Aston Villa Reunion Made Sheffield Wednesday Settling In Easier Admits Star | OneFootball

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Sheffield Wednesday defender Sil Swinkels has admitted that reuniting with former Aston Villa team-mate Louie Barry in Yorkshire has made his transition to the club much easier.

The Dutch centre-back spent six years at Aston Villa after joining the club in 2020, but made only two senior appearances before completing a move to Sheffield Wednesday last month.

He signed a three-year deal with the Owls and was soon joined by fellow Aston Villa academy graduate Barry, who accepted a significant pay cut to make the switch to the League One side.

The pair have previously shared the pitch on eleven occasions and were both members of the Aston Villa side that lifted the FA Youth Cup during the 2020/21 season.

Swinkels admitted that being reunited with Barry at Sheffield Wednesday has made adapting to his new surroundings far easier following their departures from Villa.

The Dutch defender revealed they first discussed the possibility of joining the club while his own transfer was already progressing, although he initially thought Barry was joking as there had been no reports linking him with a move.

He added that they remained in contact throughout the process and believes having a familiar face in the dressing room has helped him settle in more quickly.

When asked whether it was nice to reunite with Barry, Swinkels said on The Wednesday Word (8:40): “Yes, great.

“I remember I went into Villa one day, just right at the start before I joined here, and my deal was pretty much done.

“I had the medical scheduled in, I think it was the next day, and Louie pulled me and was like, ‘I think I might be coming as well.’

“But I didn’t know if he was joking or not.

“I hadn’t really heard, there was nothing in the media at the time about his move yet, so we spoke a little bit and we stayed in touch.

“I was just waiting for him every day to come in, for his move to be finalised and, obviously, to have someone in the team that you know already makes life a lot easier.”

Last season, Swinkels spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Exeter City in League One before finishing the season with Chesterfield in League Two, making 36 appearances across the two spells.

Barry, meanwhile, spent the first half of the campaign with rivals Sheffield United before joining Stockport County, where he scored four goals during his time with the Hatters.

Henrik Pedersen will now be hoping the former Aston Villa academy team-mates can carry that familiarity onto the pitch as Sheffield Wednesday begin their push for an immediate return to the Championship, starting with next weekend’s opener against Leyton Orient.