The Daily Telegraph report that Villa boss Martin O’Neill is in advanced talks with Chelsea’s Steve Sidwell and has used his Ulster charm to convince the ginger midfielder to take a hefty pay cut. All this will do though is increase the bellows of the rumour mongers who claim that Gareth Barry is Anfield bound. O’Neill doesn’t see it that way though, saying that he is determined to show Barry that it is in his best interests to stay with Villa:
“What I would say to the fans is that we’re doing our utmost and we’ll continue to do so. We want to show Gareth that we mean business,” (Daily Telegraph)
Will the arrival of Chelsea’s ginger benchwarmer at Villa Park be enough to convince Gareth Barry to stay?