Aston Villa’s January recruit, Louie Barry, has spoken about his hopes for the season, as reported by The Mirror.

What did he say?

The 16-year-old signed for Villa during the most recent transfer window and is already showing his lofty ambitions, suggesting that he hopes to be in the first-team by the season’s culmination.

The forward is clearly someone who is full of self-belief, as he was quoted in The Mirror saying: “I have scored 21 goals in 20 appearances for the under-15s, 16s and 17s. I want to play in the under-17s Euros in Estonia in May.”

Barry also spoke about what he wants to achieve at club level in the short-term: “I am fighting for the first-team. What I want to do first at Villa is play really well and go up the ranks. My main ambition is to be in the first team by the end of the season.

“I was born in Aston. I have supported Villa all my life. Dean Smith was excited for me to come in.”

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Bold claim

To suggest that he wants to be in the first-team by the end of the season can be seen as a pretty bold claim from Barry, especially when his age and the club’s circumstances are considered.

Following the January transfer window, with Wesley out until the end of the season, he has Mbwana Samatta, Borja Baston and Keinan Davis who are all senior strikers.

It would also be imagined that Indiana Vassilev is above him in the pecking order, having made four substitute appearances for Smith’s team this campaign.

Who is that?! Nobody has been able to name the teams all of these obscure managers were once in charge of…

Therefore, the manager would need to truly believe that he has usurped enough players in that list of names, for him to get any involvements in the Premier League, due to the threatening position they find themselves in.

Villa are in a battle to stay in England’s top tier, currently sitting just one point above West Ham United and a place in the relegation zone, while they are not in the FA Cup.

With that in mind, Barry being in the first-team would mean him playing in the Carabao Cup final or matches where vital Premier League points are at stake, which would be a massive risk for the manager to take.

Meanwhile, Villa had a lucky escape during the January transfer window.