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Saturday 22nd November 2008 Make us your HOME PAGE  What is RSS?
 

FOOTBALL

BARRY TO STAY WITH MILNER ON HIS WAY

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Hanging around: Gareth Barry

Thursday August 28,2008

By Peter Edwards

Gareth Barry looks set to stay at Aston Villa, with boss Martin O’Neill planning a Ł10million swoop to land Newcastle’s James Milner.

England midfielder Barry’s Ł18m move to Liverpool now looks dead in the water and O’Neill is ready to welcome him back into the fold with open arms.

Barry’s agent Alex Black last night confirmed that Barry will not be going anywhere before the transfer window closes.

And that is music to the ears of O’Neill, who is planning a concerted push for UEFA Cup glory and a crack at the Premier League’s top four.

While O’Neill will not rest easy until the deadline passes, he would be delighted to count on Barry for the next few months at least.

In the ultimate irony, Barry looks like he will take the field against Liverpool at Villa Park on Sunday, with O’Neill saying he has absolutely no reservations about playing him.

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It would be a great lift if Gareth Barry were to stay with us
î

Martin O’Neill


And in the meantime O’Neill will be pushing Villa’s board to draw up a money-spinning contract to try to tie Barry to the club where he has played for 10 years.

While they are busy doing that, O’Neill will be hot on the heels of Newcastle midfielder Milner who slapped in a transfer request yesterday. Milner was on loan at Villa when O’Neill took over and he would like to get him on board.

Barry may well play some part in Villa’s UEFA Cup second-round second-leg tie against Icelandic outfit Hafnarfjordur at home tonight. O’Neill will field a much reshuffled side given Villa’s 4-1 first-leg advantage.
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O’Neill said: “It would be a great lift if Gareth Barry were to stay with us. 

“I would welcome that news with great delight and I think I speak for the majority there.”

For O’Neill it would be almost like getting a brand-new player, having resigned himself to the fact that the 27-year-old Barry was off.

“I never think anything is done and dusted after all I have seen,” said O’Neill. “I would never take anything for granted. 

“He didn’t come to Spain in pre-season, as I had accepted he was going.”

O’Neill refused to commit himself on any offer for Milner, but is a known admirer and Villa have had one bid of around Ł9m turned down already.

But with Milner’s transfer request now in, Villa seem certain to test Newcastle’s resolve further.


Aston Villa (probable): Taylor; Gardner, Knight, Davies, Osbourne; Petrov, Barry, Routledge, Salifou; Harewood, Delfonso.

Referee: B Kuipers (Holland).

TV: Five, 7.30pm. Kick-off: 8pm.
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