Middlesbrough FC must forget Louie Barry and move for a different Aston Villa player | OneFootball

Louie Barry has been a reported Middlesbrough target, but the club should turn their attention to another Aston Villa forward...

Middlesbrough have been among a number of Championship clubs credited with an interest in the signature of highly-rated Aston Villa forward Louie Barry following the conclusion of his successful loan spell with Stockport County, but they could yet be better-served by eyeing a move for another young, promising and out-of-favour attacker in the claret quarters of the Second City - and that's Jaden Philogene.

The January transfer window is going to be one of great significance for Michael Carrick, who needs to focus on asset retention amid interest in the likes of Emmanuel Latte Lath and Liverpool loan sensation Ben Doak while conducting the requisite fine-tuning of his squad to progress it into one capable of ultimately delivering promotion come May.

Middlesbrough find themselves placed fifth in the Championship standings at this moment in time but have just a slender two-point advantage over Blackburn Rovers in seventh and the rest of the play-off chasing pack, slight margins which could so easily overturned and broken down as the season toils on.

They've won just one of their last five matches in the Championship, the most recent of which was a disappointing 1-1 home draw with relegation fighters Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon, indicating the importance of sourcing reinforcements.

One such addition could arrive in the form of Barry, who has been linked with Middlesbrough among a plethora of other Championship suitors. However, though Barry himself is a fine player with a promising career on the horizon and with great vindication behind the flurry of interest in his own services, another young attacker on the Villa Park periphery in Philogene should perhaps be prioritised.

Aston Villa, Unai Emery's transfer stance on Louie Barry and Jaden Philogene

Barry is poised to leave the West Midlands this month after being recalled from a stunning loan spell with third-tier promotion hopefuls Stockport County, where he had scored 15 goals in only 23 league appearances.

Middlesbrough, alongside the automatic promotion-competing quartet of Sunderland, Sheffield United, Burnley, Leeds United and most recently - and surprisingly - Derby County, have been linked to Barry by reports, as Villa boss Unai Emery closes in on a decision on the 21-year-old's immediate future amid talk of both a temporary and permanent exit.

Emery recently said of Barry: "He is really performing very well, last year, this year.

"He did pre-season [with Villa] and we want to introduce him again with us here and to take again another decision with him. But he has potential.

"We are happy with him. If he can help us, he will do it. But in case, his progression is better to go on loan and to play more and more and get minutes and confidence, playing at a higher level than he played, of course, is the plan with him."

Asked if Barry would leave on loan rather than permanently, the Spaniard added: "This is the next step for us in the next weeks. But he came back here with us, and he has a small injury.

"We are going to decide again with him, but his potential is exploiting and really being fantastic for him, for the club, as our player. And then we are going to decide."

Barry, of course, isn't the only young and highly-rated forward who looks likely to leave the UEFA Champions League side this month.

22-year-old Philogene finds himself in a similar position too, having struggled to get going thus far after returning to Villa following a season in between at Hull City, where his outlay of 12 goals and six assists from just 32 second-tier appearances saw the Villains resign him less than 12 months after his reported £5 million departure to the MKM Stadium.

Villa agreed a host of clauses with Hull, which included a 'matching rights' option whereby they had a three-day window to match any fee Hull had received and agreed on from another club.

After Ipswich Town saw an £18 million bid accepted, Villa chose to match the offer and Philogene, who graduated from the club's youth system, chose to accept in a deal which essentially worked out to £13 million owing to a 30% sell-on clause.

Expectation surrounding the winger's potential first-team impact following an excellent season honing his craft at Championship level was rife, but Philogene has failed to force his way into Emery's thinking.

The England-U21 international star has started just twice in the Premier League this season, leaving the door open to a loan exit at some stage in January amid reported interest from Ipswich and a number of other undisclosed admirers.

Emery explained Philogene's immediate future in detail, telling reporters: "He has a potential and he didn’t show his potential in the first six months being with us, but for different circumstances.

"He played some important matches against Bayern Munich and Manchester United. At that moment he was more or less with the opportunity to show his progress. He didn’t do it clearly and for circumstances he was playing less, but I believe in his potential.

"It is one option for him and the club [a loan] because there are lots of clubs interested in him. They believe in his potential. We are not close [to agreeing a loan] and as a coach I am not really wanting to let him leave, but we are speaking about the different options. Maybe it could be an option [loan].

