The Aston Villa transfer which saw Douglas Luiz go to Juventus and Enzo Barrenechea, Samuel Iling-Junior and a pile of cash go the other way is still catching the imagination around Europe.
In Italy, it’s been one of the major stories in recent days, with a vastly premature concern that the Brazilian midfielder may not be that that, and there was something underhand about the whole business.
Over in Spain, and specifically around Valencia, they’re more intrigued to see what they can get out of the Enzo Barrenechea loan.
Following the completion of his loan move from Aston Villa, the 23-year-old explained how things had really worked out perfectly for him. Prior to the loan even being a possibility, his family had moved to Valencia and his sister enrolled at university there, so the stroke of transfer luck has really worked well for him.
Local Valencia sport newspaper, SuperDeporte, wanted to find out more about the midfielder, so they contacted Andrea Bonatti, who coached the player for Juventus’ U19 and U23 sides.
Bonatti is clearly a big fan, and his first words were: “You called me to talk about my favourite player.”
He elaborated: “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.”
That’s quite some endorsement of the Aston Villa player, right? Well Bonatti wasn’t done there, and was keen to talk about the Argentine’s mentality and how that plays an important part in his approach to the game.
“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.”
Enzo Barrenechea’s career hasn’t all been a race to the top, he suffered a serious injury in 2021 which stopped his progress right in its tracks, and that was a low moment for the youngster and also his biggest fan, Bonatti.
“I get goosebumps when I remember the moment of his injury. He broke his cruciate ligament in front of my bench, two metres from my position, just on his birthday. It was a very painful chapter for the whole team. It happened at a significant moment, at a very decisive moment in his career.”
Valencia have been going through an extended rough patch under questionable ownership which has left them adrift.
After four matches, they’re bottom of La Liga with one point, and the pressure is building. Andrea Bonatti obviously believes the Aston Villa player can deal with it all, and will be watching closely.
