Gareth Barry will remain at Villa for the coming season according to a club statement this evening.
Following an approach by Liverpool, the Villa skipper had made it clear that he intended to leave Villa Park but, despite numerous bids from Liverpool, no fee could be agreed. The deadline for the move set by Villa and agreed by Liverpool, has now passed and as a result the deal is now said to be dead in the water.
O’Neill is obviously delighted that his skipper will be staying on for another season. Fantasy managers meanwhile can at least now consider Barry with knowledge of his situation, at least until the January window.
Barry earned 9 goals and 10 assists for his fantasy managers last term and there’s every chance that the midfield can repeat similar form this term. However his price has been hiked across the games as a result of last season’s form, while the long-term injury to Bouma sustained last weekend, could well see the Villa skipper deployed at left-back.
Should O’Neill manage to bring in a replacement for Bouma before the transfer deadline at the end of August, then Barry’s fantasy potential would certainly increase. For now a certain amount of caution is still required, despite Barry’s short-term future now looking assured.