Coach Andrea Bonatti has heaped praise on a "wonderful" Aston Villa player who is yet to make his debut for the club, going into detail about the extent of his quality.
Villa prepare for Everton and opening Champions League game
During the international break, manager Unai Emery and his coaching staff will have two games in mind – their home game against Everton and their first European Cup/Champions League game since 1983 against Young Boys.
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Both clashes await the Midlands side right after this round of internationals, and nothing but a win in both encounters will please Emery, as he looks to get off to a fire-start in Europe and maintain Villa's place among the Premier League elite.
Emery endeared himself to the Villa Park faithful with their hard-earned fourth-placed finish last season, which also made history, but the task is now for them to build upon that incredible 2023/2024 campaign.
Aston Villa vs Everton
September 14
Aston Villa vs Wolves
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Ipswich Town vs Aston Villa
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Aston Villa vs Man United
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Fulham vs Aston Villa
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The club had an eventual summer transfer window and many squad changes were made, with Villa sealing a £50 million deal for Belgium international Amadou Onana as their biggest statement signing.
This was in response to the loss of Douglas Luiz, who joined Serie A giants Juventus after bagging 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions for Villa last season. As part of the deal, Emery and transfer chief Monchi did manage to acquire both Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea.
The latter then joined Valencia on a season-long straight loan and will return to his parent club in June 2025 – departing for his temporary La Liga spell without even making his Villa debut.
Bonatti heaps praise on "wonderful" Villa ace Barrenechea
Speaking to SuperDeporte, via Sport Witness, coach Bonatti has heaped praise on Barrenechea as a "wonderful" player – and explains exactly what Villa fans can expect from him in the future. Bonatti trained the Argentine at academy level for both Juventus' Under-19 and Under-23 sides, so he knows the midfielder inside and out.
"You called me to talk about my favourite player," said Bonatti.
"He is a wonderful footballer. He has many virtues. He is very technical, he controls the ball very well under pressure, he has that ability that comes from futsal, which allows him to have good ball coverage. He has an excellent short game with both legs. And a great long movement, when you have to give speed to the game.
"He is very brave in aerial play, in heading. He is very helpful in defensive and offensive actions in the air. He covers a lot of ground, he is a 6 that gives a lot of balance, that frees up a lot for the teammate next to him. He is always on alert, with a great tactical sense, giving orders to avoid transitions against the rival team.”
“On an emotional level, he does not succumb to pressure. When there is a game with high psychological tension and a lot of heartbeats, he is in his element. He is always present, he is not like other players who disappear in hostile contexts, because they suffer from it. He is a cold-hearted South American, who does not feel the pressure in difficult moments.”