GWistooshort

Confirmed on the official Villa website that Barry is happy to play for them in the UEFA Cup tomorrow......... Gareth Barry has given Villa a massive boost ahead of the UEFA Cup qualifier against FH Hafnarfjordur by declaring himself 'ready, willing and able' to play. Martin O'Neill admits Barry's future remains up in the air but the England star travelled out to Iceland this morning and trained with his team mates at the Laugardalsvöllur Stadium in Reykjavik this evening. He is definitely in the frame to face Hafnarfjordur and speaking to AVTV Online O'Neill told www.avfc.co.uk: "Yesterday I was at a League Managers' Association meeting down in London, so I had to go down quite early. Therefore I didn't get a chance to speak to Gareth, which I would have done. "But John Robertson and Steve Walford spoke to him just after training. He was ready, willing and able to play, which is great. "Last week I think he felt that the Liverpool move was going to take place. Now we don't know what's happening, so don't think anybody's in any sort of triumphalist mood. But he wants to play and that's exceptionally good news. "Our particular stance has never changed. He's a class player and they're hard to come by. We would prefer him to be playing for Aston Villa than playing against us." http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsD...1365537,00.html

Fastardo by name..........

Alonso's playing!

Skysports.com understands that talks between Michael Johnson's representatives & Man City, which were continuing after Johnson rejected a new contract over the weekend, have now broken down with no agreement. Liverpool are "very much in the mix" for Johnson along with Arsenal & Everton, with Aston Villa believed to be the latest club to show an interest. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_3975659,00.html

I'm not aware of what he's said about us in the past, no. What was it?

From today's Echo.......... "Steven Gerrard came through last night's training session unscathed and is fit to take his place in the starting line up for tonight's game if required." http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-f...252-21524280/2/

From today's Echo.......... "Steven Gerrard came through last night's training session unscathed and is fit to take his place in the starting line up for tonight's game if required." http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-f...252-21524280/2/

I think that's right. The article says it would equal a payment of €1.2m to Socieadad, which obviously is way off 20% of €25m, but if it is 20% of the profit we make on Xabi it means we paid €19m or about £15m for him!

Speculation is all we're reduced to though isn't it, unless we're Elisha or someone else with a source?

We'll see if there's any legs in this story when tonight's team is announced (where are you Elisha? ) Gerrard & Plessis in centre mid & it's on

