Stockport County will be fearing potential Aston Villa call as soon as 2025 begins more than ever | OneFootball

Louie Barry's form at Stockport County may catch the eye of Aston Villa who could want to recall him in January.

Stockport County will be pleased with their start to the 2024-25 campaign, as the Hatters currently sit in fourth place, five points off the top of League One.

After initially struggling to convert draws into victories in the early weeks of the season, they've turned a corner over the past month, securing three wins in their last four matches.

Aside from an uncharacteristic 5-0 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers, this period has seen them hit the back of the net on multiple occasions. The 4-1 win against Reading and 5-0 drubbing of Bolton Wanderers were particularly impressive, but it was Saturday’s hard-fought 1-0 win against Wrexham that has cemented their place in the upper echelons of League One.

The man pivotal to these results has been loanee Louie Barry, who has been in unbelievable form since the start of the season.

Playing alongside the hard-working Kyle Wooton, the 21-year-old has managed to find the back of the net on 11 occasions this term and seems set to carry this on for the foreseeable.

However, this continued form will have caught the eye of his parent club Aston Villa, who could be interested in cutting Barry's loan short.

Louie Barry has found his feet at Stockport

Barry is a name familiar to a lot of football fans after he made the stunning move from West Bromwich Albion to Barcelona at the age of 16.

Unfortunately, his time in Spain didn't work out and just six months later Aston Villa signed him for a fee of £880,000.

Since then, he has had a plethora of mediocre loans across England at teams like Ipswich Town and MK Dons. But, since making a temporary move to Edgeley Park in the summer of 2023, he has found form and proved himself to be a valuable asset to the Hatters.

While injuries limited him to just 20 appearances last term, this year's return has seen him fully fit and firing for Dave Challinor's side.

Goals have come on an almost weekly basis, and he currently tops the goalscoring charts in League One. This achievement is all the more impressive given that his expected goals tally is just 6.56, meaning he has outperformed this figure by 4.44.

Beyond his clinical finishing, the attacker is a superb dribbler, capable of creating chances for those around him. He's also crucial to Challinor's aggressive pressing strategy, averaging 4.45 recoveries per game and winning possession in the final third 1.11 times per 90 minutes.

This will all be impressive reading for Unai Emery, who come January may see a possible place for Barry within his squad.

Louie Barry could return to Aston Villa

While six months more at Edgeley Park likely wouldn't hurt Barry's development, Villa may have visions of the 21-year-old playing higher up the English pyramid.

If he returned to Villa Park in the January window, they would have plenty of options for next steps for the attacker.

Emery may want to keep him in the first-team squad as a possible backup for multiple positions across the front line but, more likely, they would look to send him out on loan again with a host of Championship clubs surely interested in securing his services on a short-term deal.

However, a final option would be a permanent sale of Barry, who could generate some much-needed funds in the January window. With the likes of Jay Stansfield departing Fulham for £15-20 million, the Villains may see an opportunity to cash in on the youngster's strong form.

Currently, Barry is far outperforming his Birmingham City counterpart, who has struggled to have the impact expected of him in the third tier.

We've seen Villa recall players from EFL loans to cash in previously so with Barry flying, Stockport must be more than a little worried that they don't lose the player that could be their difference maker in a potential push for promotion.