Samuel Iling-Junior has opened up about his summer transfer from Juventus to Aston Villa, shedding light on his motivations and the subsequent loan move to Bologna. The young English winger was part of a larger deal that saw Enzo Barrenechea also leave Juventus for Aston Villa, while Douglas Luiz moved in the opposite direction.
Speaking to Sky Sports UK ahead of a meaningful clash against his parent club Aston Villa, Iling-Junior expressed his desire to feel valued during the transfer process: “You always want to feel wanted. I spoke a lot with the people around me during the transfer from Juventus to Aston Villa, and I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t just part of a swap deal, but that I was genuinely desired by the club. And Aston Villa made me feel all of that.”
The 20-year-old also explained the reasoning behind his loan move to Bologna so soon after joining Villa: “I could have had another year where I was coming off the bench, without getting the playing time I wanted. So I spoke with the manager (Emery), and we decided together that the best thing for me was to go out on loan.”
