Aston Villa summer transfers
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
All the latest transfer news and speculation from Aston Villa football club.
CONFIRMED TRANSFERS
IN:
James Milner; from Newcastle
Carlos Cuellar; from Rangers; £7.8m
Luke Young; from Middlesbrough
Nicky Shorey; from Reading; undisclosed
Brad Guzan
Brad Friedel; from Blackburn
Steve Sidwell; from Chelsea; £5m
Curtis Davies; from West Brom; undisclosed
OUT:
Shaun Maloney; to Celtic
Thomas Sorensen; released
Olof Mellberg; to Juventus; free
Luke Moore; to West Brom; £3m
Patrik Berger; to Sparta Prague ; free transfer
Damian Bellon; FC Caduz; free
Erik Lund; IFK Gothenburg; free
SPECULATION:
29 August: Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of England Under-21 winger James Milner from Newcastle on a four-year contract.
27 August: Aston Villa are expected to step up their bid to sign Newcastle's want-away winger James Milner, who has handed in a transfer request. (PA)
27 August: Gareth Barry's agent has stated the England midfielder will stay with Aston Villa rather than make a late move before the transfer window closes. (PA)
22 August: Celtic have completed the £2.5m signing of Aston Villa forward Shaun Maloney on a four-year contract.
18 August: Rafael Benitez remains desperate to complete his long-running pursuit of Gareth Barry before the end of the month, but has denied that complications in finalising the transfer brought him to the verge of quitting as Liverpool manager. (PA)
18 August: Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is hoping winger Ashley Young will follow Gabriel Agbonlahor and John Carew in signing a new contract with the midlands club. O'Neill revealed that talks have already taken place regarding giving Young an improved deal after his performances since making an £8m move from Watford. (PA)
15 August: Gabriel Agbonlahor has signed a new four-year contract which will keep him at Aston Villa until June 2012, the club have confirmed on their website.
15 August: Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill insists Gareth Barry "knew the consequences" of his decision to play against FH Hafnarfjordur in last night's UEFA Cup second qualifying round match. (PA)
14 August: Curtis Davies admitted Gareth Barry's Aston Villa team-mates are all eager for him to stay at the club after winning their UEFA Cup second qualifying round first leg 4-1 away to FH Hafnarfjordur. (PA)
14 August: Villa striker John Carew has committed himself to the club for a further 12 months, extending his contract which previously had two years left to run until June 2011. (PA)
12 August: Aston Villa have completed the £7.8m signing of defender Carlos Cuellar from Rangers on a four-year contract, the Barclays Premier League club have announced.
11 August: Aston Villa have announced that they have agreed a fee with of £7.8m with Rangers for Spanish defender Carlos Cuellar.
10 August: Gareth Barry's proposed move to Liverpool has been thrown into further doubt after chief executive Rick Parry admitted: "The price quoted is too high." "There has been a lot of comment regarding our position with regards to Gareth Barry," Parry said on www.liverpoolfc.tv "This is not about questioning the manager's judgment or the ability of a particular player. The owners have clearly demonstrated throughout the year they are willing to back Rafa in the transfer market and will continue to do so. It is obviously the selling club's prerogative to put whatever price they want on the player, but on this occasion Liverpool think the price quoted is too high." (PA)
9 August: Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson believes the sale of Luke Young to Aston Villa represents sensible business and assured fans a replacement will be recruited imminently. He said: "Selling a 29-year-old full-back for £6m a year after we bought him for £2.5m, and doing so in the knowledge that we will replace him, is right for the football club in the short term, medium term and the long term. We're already busy working on bringing in a replacement." (PA)
8 August: Rafael Benitez has promised to bring in one more top player this summer - but refused to confirm that it would be Gareth Barry. (PA)
7 August: Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of right-back Luke Young from Middlesbrough.
7 August: Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of left-back Nicky Shorey from Reading on a three-year deal with Middlesbrough defender Luke Young expected to join him imminently. (PA)
7 August: Aston Villa have confirmed they will hold talks with Nicky Shorey and Luke Young and the pair will have medicals after fees were agreed with Reading and Middlesbrough respectively. (PA)
7 August: Aston Villa are in talks with defender Luke Young after agreeing terms with Middlesbrough for the England international. (PA)
5 August: Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner is willing to splash out £30million on one player - according to his right hand man General Charles Krulak. Krulak said: "Randy has told Martin to get the players he wants and not worry about the money. We all know we need more players. We trust Martin to know what the squad needs and to go and get the players." (PA)
4 August: Liverpool will secure Gareth Barry's signature this week, following the concession of defeat by the Aston Villa manager, Martin O'Neill, in his summer-long battle to persuade the midfielder to stay.
