Isnt the guy who was overlooking our academy at the time Barry left now filling the same role at Villa? The whole thing has a pre arranged feel to it, even down to Barca not paying, almost like they knew he was never theirs.
Does it though? The facts are quite simple really aren't they?
One of our Academy players gets a move to Barcelona. He is all 'starry eyed' and thinks he will be playing alongside Messi very shortly, goes over there and after watching him the man from Del Monte says no. In the meantime a youth coach who has worked with Barry takes up a post with vile. It is fair to assume that youth coach has been in touch with a player he has been working closely with, and when Barry tells him that he has been given the 'Spanish archer', said youth coach mentions it to Smith and co, who assess the situation and pay money for him.
The fact that Barcelona may or may not have paid us is irrelevant to the situation, that is one for the lawyers.
I imagine that Barca get through hundreds of youth players a year looking for the next new Messi etc, so I don't for one second think that this is anything other than a sequence of events.