Aston Villa are approaching the first deadline of the January transfer window.
Friday, January 16 is the final day for Villa to decide whether to recall several of their current players who are out on loan.
Break clauses are inserted into most loan agreements, giving Villa an opportunity to assess a player’s progress. They will take into account their game-time, tactical fit and whether each player should either remain at the level or look to push higher up the footballing pyramid to another club. If it is the latter, then Villa will have to assess whether the next team have robust, clear plans to use that player regularly.
While this is not applicable to more senior players, including Leon Bailey at Roma, it does add to the workload of Villa’s recruitment figures.
In the case of Bailey, conversations have been held between the Italian club and people close to the Jamaica international about ending his loan early, but there is no official clause that can engineer this. Consequently, a resolution will need to be found in a different way, akin to Villa’s own situation with Harvey Elliott, who is on loan from Liverpool.
Roma and Villa are exploring ending Leon Bailey’s loan in Italy early (Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
In the first half of the campaign, Villa had 24 players out on loan. Through close monitoring, Villa began to evaluate what players would benefit from staying at their loan clubs or be better served either returning, moving temporarily away again or being sold permanently, as is the case with Finley Munroe, who was recalled from Swindon Town and is expected to join Middlesbrough for £350,0000 plus a sell-on clause.
There have been talks about other players being potentially recalled, although no final decision has been made. This includes Zepiqueno Redmond, who has suffered an injury-blighted spell at Huddersfield Town, and has been recalled. He is expected to go to a lower end Championship or high-end League One team. Winger Samuel Iling-Junior moved to West Bromwich Albion but has only figured in precisely half of all available minutes in the Championship.
According to sources familiar with Villa’s transfer plans, there is one loan player who has received Championship interest. They have enjoyed an impressive six months on loan elsewhere, so cutting the initial season-long loan will only be sanctioned by Villa if the alternative move is seen to provide greater development to him.
The Athletic reported last month that several of Villa’s academy graduates would be loaned out, increasing the number of players temporarily elsewhere. Two of them were 18-year-old full-back Ashton McWilliams joining Morecambe, who have an option to buy, and midfielder Aidan Borland, who moved to Swindon. Kane Taylor has also joined Oldham.
This is likely to be only the start of further loan activity. Striker Rory Wilson has multiple suitors abroad, particularly in Scandinavia. If and when the 20-year-old moves on loan, it will trigger a further 12 months to the two-year contract he signed in April 2025.
Other possible exits include Lino Sousa, Luka Lynch and Kadan Young. Winger Ben Broggio has held discussions over a loan, but this remains an ongoing decision. Unai Emery is an admirer of Broggio, with the main question centred on whether he is better utilised in offering depth to the first team squad. Under-21 goalkeeper Ronnie Hollingshead has attracted interest from lower league sides in the EFL and is expected to move.
In the main, Villa will have a handle on the progression of every player out on loan. This is led by Adam Henshall, head of emerging talent and loans and emerging talent development manager, Tony Carss.
Every transfer window is extremely busy for both. Henshall’s role is twofold — one aspect is that he heads up a recruitment department for recruiting talent 19 years of age and under. He leads a team of four scouts who are covering more peripheral competitions and leagues.
Secondly, he is heavily involved in arranging, agreeing and monitoring loans away. Through relationships built with clubs, often in the lower leagues, Henshall serves as the English point of contact if they wish to approach Villa. For example, Preston North End, Bristol Rovers and Swindon all admire Villa’s loan system and have been utilised as regular conduits.
If an English team wants a loan, they are more likely to contact Henshall, who will run the figures past sporting director Roberto Olabe and Damian Vidagany, director of football operations.
Carss, meanwhile, is hands-on with loanees. He will watch several games in person a week, checking in with the players and their club. He will speak to their respective managers to learn about what they want tactically from that player as well as their attitude, application and professionalism.
After matches, regardless of whether he has watched the game live or through video footage, he will use the software tool Wyscout to annotate clips of the game before sending them back to the player in question. He will call them after most matches and will meet with them whenever loan players return to Bodymoor Heath, which tends to be every six weeks for body fat testing, fitness and an assessment of their development.
For those returning to fitness following injury or waiting to go on loan, Carss will carry out training sessions, taking a small group to help sharpen them up.
In the case of those abroad, Villa’s contact will naturally be reduced, yet aim to visit players as often as they can. More senior players, such as Bailey, will be left to his new club aside from an odd text message just to check in, unless he needs to contact Villa. Understandably, younger players will be prioritised in the level of contact and support they receive.
Villa are usually busy in shaping Emery’s squad, but just underneath that and for those on loan moves away, there is equally a hive of activity.