2 August: Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has reluctantly conceded Gareth Barry's move to Liverpool could still be on, Villa have announced on their official website tonight.
2 August: Reading manager Steve Coppell has confirmed defender Nicky Shorey is expected to make a return to the Barclays Premier League within days. The player has continued to be linked with West Ham as well as Portsmouth, Newcastle and Aston Villa. (PA)
1 August: Aston Villa have been given the go-ahead to complete the signing of Brad Guzan after the American goalkeeper was granted a work permit. (PA)
31 July: Aston Villa remain adamant today that the Gareth Barry transfer saga is over despite Liverpool still maintaining that a deal for the England midfielder can be done. (PA)
30 July: Aston Villa skipper Gareth Barry - a target for Liverpool throughout the summer - is to remain with the midlands club. Villa said in a statement: "This evening, Aston Villa can announce that Gareth Barry will be staying with the club following the interest from Liverpool over recent months." (PA)
29 July: Aston Villa will find out on Friday whether they can sign their second goalkeeper in the space of five days when Brad Guzan has his application for a work permit considered by the Home Office. Villa agreed earlier this month to sign Guzan from Major Soccer League side Chivas USA in a deal believed to be worth around £2million. (PA)
26 July: Martin O'Neill has urged Gareth Barry to remain with Aston Villa and claimed the midlands club want him more than Liverpool. Barry received a rapturous reception from the Villa faithful following his introduction as a 15th-minute substitute in the Intertoto Cup win over Odense. (PA)
26 July: Brad Friedel has signed for Aston Villa from Blackburn for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract, the midlands club have announced.
26 July: Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has claimed victory in the race to sign Tottenham's Younes Kaboul. Kaboul, 22, looked all set to link up with fellow Spurs stars Teemu Tainio, Pascal Chimbonda and Steed Malbranque at Sunderland after boss Roy Keane agreed a fee for all four. "Sunderland and Villa both made fantastic offers, but the lad decided he wanted to come to Portsmouth," said Redknapp. (PA)
26 July: West Brom newcomer Scott Carson believes Martin O'Neill's desire to sign a more experienced goalkeeper scuppered his chances of a permanent move to Aston Villa. (PA)
25 July: Aston Villa have been given permission by Blackburn to speak to their goalkeeper Brad Friedel about a possible transfer, the midlands club have confirmed.
25 July: Sunderland boss Roy Keane faces an anxious wait over his pursuit of defender Younes Kaboul after Aston Villa made a late bid to hijack the deal. PA Sport understands Villa tabled an undisclosed offer for the Tottenham man at the 11th hour with the Morocco-born player due to head for Wearside for a medical today. (PA)
24 July: Martin O'Neill has warned Liverpool he is ready to set a deadline for them to meet his valuation of want-away Aston Villa skipper Gareth Barry. (PA)
23 July: Blackburn goalkeeper Brad Friedel looks set to leave Ewood Park after the club accepted a bid from an undisclosed Premier League club, thought to be Aston Villa. Rovers insisted in a statement "the transfer is conditional to Rovers having a bid for a goalkeeper at another club accepted". The identity of that target is unknown, though the Lancastrians have been linked with Tottenham's Paul Robinson recently. (PA)
22 July: Wantaway midfielder Gareth Barry was booed throughout the hour he played in Aston Villa's 3-2 victory over Walsall at the Bescot Stadium. (PA)
22 July: Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has dismissed reports linking the midlands club with Valencia striker Nikola Zigic. The Northern Irishman was said to have made a £5million offer for the forward but O'Neill insisted the reports were without foundation. (PA)
21 July: Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has revealed that Chelsea's Shaun Wright-Phillips and Tottenham's Younes Kaboul both want to sign on at Fratton Park - but fears he may have to sell before he can buy. Redknapp fears Aston Villa will beat Pompey to recruit French defender Kaboul because of the midlands club's greater spending power. (PA)
21 July: Blackburn would consider selling England midfielder David Bentley - but only for the right price, the club's chairman John Williams has confirmed. Rovers have had two bids for the 23-year-old, from Tottenham and Aston Villa, but neither has come anywhere close to the price Blackburn believe Bentley is worth. (PA)
19 July: Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has confirmed the club had a bid for David Bentley rejected by Blackburn while admitting the Gareth Barry situation is "unchanged." (PA)
18 July: Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate insists England winger Stewart Downing is "simply not for sale". The 23-year-old midfielder has been linked with both Liverpool and Aston Villa this summer. (PA)
17 July: Arsène Wenger is still unconvinced that Gareth Barry is value for money at the £18m asking price at Aston Villa.