Martin Samuel in today's Times on the Gareth Barry transfer saga........... The Times August 13, 2008 The potless (and witless) billionaires club Martin Samuel, Chief Football Correspondent There are a lot of potless billionaires out there. Men who did not do their homework and thought, because they had a lot of money, that running a Premier League club in England was going to provide even more. Wrong. Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, West Ham United, here were clubs that were meant to be embarking on bold new adventures, encroaching on the top four or on the title itself, funded by owners who had the resources to match their ambitions. What happened? Reality happened. The new money missed the boat. The time to invest in English football was half a century ago, when there was a maximum wage and a 60,000 walk-up every week. No television deal or megastore, maybe, but Sepp Blatter's slave analogy would not have sounded so foolish given the employment conditions, and no player turned up his nose at £120,000 a week. In his peak earning years, and this included playing for AC Milan, Jimmy Greaves never earned more than £5,200 - per year. That was the time to turn a profit owning a football club, and nobody even knew who the chairman was. These days, we know not only the owner, but the name of the bank that is about to pull the plug on him, because it is only too obvious where the money goes. Sorry about this. Today's column was intended to be a little more uplifting, more on the theme of a season of surprises. Liverpool for the title was the tag and it went west the moment the owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, decided that they knew more about a footballer's worth to his club than their manager, Rafael Benítez. It is hard to fancy Liverpool to overturn Manchester United and Chelsea now, yet when the summer began, Gareth Barry was set to be Benítez's missing link and, had the club bought him, this could have been their season to evolve from a team capable of impressing in set-piece matches in Europe to one capable of emerging triumphant from the slog of the domestic season. Instead, the way the move failed reveals much about the parlous state of the clubs under new ownership. At the weekend, Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, said that Aston Villa's asking price of £18 million for Barry was too high. It is not. It is the going rate for an England central midfield player, as indicated by the fees paid by Manchester United for Michael Carrick (between £14 million and £18.6 million depending on success) and Owen Hargreaves (£17 million). Indeed, Barry is an England regular at present; Hargreaves and Carrick are not. Nor is age an issue, because Carrick, Barry and Hargreaves were all born in 1981. Barry is 34 days younger than Hargreaves and 155 days older than Carrick and Villa's valuation, for a player under contract, the captain and an important member of their team, is entirely reasonable. Yet, privately, what is said to concern Liverpool's owners is Barry's resale value if he signs a four or five-year contract. And there is the key; if a player could be the difference between winning the championship and falling short, why should the eventual return matter? His cost would be reimbursed instantly if the trophy was installed at Anfield, and while that is a big if, so is every transfer of substance. The resale issue with Barry confirms that there are serious financial concerns at Liverpool, despite the costly purchase of Robbie Keane from Tottenham Hotspur this summer. It has been well documented that Gillett would sell his half of the club at the right price, while Hicks wants to stay in the game. In the City, the word is that an American bank is ready to offer Hicks the funds to buy out Gillett, but not at the figure his partner wants because Gillett is insisting on a 30 per cent profit on the purchase price. Whether a Hicks buyout could resurrect the Barry deal, however, is questionable. If he plays for Villa against FH Hafnarfjördur, of Iceland, in the Uefa Cup tomorrow, and is cup-tied in Europe, Benítez may well give up hope. Despite Parry's protestations to the contrary, the attitude of Liverpool's owners must greatly frustrate Benítez and threaten his commitment to the club. Funnily enough, in the paddock at Epsom, one rarely sees John Magnier, the head of the Coolmore Stud, overruling his trainer, Aidan O'Brien, so that he can pass instructions to Johnny Murtagh, the jockey; and Magnier knows a hell of a lot more about horses than Hicks and Gillett know of football. It seems bizarre to have an authority, a manager of experience and consistent success, and then ignore his expertise. Benítez must surely have impressed upon his employers the difference Barry would make to Liverpool: he would complete the starting XI. Benítez is strong in most areas but requires a left-footed partner for Javier Mascherano in front of the back four. Barry is a perfect fit. With him, Liverpool could play the 4-2-3-1 formation that is all the rage right now, with Mascherano and Barry holding, Ryan Babel starting on one flank, Robbie Keane playing the Dirk Kuyt role on the other and Steven Gerrard behind Fernando Torres, with free range. Even the reserve options, Kuyt, Martin Skrtel, Sami Hyypia, perhaps Xabi Alonso, are good. The last piece of the jigsaw is an overused phrase, because even the best teams are in a permanent state of evolution, but Barry, potentially, was the most significant signing of the summer. To be so close, and then to be distracted by talk of resale values, can only suggest a club perilously close to financial breaking point. Last season, it was believed that Liverpool's owners would struggle to service loan repayments if Champions League football was not secured and with Michel Platini, the Uefa president, intent on reducing the number of fourth-placed qualifiers from the leading countries, this precarious existence will not go away. The team who finish fourth in the Barclays Premier League will have to play another non-champion from a leading European nation next season. Instead of FC Twente and Standard Liège, this season's opponents for Arsenal and Liverpool, the fourth-placed English team could be up against the likes of Fiorentina or Atlético Madrid, a far greater test. General concern over the financial future of the club is likely to trouble Liverpool's owners more than the specific long-term worth of one player. At the weekend it was suggested that Benítez would now bid £18 million for David Silva, of Valencia, who plays on the left or as a playmaker behind the front two, the inference being that he has Barry's transfer fee available, but not for Barry. That would be madness. One of the positions Silva plays is already occupied by Gerrard, in the other Benítez has tactical options. Why would any clear-thinking football business make a sum of money available, have the manager identify a target within that range and then tell him he cannot have the player, but can buy another instead? A year from now, Silva could be an excellent signing, as Liverpool move on, but right now, give Benítez what he wants. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/col...icle4518058.ece

