Samuel Iling-Junior’s deadline-day arrival at West Bromwich Albion provides head coach Ryan Mason with another option in a number of different areas across the pitch.
The 21-year-old, who joins the Baggies on a season-long loan from Aston Villa, has been utilised in several positions during his career so far, including out wide on either flank, as a full-back and an attacking midfielder.
Born in October 2003 in London, Iling-Junior joined Chelsea’s academy in 2011 and spent nine years with the Stamford Bridge outfit. His performances for the Blues at youth level attracted plenty of interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, and Sam decided to move away from his home city and join Italian giants Juventus in 2020.
He instantly caught the eye in Turin, amassing 11 goal involvements in his first term with Juve’s youth team. Iling-Junior bettered that the following year, scoring ten times and providing seven assists in fewer appearances than in his maiden campaign.
His form led him to the club’s Next Gen outfit, the group which is effectively Juventus’ reserve side. He featured in Serie C and the Coppa Italia and eventually got his chance to represent the ‘Old Lady’s’ senior team in October 2022.
Albion’s new recruit replaced Filip Kostic late on as Juventus eased to an emphatic 4-0 triumph at home to Empoli in Serie A. Sam also featured in the club’s next two matches, coming on in UEFA Champions League and Serie A away clashes with Benfica and Lecce respectively. He provided an assist on his European debut in a thrilling encounter with Benfica, but sadly for Iling-Junior and Juve, they were on the wrong side of a 4-3 scoreline in Portugal.
His maiden goal for first team came later that season, notching the opener in an impressive 2-0 victory at Atalanta in May 2023. Sam played 18 times for Juve in 2022/23, representing the club in Serie A, Coppa Italia, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League fixtures.
Iling-Junior added another 27 senior games to his record in 2023/24, including 90 minutes in the Coppa Italia final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome against Atalanta – a contest Juventus won 1-0.
A move back to England materialised last summer, with Sam signing for Aston Villa as part of a double transfer alongside Enzo Barrenechea. He was loaned back to Italy though less than two months later, agreeing a deal with Bologna.
He scored on his debut for ‘La Dotta’, registering a goal in a 2-2 draw at Como in the league. The versatile youngster made several appearances for Bologna in the UEFA Champions League between September 2024 and January 2025, coming up against Shakhtar, Liverpool, Monaco, Lille, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund and Sporting, as well as parent club Villa. He experienced a special moment in the tie with Dortmund, bagging the winning goal inside the final 20 minutes as his side secured a 2-1 victory in front of their own supporters in late January.
Welcome to the Albion, Samuel Iling-Junior! 🤙 pic.twitter.com/g7EZ5Ytpni
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) September 1, 2025
He returned to Villa Park shortly after and then quickly joined Sky Bet Championship outfit Middlesbrough on loan until the end of the term. He played 16 times for Boro and scored one goal in a 2-0 success at Blackburn Rovers in April 2025.
In addition to his club career, Sam has been a regular in the England youth teams over the last few years. He’s tasted success twice with the Young Lions in major tournaments, helping the nation win the UEFA European Under-19 Championships in 2022 and then the Under-21 version in 2025. He was also part of the England Under-21 team which beat Portugal 4-2 at Albion's home ground in March 2025.
Iling-Junior will now settle into life at The Hawthorns and try and force his way into Ryan Mason’s starting XI as soon as possible.