15 July: Arsenal have asked Aston Villa to keep them informed of Gareth Barry's status. Liverpool's attempts to secure the England midfielder appear to have stalled over the asking price. (PA)
14 July: Paul Ince has confirmed Blackburn have received a bid from Aston Villa for wantaway midfielder David Bentley.
14 July: Martin O'Neill is determined Aston Villa's search for new players will not be hampered by preparations for Saturday's Intertoto Cup clash with Odense.
13 July: Aston Villa are confident USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan will soon be handed a work permit, and formally become their second summer signing.
13 July: Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has vehemently denied the club have agreed a deal with Liverpool to sell Gareth Barry. He said: "We have waited over a week for them to come back to us and respond to our price for Gareth. They know what it is but their original offer hasn't changed."
12 July: Aston Villa have agreed a fee with American side Chivas USA for goalkeeper Brad Guzan, the midlands club announced on their website today.
10 July: Aston Villa have signed midfielder Steve Sidwell from Chelsea on a three-year contract.
9 July: Aston Villa have agreed to sign Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell - Martin O'Neill's first capture of what is expected to be a hectic second half of the summer. The midlands club have settled on what is believed to be a fee of around £5 million for the former Reading player, subject to him passing a medical.
9 July: Aston Villa have reminded Liverpool they will only sell captain Gareth Barry for £18million. Villa boss Martin O'Neill has made it clear since Barry became a Reds target at the end of last season that he will accept nothing less than his full valuation for the England midfielder. The midlands club have even formally written to Liverpool to spell out their position. (PA)
8 July: Aston Villa are confident Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell will become their first summer signing - possibly within the next 48 hours - according to sources close to the midlands club. (PA)
8 July: Striker John Carew has intimated he would like to stay at Aston Villa for the rest of his career. Carew said: "I have two years more on my contract so there is no rush with anything. But I am very happy to be here and I would like to stay for many years more." (PA)
2 July: Aston Villa have tonight confirmed they have rejected a "renewed offer" from Liverpool for midfielder Gareth Barry. (PA)
2 July: Aston Villa have disciplined Gareth Barry for giving an "unauthorised" newspaper interview and announced he will not be returning to the club for the start of pre-season training tomorrow. (PA)
2 July: Liverpool claimed today they have not made a "final" offer to Aston Villa for midfielder Gareth Barry. Reports that a final offer of £15million has been made, with £2million to come depending on Liverpool's league position next season, have been denied by club sources. (PA)
24 June: Newcastle are ready to resist any attempt to lure James Milner away from St James' Park. The 22-year-old midfielder has repeatedly been linked with Liverpool and Aston Villa since the end of last season despite being under contract until 2011, although no cash bid has been received from either. (PA)
23 June: West Ham have slapped an £8million price tag on central defender Anton Ferdinand who is reported to be a target for Aston Villa.
23 June: Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is set to step up his attempt to sign Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell now that the player has returned from holiday.
