Gareth Barry staying put claims O’Neill
November 30, 2008
England international Gareth Barry is staying put at Aston Villa, despite strong speculation that Liverpool will be back in for him in January, claims their bullish manager Martin O’Neill. O’Neill says that Barry will be at the club until the end of the season at the very least.
O’Neill says:
He is going to see it out here until the summer – at least – and see where we all are positioned.
So any speculation in January will be purely that. I couldn’t be more pleased. His form is very good.
It stands to reason that O’Neill wants to hang onto his prize asset, and captain, as Aston Villa are currently in a Champions League place after Arsenal’s loss last weekend. A top four finish for Villa would be worth millions next season, more than they’d get if they cashed in on Barry in January by selling him to Liverpool.
O’Neill is realistic though, and realises that Barry could leave next summer as he does have an option to buy out the last year of his contract, which would leave him free to join any club on a free transfer; which would surely alert Liverpool and Arsenal to the prospect of getting such a quality player for free.
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