Rafa Faces The Wrath Of O'Neill
Here we go again – it's silly season in the football rumours department. Every summer there's a transfer story that refuses to go away, and already, just a few days after the end of the Premier League, we've got one that looks like it's got the legs to go all the way.
It's Gareth Barry from Aston Villa to Liverpool. Call it 'Barrygate', if you like. Everyone else is.
Liverpool have already declared their interest in Villa's captain and star midfielder, who has spent the last two seasons transforming Martin O'Neill's team from mid-table plodders to top six material, and won a regular place in the England in the process. But Liverpool's faxed offer – reckoned to be around £10million, way below Villa's valuation – has already been met with a snort of derision from O'Neill. "They've made an offer – if you can call it on offer," he muttered the other day. The Reds are believed to have chucked the odd rubbish player into the deal as some kind of sweetener – but Villa ain't biting. Not yet, anyway.
O'Neill has made it pretty obvious he's unhappy with Liverpool's conduct so far, while Liverpool gaffer Rafa Benitez reckons he's done no wrong. "When your captain wants to leave it's sad, but that's football," the Peter Kay look-a-like quipped recently. Which begs the question – if Liverpool have done everything officially and above board so far, how does Benitez know Barry is unhappy and wants a move?
Latest from Villa is that O'Neill and his boss, Randy Lerner, have met Barry for talks, and now the player has been told to mull things over for a while. Which means only one thing – Barrygate isn't going to be over for a good while yet. Come back to us in June, and we might have an answer…
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