Transfer news/speculation from this morning's papers............... Hicks & Gillett are "sticking to their stance that Gareth Barry will not be joining Liverpool as long as his price remains at £18m", while recent reports that David Silva might be signed instead "were dismissed by well-placed Anfield sources". Steve Finnan has apparently had "what was described by insiders as a 'minor' disagreement with Benitez over attempts to offload him as part of the seemingly doomed move for Barry". http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...ule-Europe.html Rafa is "determined to proceed with a deal to sign Barry" & "he will urge the club’s American owners to back his judgment once...tonight’s Champions League qualifying match in Belgium is out of the way". Rafa "refused to be drawn on Barry at last night’s press conference", but "he is known to be unhappy at the refusal of Hicks & Gillett to sanction the signing of Barry & will urge them & Rick Parry to support him by making a restructured bid, aware that the England midfield player may choose to commit his future to Villa if no deal is reached by the weekend". Rafa "appears to have come round" to the idea of keeping Xabi Alonso as well as signing Barry. Finnan isn't in the squad "after a fallout with Benítez & is likely to be on his way out of Anfield". http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle4518568.ece Finnan "is believed to have fallen out with Benítez over the manager's intent to sell him this summer, either as a makeweight in a deal for Barry or as a means to raise funds to sign the Villa captain, & his omission [from the squad] is a further indication of how he has been marginalised at Anfield". Rafa "is refusing to give up hope of signing Barry & would not have to rely on a short-term loan from his American employers if he raised more revenue through player sales". Andriy Voronin "is also surplus to requirements in Benítez's eyes but...will be involved in Belgium following an encouraging pre-season". Voronin's "preference is to remain at Liverpool". http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/au...l.standardliege 22 year old Polish winger Jakub Blaszczykowski "wants to move to Liverpool in an £8m deal, but Borussia Dortmund are refusing to sell". http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle4518057.ece "Liverpool's financial problems & Chelsea's reluctance to sell to their rivals will make a transfer for Joe Cole to Anfield unlikely." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...avid-Healy.html The agent of David Silva, who has been "closely linked with" Liverpool & Man Utd, said yesterday "I can say that David Silva wants to play in Spain next season. He doesn't want to play in another country at the moment." http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/footbal...bid-892483.html Aston Villa are preparing a £6m bid for James Milner, who has been linked to Liverpool in previous articles. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...tle-Milner.html

Agree that Rafa, Eduardo Macia & the other Spanish players could provide us with an advantage if we want to sign Silva, however not sure whether it would be enough for him to come to us at the moment based on his agent's comments "Silva doesn't want to play in England because he is happy at Valencia. "His family are settled and if he was to move it would only be to another Spanish club, like Real Madrid or Barcelona. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_3970750,00.html

Balague also says Scolari is not 100% convinced by Cole "The new Chelsea coach has come to the conclusion that Joe Cole does not quite grasp how a player in the hole should work, unlike Robinho. Furthermore, the Brazilian offers the same options on the wing as Cole does. Quite simply, Scolari is of the opinion that Robinho is a more complete player than Cole and, as far as the Chelsea boss is concerned, represents the final cog needed to make his new Chelsea machine tick." http://www.guillembalague.com/rumores_desp.php?id=58

Silva's agent has said today that Valencia have rejected Man Utd's bid for Silva & that the player is happy at Valencia & will be starting the new season there & if he did leave Valencia he would want to stay in Spain & join either Barca or Real Madrid http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_3970750,00.html

Buy him now!

deleted

Nothing in the 4 articles from today on the Echo's website

News on Voronin from today's Echo.......... Andriy Voronin " has impressed Rafa Benitez with his attitude despite constant speculation that he is set to leave the Reds. And despite reports that the Ukrainian's name had been omitted from Liverpool's squad list that they have to submit to UEFA ahead of involvement in European competition, Voronin has been included and will hope he has done enough to convince his manager that he deserves to play in tomorrow's first leg at Stade Maurice Dufrasne. Though highly unlikely to force Fernando Torres or Robbie Keane out of the starting line up, Voronin could feature as a substitute even though he would be cup tied for European competition should he feature. Benitez is willing to take that risk, however, as he recognises the importance of qualifying for the lucrative group stages of the Champions League and wants to be able to select from his most in form players for the clash with Standard. But Voronin still faces an uphill struggle if he is to convince his manager that his long-term future lies at Anfield and he is one of a number of players who could be sold before the transfer window shuts on August 31 should Liverpool receive a suitable offer for his services. But until and unless that happens, Benitez is happy to involve the former Bayer Leverkusen man in his plans and believes his pre-season form shows he still has something to offer the Reds." http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-f...00252-21515966/

I'm pretty sure the Telegraph article is based on the Daily Mail article (note the use of "reportedly" & other similar phrases). The Telegraph usually write their own website-only articles based on the stories in the other papers that day & I think this article is one of those & won't actually be in the paper. It'll be interesting to see if this afternoon's Echo says anything about Cole.

