The great big Gareth Barry saga

From the Telegraph 2 days ago


Rafael Benitez has identified Gareth Barry as his main transfer target for the summer as well as renewing his interested in Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson.

The Spaniard was said to be seriously considering his long-term future at the club after revelations over the weekend that co-owner Tom Hicks had a second meeting with Jürgen Klinsmann over the possibility of replacing Benitez towards the end of last year.

However, the uncertainty surrounding the club at boardroom level has not prevented Benitez from drawing up a list of players he wants to add to the squad, should he remain in charge, with Barry a priority.

Benitez has requested a meeting with chief executive Rick Parry to clear the air after details of the second meeting emerged. Parry and other members of the Liverpool board were present at the New York meeting in Novemeber but not at Hicks' holiday home in California during Thanksgiving weekend.

Benitez's interest in the England midfield player is longstanding and reports suggest Hicks and Benitez have discussed a possible £12 million transfer already with Villa officials. Parry was not party to those discussions.

Barry, 27, has established himself as a mainstay of the England squad over the last season since moving to a more central, holding role under Martin O'Neill.

England manager Fabio Capello has spoken of his admiration for the technical qualities of the player and, though Liverpool appear well stocked with central midfielders, his addition would give depth to Liverpool's squad in an important area.


More media bullcrap for mine but worth mentioning and seeing everyone's reaction. Personally, dont want him or need him if he is playing a holding role OR on the left. Thats my opinion, yours?

read either today or yesterday on the bbc rumour page that gerrard is backing his bid for him aswell

No thanks, Either Modric or Diego all the way if were are gonna buy another centre mid kind of player

I'd take him he's a good player BUT i would take him after these two really.

No thanks, Either Modric or Diego all the way if were are gonna buy another centre mid kind of player

I'd take him he's a good player BUT I would take him after these two really.

but he is also a left sided player and he can do a good job out there, but as you said don't need another central player and i hope if this rumor is true that rafa isn't buying him for that position

read either today or yesterday on the bbc rumour page that gerrard is backing his bid for him aswell

Him and Stevie are big mates aren't they.

read either today or yesterday on the bbc rumour page that gerrard is backing his bid for him aswell

Twas the S*n your quoting my friend. Sorry to burst your bubble but that garbage aint allowed 'ere.

On a note not related to the paper/waste of recyclabe resources, i heard they were good mates from the international team from a totally unrelated source

Him and crouch are almost best mates and him and stevie are good friends.

Rafa is known to be a fan of versatile players so this could well be a possibility. He can play left back, left mid or centre mid, and does a good job in all three positions. As a left back I would say he's better than Riise is these days, and if we can recoup the £5-7m that's been quoted it would put a fair bit towards the transfer. If we're going to stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation next season I do think we actually need another player who can play in that holding role, at the moment if one of our DM's gets injured we have no experienced backup for the position and would either have to throw in a youngster or change our formation. He can also play on the wing offering a more defensive option out there, which is useful when playing a team that's a major threat on the wings as he can double up on the opposition winger with the full back. At £12m I'd go for him, but I wouldn't pay much more.

Are you a fan of the 4-2-3-1 formation though Ed? I'm not, especially if we are playing a team like Middlesbrough where it's just totally unnecessary for two holding midfielders.

I think Rafa does this because he knows our central defense is not strong enough yet. Or our defense in general, it's probably the weakest part of our team putting aside wingers....

Gareth Barry would be a good buy, but how much do we really need him?

Barry is indeed a very good player, one of my favourites and I think he is very under-rated (less so since getting into the England squad). However the problem is, where do we play him? Central? Then do we drop Xabi or Javier? Or do we play him on the left and either move Babel to the right or drop him? Another problem is that he isnt a natural left sided midfielder.

So Ra Ra Rafa's point still remains, how much do we need him? Personally i'd say not £12 million's worth.

Are you a fan of the 4-2-3-1 formation though Ed? I'm not, especially if we are playing a team like Middlesbrough where it's just totally unnecessary for two holding midfielders.

Personally i'm a big fan of the 4-2-3-1 system as it's nice to see us really attacking and taking teams apart in numbers.  Before this era of our new system we were famed for being an ultra defensive team and relying on counter attacks.  We have a defensive unit and an attacking unit, they all know their individual roles and it works.

