his soon-to-be former club, Sale weren’t the only ones chasing his signature.
Jibulu went on to add: “I love those games where you go toe-to-toe physically, so all of that attracted me straight away, and then speaking to people who are there already, they said all the stuff that I really like so it was a no brainer when the opportunity came about.”
As for his impending coach, Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson said: “Nathan is really driven, he understands what he wants from his life and his career, and he knows how he’s going to get it.
“He’s a young lad but he’s incredibly mature and he’s got the game and the physical attributes to match. I’ve got no doubt he’ll play for England in the future and we’re really excited to bring him to the club.”
Currently sat seventh in the table after another at times promising but somewhat frustrating start to the year, the summer can’t come soon enough for Sale.
Danny Jones -
23rd December 2024 
