Season shape-up - Villa

O'Neill waves Barry goodbye?

VILLA TRANSFER ACTIVITY

Ins: Steve Sidwell - Undisclosed
Curtis Davies - Undisclosed


Outs:
Patrik Berger - Free transfer
Luke Moore - £3,000,000
Olof Melberg - Contract ended

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Alex Dunn would rather take a bath with a toaster than write another Gareth Barry story, but whether Villa start next season with or without their wantaway star, he predicts bright times ahead in the Midlands in the latest in our Shaping up for the Season feature.

What's happened so far

In these disturbing times of modern slavery, Gareth Barry is one of the more high-profile footballers to be incarcerated against his will.

Barry's purported switch to Liverpool has rivalled Cristiano Ronaldo's to Real Madrid, at least in terms of stirring the nausea in every supporter that has long-since grown exasperated by the notion contracts matter nowt. Fifa's king Blatter has gone all Martin Luther in his exclamations over players' rights but while the rest of the football world arches an eyebrow in disdain, the fact remains that in all likelihood Villa will be left with a sizeable void to fill in the centre of their midfield next season.

It would do a disservice to both the first-class job Martin O'Neill has done in his two years at the club and Randy Lerner's exemplary chairmanship to suggest Villa will falter alarmingly in Barry's absence, but the England man, it cannot be denied, was a key player in massive strides being taken last term.

Steve Sidwell has been plucked from Chelsea's bench for a £5million fee that should prove good value, just as soon as he regains the confidence borne from playing under a manager that believes in him. After a frustrating time in West London, Sidwell will benefit greatly from the sharp but avuncular O'Neill; the master at using both carrot and stick to coax the best from his charges.

Patrik Berger, in a Gerard Ratner moment, sealed his exit by publicly expressing the virtues of Anfield to Barry. Curtis Davies meanwhile has earned a permanent move to the club from West Brom.

While Barry will likely depart for Liverpool under a cloud, Olof Mellberg's move to Juventus manifest a polar opposite of a response. There was not a dry eye in the house as Mellberg played his final game in claret and blue at Upton Park, before the Swede restored faith in the football fraternity by shelling out £50,000 of his own cash to present the 3,200 travelling Villa supporters with a signed replica shirt.

What they need

His class off the pitch will be equally missed on it, with Villa now desperate for a new right-back. Mellberg is a central defender by trade and while he did an admiral job in moving sideways to accommodate Davies' blossoming partnership with Martin Laursen, the Scandinavian lacked verve in an attacking sense.

Steve Finnan has been mooted as a makeweight in the Barry deal and should Liverpool agree to Villa's valuation of a miserly million, O'Neill will have pulled off quite a coup. The unassuming Irishman evokes memories of compatriot Dennis Irwin in that he never seems to really make a tackle but then never really gets beaten either. Solid, dependable if unspectacular, neat and tidy - sounds like the ideal defender to me.

Should Finnan not arrive at Villa Park then O'Neill - who was a fan of Porto's Jose Boswinga before Chelsea stumped up yet another astronomical amount for a full-back - could send his scouts back out to Portugal. Benfica's buccaneering Nelson is thought to be on the club's radar, as is Valencia's Miguel, another Portuguese international.

Wilfred Bouma is firmly established as O'Neill's first choice left-back, while Davies (once his ruptured Achilles mends) and likely new skipper Laursen are as good a central defensive pairing as any outside of the top four. That said, Gary Cahill's defection to Bolton in January leaves them a little shy of cover in what is the Premier League's smallest squad.

Anton Ferdinand has been mooted as a possible target but with a fee of £8million having reportedly been put on his head, all I can say is that I'm glad it's not my money.

Last season Scott Carson kept goal impressively on a season-long loan from Liverpool but O'Neill, who thankfully for Lerner does spend money likes it's his own, baulked at a £10million fee. Stuart Taylor will be desperate to prove himself after spending the whole of his career as a number two but Villa will undoubtedly invest in new blood.