From Sky Sports website...... Silva wants to stay in Spain Winger not interested in move to Premier League Last updated: 12th August 2008 Valencia star David Silva says he has 'no desire' to move to the Premier League after being linked with Liverpool and Manchester United. Reports have claimed that the two fierce English rivals are ready to make bids in the region of £20million for the Spain international. Silva has been tipped to leave Valencia due to the club's financial problems, despite Los Che's determination to keep the winger, and ace striker David Villa. However, if Silva is sold to help out his current club, he admits he would prefer to join Barcelona, rather than move to England. Superior "I have no desire to play in England," Silva is quoted in the Daily Star. "My club know my decision and it will not change. "If I leave Valencia, my dream will be to go to Barcelona. "I know there is interest from some big clubs in England, but I do not just want to move for the money. "England is one of the best leagues in the world, but I think that Spain is superior." http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11827_3968847,00.html

Transfer news/speculation from this morning's papers................ Rafa is "set to seek further talks with Gillett & Hicks" after tomorrow’s game "regarding the direction of his transfer business in the remainder of the window". The "only way" Liverpool will now complete the signing of Gareth Barry, "who still remains set on a move to Anfield", will be if Aston Villa drop their £18m valuation of Barry, which remains "an outside possibility" with Villa boss Martin O’Neill "keen to see a conclusion to the saga". http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverp...64375-21514206/ Rafa "wants showdown talks with Liverpool's American owners" when he returns from the Champions' League qualifier against Standard Liege tomorrow "in the hope of resurrecting the Gareth Barry deal" & he "will want to know why the club agreed to meet Aston Villa's £18million valuation of Barry a week ago, but now feel the price is too high". http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20694083/ Liverpool have "declared an interest" in Joe Cole, leading him to "demand assurances over his future from Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari". Cole "fears he will be frozen out of the starting XI" & "has also been spooked by the potential arrival of Robinho". Scolari "has not been convinced" by Cole in pre-season & "has urged Chelsea to sign Robinho as a direct replacement". Cole, who explored the possibility of moving to Barcelona last summer after his relationship with Jose Mourinho deteriorated, "is willing to stay at Stamford Bridge if he believes he will be given a chance". Rafa "believes he has been priced out of a move for Gareth Barry" & "is aware of Cole’s predicament and is prepared to make a move if Chelsea indicate a willingness to sell". http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...-lies-wait.html Midfielder Michael Johnson, who has been linked to Liverpool in previous articles, "may leave" Man City having refused a new 5-year deal, with Arsenal & Everton interested. Johnson's "attitude has been a problem to the club for some months". http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/footbal...les-891361.html Arsenal are "poised to swoop for £8m-rated Michael Johnson", who "is known to want to play in the Champions League". http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20694199/ Barcelona are "in pole position" for David Silva, who has been linked to Liverpool in previous articles, but Man Utd have inquired about him. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...illa-Stoke.html Silva has "delivered a huge snub to Liverpool & [Man] Utd by insisting he will not move to the Premier League". http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/g...ers/7555482.stm

No reason at all, but it's interesting that in their 1st comment since we came out publicly & said we think he's over-priced (& the press are all saying the deal's dead) Villa are acting like it's still on (especially how they've reacted to 'deadlines' being missed etc earlier in this saga).

Villa have issued a statement today saying Barry could play in their UEFA match later this week, but have left the door open for a deal still to happen saying while he is currently still their player "things could change" & "if Gareth is still our player on Wednesday". http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsD...1363386,00.html

Because he's not English, not left-sided & can't play in 3 different positions?