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Monday, July 28, 2008

Will Barry remain a Villan?

Various newspaper sources have reported that Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill will offer wantaway midfielder Gareth Barry a number of incentives and a new contract in order to entice him to stay at Villa park for one more season.

Barry, has been linked with a move away from Villa Park now since end of the season back in May with Liverpool being the Villa players preferred destination, as of yet however the Reds have not offered anything close to the transfer fee that is wanted by Villa, believed to be around £18m.

The transfer saga took another twist on Saturday as the long serving midfielder was called into action following a serious injury to Wilfred Bouma, ironically, Barry came onto the pitch to fill in the position when he came to the club originally at left back. Following the boos and jeers at Walsall, Barry would have been surprised at the reaction that he received from the Villa Park faithful, who cheered and applauded him, even chanting out "Barry for Villa" at one stage.

It is said that O'Neill will offer Barry a 50% pay increase on his current salary, a lucrative testamonial against a 'big name' team, and the option to leave Villa next summer, should Villa not qualify for the Champions League. It has also been rumoured that Barry will also get the captains armband again, should he deicde to commit his future to the club.

Speaking after the game, O'Neill said “My own view is that Gareth should hang around another year – if we don’t make the progress that he would want then he can move elsewhere. That’s my view”, before adding “We could do an awful lot of things that we said we would do. I will talk to Gareth first of all. We want to keep him. Our position has not changed. Like I’ve said before, we will do everything we can.”

posted by AVFC-Unofficial at 8:55 AM 0 Comments

Freddie back in 6 months?

Wilfred Bouma has undergone surgery in London to correct his dislocated right ankle after he suffered the horrific injury on Saturday against Odense BK at Villa Park.

The ankle was reset, and Bouma had a plate inserted to stabalise the affected area, Villa manager Martin O'Neill said "The operation went very well. Freddie is in good spirits, everybody is optimistic that he will make a rapid recovery."

O'Neill added, "It was a bad injury but with the level of treatment he has had and the post-operative prognosis we've been given, we're all hoping to see him back, perhaps sooner than everyone expected on Saturday night."

The injury happened after a collision with Odense striker Beye Fall, and the Villa players looked on in shock as the left back underwent treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off and taken to hospital. Initially it was thought that Bouma had suffered a break of his right ankle, but following an X-Ray, it was found that the player had dislocated the ankle, though manager Martin O'Neill initially feared the worst.

It will be a long road to recovery for the full back, who is looking out now for at least 6 months. From everyone at AVFC-Unofficial, we wish Freddie the best of luck in recovering from his injury and hope to see him back out on the pitch soon.

posted by AVFC-Unofficial at 7:48 AM 0 Comments

Friday, July 25, 2008

Friedel cleared for Villa talks

Aston Villa have been given permission by Blackburn Rovers to talk to 37 year old goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

Blackburn Rovers chairman John Williams said earlier this week that they had accepted a bid for the giant American, who signed a new contract with the club in February this year. The identity of the club had not been revealed, but it now seems certain that Villa were the team that placed the bid for the shot stopper.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill said on the official website, "We have been given permission to talk to him, which we want to do" before adding "we are in the process of strengthening the squad. This is part of our efforts to add strength and depth".

Villa have only had one professional keeper on their books in Stuart Taylor, after deciding not to take up the option to buy Scott Carson who spent the year on loan at the club from Liverpool.

New Blackburn Rovers manager Paul Ince also recently said that he wanted to keep the player, and recently described him as "one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League". It seems however that Friedel will now be ending his 8 year association with the club, and the rumour mill has suggested that Paul Robinson will now be drafted in as his replacement following Tottenham's capture of Huerelio Gomes from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.

posted by AVFC-Unofficial at 7:52 AM 0 Comments