Brad Guzan was primed for a January move from the MLS before the Home Office rejected his application for a work permit, but he has figured in four of America's last five games and will likely be greeted with a more favourable now Villa have renewed their interest.

Ben Foster has been linked with a Midlands move along the same lines as Carson last term but the England hopeful will be quietly confident of ousting Edwin van der Sar by the season's end and thus a move to Villa will not likely appeal. O'Neill is well aware of Artur Boruc's ability but again it would take a noticeable fee to tempt Gordon Strachan into a sale.

Brad Friedel's future at Blackburn has been cast into doubt by Paul Ince's reported pursuit of Carlo Cudicini - who would not swap a bench down south for one up north - and if indeed the American is usurped, then a switch to Villa may suit all parties.

Further up the pitch, Sidwell will provide bite and drive if cast as Barry's direct replacement but then so does Nigel Reo-Coker. Midfield duos do not necessarily have to be chalk and cheese but then few people ask for a cheese and cheese sandwich. Reo-Coker impressed in a holding role last term and showed impressive maturity in his discipline but it could be that the shackles are cast off next season. O'Neill may hand him licence to roam, as Stilian Petrov has also shown an inclination to drop deeper and deeper as the years pass.

Villa's front three of Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor and John Carew are exhilarating to watch when in full flow, but in games when the opposition defend deep and stifle counter-attacks, it becomes obvious a creative spark from midfield is conspicuous only by absence. O'Neill is known to covet David Bentley but the player is said to favour a move to Tottenham.

Villa will compete with Liverpool for James Milner should Newcastle intimate an approach would be welcomed and the powerful wide man would fit into O'Neill's mantra of buying British.

Carew has shown a real relish for the physical nature of English football but should the Norwegian pick up an injury, or Villa want to revert to a front two, again options are limited. Marlon Harewood has shown remarkable patience in biting his lip before impressing off the bench, but has been linked with a move in pursuit of regular football.

Shaun Maloney is another to have been reduced to a bit-part player role and having made no secret of his homesickness, a move back to Celtic would surprise few. Eidur Gudjohnsen's astuteness with his back to goal would complement the explosive but at times raw Agonlahour and Young, but his father and agent has said his son would prefer a move to either London or Manchester.

Darren Bent has been tentatively linked but then in a tabloid world, every player that interests the likes of West Ham, Everton, Sunderland and Newcastle - tends to interest Villa too.

What he'll get

It's fair to say O'Neill prefers to work with an ensemble cast rather than build his vision around a box-office star, so don't expect jaw-dropping market movements from the Ulsterman. Since arriving at Villa Park a buy British policy has reaped deep dividends, with Reo-Coker, Young and Davies all having caught the eye under his tutelage.

A right-back and a goalkeeper are a must, with Rafa Benitez's seeming willingness to sacrifice Finnan as part of the Barry transfer making him the prime contender to replace Mellberg, while Guzan should be unveiled before too long.

A midfielder with a touch of craft would be welcomed by the Villa faithful, as would another striker and O'Neill will be well aware the avoidance of major injuries last season - with the exception of Davies - papered over what is a talented but wafer-thin squad.

He is not, though, a man to be hurried or bullied and could even sign the odd player that elicits a groan, before at the end of the season we mere hacks and supporters resign ourselves to the fact Martin normally knows best.

Fan's view - Andy Roberts

With Martin O'Neill and Randy Lerner at the helm, we are a club that has changed out of all recognition in the two seasons. The continued refurbishment of Villa Park along with strong season ticket sales and the willingness to consult the fans prove we are certainly going in the right direction off the pitch.

The club's activity in the transfer market may well be the acid test of whether they can build on the progress shown on it with O'Neill's brand of pacey, attacking football allied with highly effective use of dead ball situations.

