Aston Villa Midfielder Set For Shock Italy Move

West Brom Loanee Set for Shock Switch

Aston Villa midfielder Samuel Iling-Junior is set to cancel his loan spell at Championship side West Brom to join Serie A side Pisa. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the deal will be a short-term loan until June. The 22-year-old has made 24 appearances for The Baggies this season, though it seems as though his interests lie elsewhere as West Brom continues to struggle in the division.

The Chelsea academy graduate has previously had two stints in Italy, spending four years with Juventus and rising through the youth ranks to the senior side. The Englishman was purchased by Aston Villa before being sent on loan to Bologna for the first half of the 2024/2025 campaign, only to be recalled and sent to Middlesbrough for the remainder.

A series of failed loan spells, and West Brom is just another to add to the list. However, will it be third time lucky for Iling-Junior in Italy?

A Point to Prove

A player who showed his quality at the academy level yet has failed to deliver on this potential during his senior minutes. Iling-Junior scored 12 goals in 36 appearances for Juventus U19, before a short stint with Juventus U19 led to a call-up to the senior side. He made 45 appearances, scoring two goals and providing four assists, one of which was on his Champions League debut against Sporting Lisbon.

It's a full debut goal for Juventus' Samuel Iling-Junior! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

The 19-year-old winger starts the move himself before slotting home his first ever goal for the Italian giants ⚽ pic.twitter.com/Qut5j25n6G

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 7, 2023

He will be given the opportunity to prove his worth in a newly promoted Pisa side, currently four points adrift of safety in Serie A. Often utilized as a wing-back for West Brom, Iling-Junior provides both defensive cover and an attacking threat, ranked among the highest for defensive contributions compared to other midfielders in the Championship. The 22-year-old will be hoping to bring his notable attacking threat to the forefront in the wing-back role, hoping to give Unai Emery something to think about, having yet to make an apperance for his parent club.