23 June: Former Aston Villa skipper David Platt has stood by his belief that Gareth Barry should quit the midlands club and move to Liverpool. Villa boss Martin O'Neill described Platt's comments as "worthless" when he originally made his stance on Barry known when working as a Sky Sports pundit last month. (PA)
21 June: Striker Marlon Harewood has revealed his desire to stay at Aston Villa - despite attracting interest from a host of clubs, including Stoke and Fulham. He said: "There's a lot more to come from this squad and hopefully a lot more to come from me. I want to play my part."
19 June: Villa's goalkeeper shortage could be answered by Tottenham's England international Paul Robinson who is keen on a move to the Midlands. (PA)
19 June: Martin O'Neill has admitted it may be "difficult" to secure the quality of player needed to take Aston Villa to the next level. (PA)
19 June: Aston Villa are still striving to thrash out a deal to make Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell their first summer signing. Reports last night Villa had already agreed a fee for the 25-year-old player were described as "premature" by sources close to the midlands club.
18 June: Aston Villa have been credited with an interest in £16.5million Darren Bent, and their hand could be strengthened financially if Liverpool's pursuit of midfielder Gareth Barry proves successful. (PA)
17 June: David Bentley has been linked with a £15m move to Villa Park. (PA)
17 June: Villa are understood to be on the verge of agreeing a £4.5million deal for the former Reading player Steve Sidwell which could go through as early as next week. (PA)
16 June: Aston Villa have told Liverpool they are under no pressure to sell skipper Gareth Barry until the price is right which will be in the region of at least £18million.
13 June: Steve Sidwell, Jimmy Bullard, Tom Huddlestone, James Milner, Aaron Lennon and Pascal Chimbonda are thought to be amongst Martin O'Neill's Premier League targets plus Sporting Braga right-back Joao Pereira and Crystal Palace teenager Shaun Scannell. (PA)
13 June: Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson spent the whole of last season on loan at Villa Park and O'Neill is believed to want to make the move permanent. Benitez is willing to sell, but again the two are at loggerheads over the valuation of the player. (PA)
12 June: Barry has told O'Neill he wants to join Liverpool in order to play Champions League football and boost his international prospects but the Villa boss insists his club will not be bullied into selling. He told the BBC: "Gareth and I had a little chat when he got back from holiday and he has said he would fancy going to Liverpool. That's obviously a big setback to us, but the offer from Liverpool is just not acceptable."
12 June: Liverpool and Aston Villa are seemingly ready to test Newcastle's resolve to hang on to James Milner. (PA)
12 June: Former Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis believes Liverpool should have to pay up to £20 million if they want to sign midfielder Gareth Barry. (PA)
12 June: Villa have rejected an improved bid, thought to be in the region of £15m, from Liverpool for captain Gareth Barry
11 June: The Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry has stepped up pressure on Aston Villa to allow him a move to Anfield. The England midfielder has phoned the Villa manager Martin O'Neill at the European Championship to plead for progress on the move and hopes a compromise deal can be thrashed out at around £15m.
3 June: Several clubs are thought to be expressing an interest in Chelsea's Steve Sidwell including Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Newcastle, West Ham, Fulham, Manchester City, Everton and Blackburn, with Aston Villa leading the way. Chelsea want in the region of £6m for the midfielder. (PA)
3 June: Gareth Barry wants his future at Aston Villa sorted out now rather than have the situation drag on over the summer. "I would like things cleared up. The sooner the better, it would be easier for myself and for the fans as well, so I'm sure we can get it done pretty soon." he said. (PA)
29 May: United States goalkeeper Brad Guzan has revealed his desire to sign for Aston Villa. Guzan was poised to move from Chivas USA in a £2million deal during the January transfer window before being refused a work permit. He is now close to playing the necessary games for his country required to secure Home Office approval. (PA)
29 May: Shaun Maloney is considering his Aston Villa future after failing to command a regular place in Martin O'Neill's team. "I have started to enjoy the club down south but I've just not played and I don't think that's ideal. We will see what happens in the next few months." he said. (PA)
WHAT'S IN THE KITTY?
Owned by: R Lerner (since 2006).
Value: c.£90m
Turnover: £52.7m (to 31 May 2007).
Profit/loss: £18.8m op' loss. Debt: £37m.
Prem TV cash 07-08: £42.26m.
Summer kitty: c.£30m.
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