We have been linked with great deal of players since the end of the season but with the exception of Steve Sidwell, actual signings are yet to materialise. This has left some Villa fans questioning just how the club can take the next step and try to break the stranglehold of the so-called 'Big Four'.

Is the prospect of Intertoto Cup, then hopefully Uefa Cup football, enough to attract the best players? Are we always destined to lose out to Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool when it comes to signing top class talent? Are a decent number of players coming in to bolster an alarmingly shrinking squad and enable the team to deal with the new substitution rules - or will more academy youngsters be getting chances sooner rather than later?

Of course alongside all of those questions the hot topic over last few months has been the ongoing saga over the future of Gareth Barry.

Us fans felt very disappointed when it was finally confirmed that our skipper had spoken to O'Neill about his craving for Champions League football away from Villa Park. Is that not what the club is allegedly striving for as well? If Martin is unable to persuade his captain marvel that he will eventually play Champions League football at Villa Park, then can the fans believe it themselves?

Only time will tell whether we will see Barry playing in Europe in a (nice new Acorns hospice-sponsored) Villa shirt or warming a European bench sporting a Liverpool tracksuit.

We have concluded a deal for Sidwell from Chelsea but still need at least another creative midfielder with a range of passing.

A long term concern has been our failure to find players for the right side of defence. It was a position manfully taken on last season by the bearded - and now sadly departed - Olof Mellberg. Though not his favoured position, the versatile Swede took on the bulk of duties at right back along with local product Craig Gardener and perhaps more worryingly, Nigel Reo-Coker.

O'Neill lost out on supposed long-term target Jose Bosingwa to Chelsea, but it has been reported that Villa have looked at his Portuguese team-mate Miguel who has made no secret of his desire to leave Valencia. Sporting Braga's João Pereira could be the cut-price option or to round off the Portuguese runners, Benfica's Nelson has also previously been on the radar. Whether they are Portuguese or not, Villa just need a confirmed right back - and more probably two.

We also look a little short on the other side of the pitch. The unsung Dutch international Freddie Bouma did a good job at left back and was an ever-present in 2007/8 before going on to help Marco van Basten's Oranje reach the Euro 2008 Quarter Finals. If another left back does not materialise, Freddie had better enjoy a relaxing holiday, return fresh and remain injury-free as his young understudy Stephen O'Halloran returned early in May from loan at Leeds United with cruciate ligament injury.

I think most Villa fans were not entirely convinced about Scott Carson but with Thomas Sorenson's Villa career finished and Stuart Taylor seemingly just an able deputy, a top quality goalkeeper is a must for the shopping list too.

Ok so Brummies like an occasional whinge, but not even the most pessimistic Villa fan could moan about the team's exciting attacking options up front. Gabby and Ashley along with big John Carew netted 32 goals between them last season and some were simply brilliant.

Marlon 'The Hare' Harewood really won over the fans with some impressive cameo super-sub appearances in the second half of the season and with Nathan Delfouneso earning a squad number, Villa also have the prospect of introducing yet another exciting product off the academy production line.

Would it be greedy to ask for another top class striker and attack-minded midfielder? Certainly not! Roque Santa Cruz certainly falls into the former category but is an unlikely arrival, though he would find a much better reception than the ex-Birmingham City duo of Emile Heskey and Andy Johnson that have been linked with Villa. A decisive move for his team-mate David Bentley would certainly signal intent on the latter, though competition for his signature will be fierce a so maybe James Milner would be welcomed back to Villa Park.

Despite an alleged liking for taking time to weigh up his transfer decisions, Martin does not have that luxury on this occasion. The clock is ticking inexorably down to the club's first Intertoto Cup fixture on July 19th. With that potential route into the Uefa Cup a serious consideration, fans should not have to wait long before they see whether Aston Villa really are going to start making life uncomfortable for that Premier League top four.

What do you think about Villa's pre-season moves in the transfer market? Let us know using the form below.