Laursen recommends Villa stay

Denmark ace insists England stars are better off at Villa Park

Last updated: 20th April 2008

Martin Laursen

Laursen: Villa fan

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Aston Villa defender Martin Laursen has told his team-mates to resist the lure of the 'Big Four' - and believes the likes of Peter Crouch should be looking to move to Villa Park.

Villa captain Gareth Barry has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool recently, while the performances of young players like Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young have led to speculation about their futures.

But as the likes of Peter Crouch have shown, international players can find themselves out of the first-team at the big clubs and Laursen believes they would all have most success at Villa.

"I can see how it can be a problem if one of the 'Big Four' teams comes in with £20m for one of our players," he told the Mail on Sunday.

"It would be difficult for a club like Villa to ignore that, but the final decision will still come down to the player.

"I think there is a good argument to say they are better off here, playing and developing every week, rather than not contributing at another club.

"This is a club who are going places. We have a lot of good young players here, so an England striker like Peter Crouch should be interested in coming to Aston Villa.

"It's why I signed a new contract here - because I believe in the future. I can't see myself playing for another English team."