"Tomorrow he is injured and is not available. My conversation was always to be patient, take time to improve things. The adaptation is going slower than we wanted, but still in my mind the objective is to improve and help us here. Now it is January, it could be an option for him and the squad to let him leave."

Reporter Fabrizio Romano later revealed that Villa have now agreed to loan out Philogene, with talks already underway on that front.

Middlesbrough should sign Jaden Philogene over Louie Barry amid Aston Villa, Unai Emery transfer stance

Signing either Barry or Philogene would represent an outstanding capture at Championship level for Middlesbrough, who would surely see their potential promotion credentials emboldened as a result. However, it's likely to be a case of one or the other should Boro register any form of tangible interest in the latter, and that's exactly who they should be focusing their efforts around if such an opportunity arises.

With 43 goals - an average of 1.7 per match and the second-highest in the league after title favourites Leeds - a chance creation return of 60 and an xG worth 41.0 (FotMob), Middlesbrough are one of the Championship's most dynamic, threatening and productive attacking sides which ever way you frame it.

That's helped by the likes of Latte Lath, Doak and central creative kingpin Finn Azaz, whose record of eight goals and nine assists from 25 appearances makes for rather remarkable reading.

The functionality and production of Carrick's front four is slightly caveated by Delano Burgzorg, however, who is something of an anomaly as the only regular starter to have contributed to fewer than eight league goals. Indeed, the striker - who has played wide-left for the entirety of the campaign - has just two goals and an assist under his belt after 23 games, which doesn't tell the complete picture but does indicate a weak spot in an otherwise-lethal Boro frontline.

That left-wing position does need addressing with a statement signing, which could - and really should - be no other than Philogene. At his best, the 22-year-old is a complete cheat code at Championship level.

Philogene possesses the raw natural ability married with a near-unshakeable sense of confidence, swagger and self-belief to beat any second-tier full-back on the inside, outside - or however he wants to - at any given time. He's very direct in position and has the real pace to blitz and burn past his opposite number in transition, but is perhaps best effective when he can evade challenges in tight space due to his terrific close control - offering a welcome and balanced stylistic contrast to speed demon Doak on the other side.

His exhibition of innate craft and flair, when executed successfully, is quite simply otherworldly, which both Cardiff and chiefly Hull supporters were fortunate enough to witness.

He would bring X-Factor in no short offering to a Boro attack which can struggle to unlock tight, low-block defences - but he's also a match-winner with a refined end product from that invaluable and memorable campaign in East Yorkshire, where the implementation of a consistent final ball saw him transition into the Championship heavyweight he showed signs of becoming the season before at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Having also spent a mixed half-season on loan with Stoke City in 2022, Philogene's two-and-a-half years of Championship experience - naturally supplemented further by Champions League experience at Villa - makes him a safer and yet more exciting bet to offer a spinball in the promotion race, as he already knows exactly what it takes to hit the ground running.

A player of Philogene's quality perhaps should not be attainable for any Championship club, such is his class, but he's at something of a crossroads and Villa will be keen to find the best club in order to maximise his talents in the long-run. From their perspective, one could perhaps struggle to find too many more appealing mid-season destinations.

Middlesbrough's most recent play-off finish in the 2022/23 campaign was significantly helped by the mid-season loan acquisitions of Aaron Ramsey and Cameron Archer, who both shone in a memorable first full term under Carrick. They later returned to Birmingham, as Villa were able to profit from the seasons they spent on Teesside.

It's admittedly easy to point to previous loan successes, but a more underrated yet undeniably important factor is just how quickly Middlesbrough developed current Villains star Morgan Rogers.

A genuine wonderkid at academy level, Rogers endured mixed loan spells with Bournemouth and Blackpool, the latter of whom he was relegated from the Championship with in 2023, before joining Middlesbrough permanently from Manchester City.

Six months, seven goals and eight assists was all it took before the ex-West Bromwich Albion youth star was back in the West Midlands when Villa agreed an initial £8 million fee, which could double to £16 million with performance-related add-ons.

The entirety of that fee, you would think, would have to quintuple in value - at least - for Villa to consider a sale now for Rogers, who has blossomed into an ever-present under Emery and an England international for good measure.

Middlesbrough developed him perfectly and that factor could just come up trumps if they decide to work on Philogene, with a glowing and relevant body of work to put on the table for Villa chiefs. Signing Philogene would significantly strengthen their promotion hopes, and while the same could quite well be said for Barry, there's little denying this particular Villa agreement could shake up the complexion of the second-tier promotion battle.