"Decent position" - Sheffield Wednesday: Danny Rohl backed to beat Middlesbrough FC for in-demand Aston Villa man | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit discussed his club's reported interest in Louie Barry

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield Wednesday have been backed to beat Championship rivals Middlesbrough to the signature of Aston Villa's Louie Barry, who is being lined up for a January loan switch to the second-tier amid an impressive spell with Stockport County.

The Owls are currently performing well in the Championship, having won their last two games consecutively against Derby County and Hull City. They're unlikely to be dragged into the type of relegation battle which Danny Rohl admirably dug them out of last season, with supporters now wondering what could lie ahead in the January transfer window.

Rohl has revealed that the club will be eyeing Premier League loans, with Southampton's Shea Charles proving a big hit at Hillsborough this term, and it appears as though one of those targets is Louie Barry.

Sheffield Wednesday's interest in Aston Villa's Louie Barry

According to a recent report from The Star, Wednesday are among a "boatload" of Championship clubs lining up a move for the former West Bromwich Albion and Barcelona academy prospect, who is currently flourishing on loan with League One promotion hopefuls Stockport County.

The report describes the possibility that parent club Aston Villa could recall the 21-year-old forward from the third-tier, where he is the league's current leading goalscorer with 13 strikes from 17 appearances, in order to test him at Championship level, though that decision hasn't yet been finalised.

Wednesday are believed to be facing competition from Middlesbrough, who are currently in the reckoning for promotion and have a storied recent history with acquiring successful loanees from English football's top-flight.

Barry, who is most at home wide-left in a front three but can also lead the line and has received plaudits for his displays ever since making a first temporary switch to Edgeley Park at the start of last season after a series of less-fruitful loan spells, would certainly fit the bill for the Owls, and they've been backed to win the race due to the probability of sustained, available match minutes at Hillsborough.

Sheffield Wednesday, Danny Rohl backed to beat Middlesbrough to Aston Villa's Louie Barry

We asked our Owls fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, to explain whether he believes Barry would represent a strong and realistic January acquisition for his side amid competition from Boro and other undisclosed second-tier counterparts.

"So in regards to Louie Barry, if he is up for loan in January then I think it would be good if Wednesday go in for him," Patrick told Football League World.

"I think there is a lot to be said for confidence and games played, and he is obviously doing very well at Stockport County. Yes, it's a lower level than the Championship, but he's playing games and adding goals and his confidence is quite high.

"I suppose the Championship is the next challenge for him and Aston Villa want to see if he can cut it at a Championship club before making a decision on his future. It could actually be a really good season to try youth like this, because it does like a relegation battle won't be a concern and the play-offs are out of reach realistically.

"Especially in the second-half of the season, we can try players like this to see how they get on. I think there is space as well with [Anthony] Musaba [Djeidi] Gassama not consistently hitting form. I can see Barry coming in and taking one of their slots or certainly giving competition.

"I actually think we could be in a decent enough position because teams who are challenging for the play-offs may not want to take that risk on a younger player. But I think a lot of it is down to negotiation and whether we can guarantee the player game time, and to be honest, I think we would be in a strong enough position to be able to offer that.

"This season and last season we've taken on James Beadle and Shea Charles and played them, so if we think a loan player who comes here is good enough, they'll get playing time. It would be a risk-free option in January and if he came there is every chance he could have a decent second half of the season for us."