Aston Villa have had a busy few weeks in the transfer market, reshaping their squad with the arrivals of Ian Maatsen (£5.0m), Samuel Iling-Junior (£5.5m), Enzo Barrenechea (£5.0m) and Ross Barkley (£5.5m).
In this Scout Report, we assess each player’s future appeal – or lack of it – in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
IAN MAATSEN
Ian Maatsen completed his transfer from Chelsea to Aston Villa at the end of June in a deal worth £37.5m.
The Dutch international started the 2023/24 campaign in west London but struggled to establish himself under Mauricio Pochettino, so a six-month loan move to Borussia Dortmund in January suited all parties.
During his time in Germany, Maatsen excelled.
He featured 16 times in the Bundesliga, scoring two goals and providing two assists.
He also made seven appearances in the UEFA Champions League, winning a place in the tournament’s Team of the Season:
Aston Villa finished in the top four in 2023/24, qualifying for the Champions League, yet neither left-back – Lucas Digne (£4.5m) and Alex Moreno (£4.5m) – truly excelled in Unai Emery’s asymmetrical system, which requires one full-back to push forward, staying high and wide.
Maatsen, however, has exactly the right type of profile to flourish and could thrive in the role given his pace and dribbling ability.
He is comfortable inverting, too, adding additional tactical flexibility to Emery’s squad.
Maatsen must first adapt to Emery’s high-line/offside trap. He could also improve his chance creation stats from last year (0.5 key passes per game in the Bundesliga) but at £5.0m in FPL, the potential is clear.
Aston Villa’s first two matches in 2024/25 aren’t great but a fixture swing in Gameweek 3 will see them top the Season Ticker.
Given that favourable schedule, Maatsen could hit the ground running and be a very decent option for our opening-day squads.
SAMUEL ILING-JUNIOR
England under-21 international Samuel Iling-Junior signed for Aston Villa on July 1, in a deal potentially worth £17m.
The 20-year-old started his career at Chelsea’s academy before joining Juventus in 2020, where he remained up until his Villa Park move.
Whilst in Turin, Iling-Junior racked up 45 first-team appearances and last season, played 27 times in all competitions, albeit only six starts, scoring once and delivering two assists.
Under Maximiliano Allegri, he was mainly deployed at left wing-back in a 3-5-2 formation, but he can also play further forward, with his positional versatility an appealing factor.
Above: Samuel Iling-Junior’s touch heatmap in Serie A 2023/24
At 6ft tall, Iling-Junior is a powerful runner, offering a slightly different profile to Maatsen.
However, for now, he’s a ‘wait and see’ in FPL, with a regular starting spot far from certain.
ENZO BARRENECHEA
Enzo Barrenechea spent last season on loan at Frosinone from Juventus, making 36 Serie A appearances.
Despite suffering relegation, the Argentinian clearly impressed:
“For me, he can be in the Juventus squad without a doubt, he has so much quality. Personally, I am in love with Barrenechea, he reminds me of Rijkaard in his AC Milan days.” – Frosinone chairman Guido Angelozzi
Mainly deployed as a conservative/holding midfielder in a 3-4-2-1 formation, Barrenechea has limited Fantasy appeal but he can provide defensive protection, potentially boosting Villa’s clean sheet count.
Unai Emery’s side kept just eight shut-outs in 2023/24, so it’s an area they can improve.
It’s hard to know exactly where Barrenechea will stand in the pecking order right now but Villa are without Boubacar Kamara (£5.0m) until August at the earliest and have recently sold Douglas Luiz, so he could be presented with an early opportunity to nail down a starting spot. Then again, a swoop for Amadou Onana (£5.0m) would only add to the congestion in midfield.
Barrenechea is far more likely to feed balls into the front players, anyway, rather than claim the assist himself.
ROSS BARKLEY
Ross Barkley has returned to Aston Villa, having enjoyed a loan spell at the club in 2020/21.
In a new deeper position, he was a revelation at Luton Town last season, scoring five goals and providing a further five assists in 30 starts.
In fact, Barkley was so good that it led to talk of an England call-up earlier this year.
Given his attributes, Barkley is the obvious midfield replacement for the outgoing Douglas Luiz.
| Player | Mins per touch | Mins per pass received | Mins per shot | Mins per shot in box | Mins per chance created |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barkley | 1.2 | 2.4 | 39.8 | 119.5 | 60 |
| D Luiz | 1.3 | 1.8 | 62.2 | 149.2 | 56 |
In addition to Luiz, fellow midfielder Tim Iroegbunam (£4.5m) has also joined Everton in a permanent deal, with Lewis Dobbin (£5.0m) going the other way, so a starting spot could potentially open up for Barkley in the early weeks.
Priced cheaper than Leon Bailey (£6.5m) but more expensive than Morgan Rogers (£5.0m), it remains to be seen if he can become a serious Gameweek 1 (or Gameweek 3) option.
His role in Villa’s pre-season is one to monitor but there have already been a few promising signs: he was on set plays against Walsall and was at the heart of both of Rogers’ goals. Luiz, of course, was on the bulk of set pieces in 2023/24.
Barkley should at least settle quickly, given his familiarity with the club.
“Over the last few years the club has made huge strides since I was last at the club. As an outsider looking in, it looked fantastic, and to be a part of that is fantastic for me. Playing in the Champions League is a big incentive for me and the club, so I’m looking forward to that.
“I know plenty of staff and I know plenty of the players as well. I’m really close to John McGinn and I speak to him often, Ezri as well. I’m looking forward to getting back in. I’m in a week early now and staying on top of things. I’m looking forward to meeting everybody when they return.” – Ross Barkley
