Done deal: Aston Villa's £12m signing makes Championship exit as double departure confirmed

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Two important loan exits have been confirmed by Aston Villa on deadline day.

Villa have loaned out Samuel Iling-Junior and Sil Swinkels to Championship and League One clubs respectively, as confirmed by club statements this morning.

Iling-Junior has been recalled from his spell at Italian Serie A side Bologna and the winger will spend the rest of the season at English second-tier club Middlesbrough.

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The 21-year-old joined Villa last summer in a combined £19 million arrival from Juventus, alongside defensive midfielder Enzo Barrenechea who cost £7 million. Both players joined as part of the deal that saw Douglas Luiz move to Juventus for around £42 million.

Eleven times an England Under-21 international, Iling-Junior is yet to make a competitive appearance for Villa. Unai Emery still hopes the 21-year-old can play a part in the future but he’s not in the current plans, hence the two loans this campaign.

Middlesbrough, in seventh position and one point behind West Bromwich Albion with a game in hand, are currently firmly in the Championship play-off battle. Michael Carrick will be hoping the arrival of Villa’s number 17 will boost their chances.

Iling-Junior played 45 times for Juventus - mainly off the bench - before his transfer to Villa Park, scoring two goals and making four assists. Highly thought of and with strong potential, the Englishman was once linked with a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

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Swinkels makes first loan departure

Meanwhile, promising defender Swinkels has completed his first loan exit. The 21-year-old will spend the rest of the 2024/25 campaign at Bristol Rovers, who are currently under the stewardship of former Brighton & Hove Albion vice-captain Inigo Calderon.

Rovers are currently 18th in League One, six points above the relegation zone. Three wins in the last five matches has relieved the pressure of a potential drop down to League Two football at The Memorial Stadium. Rovers are by no means safe just yet but the signing of Swinkels should aid their chances of survival.

Swinkels, an academy product having joined from Vitesse as a 17-year-old in 2020, is set for regular senior minutes for the first time in his career. The four-time former Netherlands Under-18 international, 21, only featured once for Villa earlier this season – for 90 minutes in the 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Wycombe Wanderers.

“I’m very excited to be here,” said Swinkels. “Obviously, I can’t wait to get started, watching the boys later today, and I just can’t wait to get started and get some games under my belt.

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“As a young lad coming through, I think it’s very important to get the experience, and I think Bristol Rovers is a great fit now to finally get that experience and prove myself and see what I can do in the league.

“Personally, I just want to become a better player and show what I can do at this level. I want to help the club and contribute to many clean sheets and a lot of three points.”

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