O'Neill fuming at further Barry drama
by Joseph Caron Dawe, 15 May 2008
Martin O’Neill is furious at suggestions Aston Villa are prepared to let Gareth Barry leave the club.
The Ulsterman has been ardently battling speculation about his captain’s future following Liverpool’s highly-publicised approach for his services recently.
Now O’Neill is livid at the latest reports, which have suggested he and the club are willing to allow Barry go if the right offer comes in.
“I have not said anything of the sort. To suggest I would be happy to sell Gareth is simply not true,” he said categorically.
“I did say that no club would want to keep an unhappy player but at no time has Gareth expressed any displeasure about his time at Villa.”
It was only earlier in the week that O’Neill said he and the club’s owner, Randy Lerner, were working hard to persuade Barry to remain in the Midlands.
“We are doing everything we can,” he reiterated.
“We are determined to keep Gareth at Villa Park. To say that I am resigned to losing him is simply not the case.”
Two players who O’Neill is allowing to leave however are Patrik Berger and Thomas Sorensen.
The duo’s contracts have expired and Berger collected his ticket out of Villa Park when he publicly advised Barry to leave should The Reds make an offer for him.
“Berger has, as he has told the press, got an offer from a Premier League side but he was going to be leaving at the end of the season anyway,” said O’Neill.
“Sorensen has got plans, so his agent was telling me, to get his career back on track again.”