Finding a Replacement for Thierno Barry
After just one season, Villarreal have been able to make a profit of more than €15 million on Thierno Barry after signing him last year from Basel for €14 million and selling him to Everton this summer for €30 million. Due to his departure, Villareal will need to sign another center forward to replace him, especially after qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
In this article, we will be looking at potential replacements for Thierno Barry at Villarreal.
With the use of Scouting Stats AI and the McLachApp, both websites formed by football data enthusiasts on Twitter by the names of @ChicagoDmitry and @DEvansData on X, I have been able to find 3 potential replacements for Thierno Barry at Villareal.
With the sale of Alex Baena and now Thierno Barry, as well as the qualification for the Champions League, Villareal will have at least around €20 million to sign a new starting center forward. We will be looking mostly at young players who are around 23-25 years old and can still grow and offer a sale on value while also performing well in the Champions League, or as always, market opportunities.
Name: Willem Davnis Louis Didier Geubbels
Position: Center Forward/ Left Winger/ Right Winger
Country: France
Age: 23
Height: 186cm
Preferred Foot: Right
Current Club: FC St. Gallen 1879
Context: Geubbels came up through the ranks of Olympique Lyon, and after just one season in the first team, Monaco spent €20 million for his services. After 3 years, he went on loan to Nantes, and in January of 2023, he joined St. Gallen on a free transfer.
Radar chart of Willem Geubbels. (Wyscout, 2025).
In this chart, we can observe that Geubbels is a complete center forward, ranking above the 80th percentile for both xG and xA, showing he can both score goals and assist his teammates. Furthermore, he ranks highly for key passes and progressive passes per 90, which shows that he is good with his feet and is an asset in build-up phases, as he can progress the ball.
In addition, he likes to dribble with the ball often, showing once more that he is very comfortable with the ball and has good technical quality. Finally, apart from all this, he is also very good in the air, ranking highly for both aerial duels and their success rate.
Shotmaps of Thierno Barry and Willem Geubbels. (Fotmob, 2025).
In these images, we can observe that Geubbels has close to 15 xG this season, which is impressive, considering his team ended 8th of 12 teams in the Swiss League, and he has scored more than a quarter of all the goals of his team. In addition, his shot locations are quite good, averaging 0.19xG per shot, whereas Barry averages 0.17xG per shot, though this is also due to him having made more than 20 headers, which count for less xG.
Heatmaps of Thierno Barry and Willem Geubbels. (Sofascore, 2025).
These images evidence what was mentioned previously, with Geubbels having good technical quality, and we can observe here that he has appeared between the lines and on the wing. Furthermore, he also knows when to position himself in the box, as we can see many red areas there. Meanwhile, Thierno Barry has spent most of his time in the box, with very little involvement in possession, according to the heatmap.
Overall, I think Geubbels would be an interesting signing, as this is his first great season since departing France and moving to a weaker league, which may lower the expectations of him playing in a superior league. However, Thierno Barry was also signed from the Swiss League, and he turned out to be an excellent player, so I do believe that Geubbels could be a great signing, especially as Villareal likes to have the ball, and here the French striker is a great asset.
Name: Promise Oluwatobi Emmanuel David Akinpelu
Position: Center Forward
Country: Canada
Age: 24
Height: 195cm
Preferred Foot: Right
Current Club: Union Saint-Gilloise
Context: David began his career at the TFC Academy in Canada until 2016, when he signed for Vaughan Azzurri. 3 years later, he joined NK Trnje Zagreb in Croatia, where he spent a year and a half before joining Tulsa in the USA. Just 6 months later, he joined Valletta in Malta, where he spent 6 months, and then joined Sirens FC. Once again, he spent just 6 months at the club until Kalju FC from Estonia paid €25k for his services, and a year and a half later, in the summer of 2024, Saint-Gilloise spent €600k to sign the striker.
Radar charts of Thierno Barry and Promise David. (FBref, 2025).
This chart shows us that Promise David has had a magnificent season at Union Saint-Gilloise, beating Thierno Barry in the majority of the metrics, though it is true that he was playing in a weaker league. Nonetheless, his numbers are still very good, and we can also observe that the similarity between their playing styles is undeniable, with both players having high xG and xAG values among other metrics.
Furthermore, apart from scoring goals, David can also assist his teammates with high values for shot-creating actions and key passes. Also, they both are good on the ball, showing that they can progress the ball via carries. Finally, both players are excellent in the air, with a high volume of aerial duels and a high success rate.
Shotmaps of Thierno Barry and Promise David. (Fotmob, 2025).
Here, we can see that David has overscored his xG by 3 goals, and he is not a high-volume shooter. However, his shot locations are very good, averaging 0.25xG per shot, so we are expecting him to score 1 goal for every 4 shots he takes. This suggests he gets into excellent goal-scoring positions.
Heatmaps of Thierno Barry and Promise David. (Sofascore, 2025).
These images suggest that both players are quite similar when it comes to their positional tendencies, with Promise David and Thierno Barry having red areas in the box, but also red areas in the left half space.
Overall, Promise David would be a superb signing for Villarreal, as he would fit into Barry’s role seamlessly, as they share many characteristics. Furthermore, with his ability on the ball and his height, he would bully center backs in La Liga who are less physically imposing, and I am sure that he would be a great asset for Villarreal.
Name: Darwin Gabriel Núñez Ribeiro
Position: Center Forward/ Left Winger
Country: Uruguay
Age: 26
Height: 187cm
Preferred Foot: Right
Current Club: Liverpool FC
Context: Núñez was formed in the academy of Peñarol, and after two years in the first team, UD Almería spent €12 million for his services. There he stayed for just one season, and then Benfica decided to invest €34 million in the South American striker, and 2 seasons later, in the summer of 2022, Liverpool paid €85 million for Núñez.
Radar charts of Thierno Barry and Darwin Núñez. (FBref, 2025).
This year has not been Núñez’s best season for Liverpool due to his lack of continuity in the starting 11, with this being the reason he is currently looking to leave the club. Because of this, we will look more heavily into his numbers from the 23-24 season, where he was able to play more often.
We can observe that Núñez’s numbers were astonishing, ranking highly for both npxG and xAG, showing his ability to both score goals and set his teammates up. Furthermore, he has a high shot volume and is also able to create many shot-creating actions per 90.
Moreover, he is able to progress the ball via passes and carries, while also being able to make key passes, showing his ability on the ball. Nonetheless, when it comes to his ability in the air, he does seem to fall short.
Either way, Núñez was incredible that season for Liverpool, and if he can replicate these numbers at any other team, he would certainly be one of the best players in the squad.
Shotmaps of Thierno Barry and Darwin Núlez. (Fotmob, 2025).
In these shotmaps, we can see that Núñez is a shot monster, with over 100 shots, both from outside and inside the box, tallying more than 16 xG, though he only scored 11 goals in the end. We can say that his shot locations are not always very good, as he tends to attempt shots from very far out, averaging just 0.15xG per shot.
Heatmaps of Thierno Barry and Darwin Núñez. (Sofascore, 2025).
In these images, we can see that Núñez spends most of his time in the box, just like Barry, and also likes to drop into the left half space from where he can shoot, as we saw previously.
Overall, Núñez seems like a very improbable transfer, but with the difficulties emerging with Liverpool demanding a high fee. Villareal may be able to sign him on loan if the window closes soon and he hasn’t been sold yet. This would be a tremendous addition to their squad and would elevate their ceiling.
Conclusion
To this date, the only transfers who are possible are Willem Geubbels and Promise David, and of these, I believe that Promise David can have more of an immediate impact compared to Geubbels, given that he has played in a better league. Nonetheless, if the addition of Núñez is financially accessible, I think Villareal should go for it, as even on a loan deal, he would completely change the course of their campaign.
By: Juan Fernandez Valencia / @ScoutLaLiga1
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Clive Brunskill / Getty