I do think GB can do a job for LFC, he isn't a world beater but is a good versatile dependable player who imo would be a good acquisition.

At that price no way would he be an option for me not a young lad either.

I would have rather forked out another 3 mill and got Modric.

At that price no way would he be an option for me not a young lad either.

I would have rather forked out another 3 mill and got Modric.

Well said, and he's a good 5 years younger!

Stevie G would be happy if he comes. I agree with the geneal consensus here that he is a versatile player. Personally i think he is a very good player but if he wants to play every week, then he should stay at Aston Villa as he is the talisman of the club. However you cannot blame him for being attracted to champions league football. It is difficult to see where he will fit in such is the depth in the centr midfield. Would thi smean Alonso leaving, for I do prefer Alsonso. But Barry is a good option and for me would be a good squad player.

If he comes he will be at LB in my opinion, Xabi is on red hot form at the min so i dont think rafas thinking of replacing him.

I see O'Neil only letting Barry go if he can have one of our players as part of the deal.

What player would you allow to go in such a deal ?

I see O'Neil only letting Barry go if he can have one of our players as part of the deal.

What player would you allow to go in such a deal ?

Erm............that's a hard one to answer, I know............they can have our super porn star Voronin

I see O'Neil only letting Barry go if he can have one of our players as part of the deal.

What player would you allow to go in such a deal ?

The logical choice would be Riise. They've been interested in him and it seems we would be willing to let him go. I agree with Magillionare, the most logical place for Barry to fit in (unless Alonso goes) is left back, so it would make sense to let John Arne go. I would be willing to go to £8m plus Riise, any more than that though & we're being ripped off.

The logical choice would be Riise. They've been interested in him and it seems we would be willing to let him go. I agree with Magillionare, the most logical place for Barry to fit in (unless Alonso goes) is left back, so it would make sense to let John Arne go. I would be willing to go to £8m plus Riise, any more than that though & we're being ripped off.

Personnally I feel 4 Million Risse and Triple H/Status Quo, that would be a bargain of the week me reckons.

I only saw 15minutes of the Villa's game vs Everton and in those 15min Barry stood out, I don't know about the rest of the match but judging by some snippets I've seen of him, he's a bloody great player, I would love to see him on the left, push Babel on the right, or as a second striker.

http://football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_3508844,00.html

LIVERPOOL MAKE £10m BID FOR BARRY
Posted 02/05/08 12:03EmailPrintSave



Liverpool are understood to have launched their bid to sign Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry by tabling an initial £10million offer.

The Reds are believed to have formally contacted Villa yesterday with their bid for the England midfielder.

There has been speculation for the past fortnight that 27-year-old Barry has emerged as one of Rafael Benitez's major summer transfer tasrgets.

It remains to be seen whether Villa manager Martin O'Neill will accept the bid for Barry who has two years to run of his current contract.

But Benitez wants Barry to form a partnership with his England colleague and close friend Steven Gerrard.

Barry, who celebrates the 10th anniversary of making his Villa debut next week, has made no secret of his desire to play Champions League football.

He is on more than £40,000 a week at Villa and could come close to doubling that if he moved to Anfield or Chelsea who have also been linked with the player.

But it the desire to win trophies that is uppermost in Barry's mind at this stage of his career.

The former Brighton trainee has already expressed a desire to hold talks with Villa manager Martin O'Neill to assess what his transfer plans are for the 2008-2009 campaign.

Villa are challenging strongly for a UEFA Cup spot but Barry wants to see whether Villa are in a position to move to the next level.

O'Neill pulled off a masterstroke in persuading Barry to sign a new four-year deal when he took charge of Villa in the summer of 2006.

But he may find it harder to persuade Barry to sign a new contract and to convince him to stay with the midlands club.

It is reported everywhere (even the echo) that we've made a £10m bid for Gareth Barry - why oh why oh why?

If he's going to be a new left back then fair enough, but if he's for the left side of midfield then what are we playing at? We need an attacking winger to play on the left of midfield, someone like Silva, Quaresma or Mancini not Barry!

A very mediocre start to the upcoming transfer season. IMO How will this help the team succeed? Who would he possibly replace in the positions we need replacements in? He would help with our wretched set-piece taking. Other than that I don't se many positives about this signing.
I was hoping to go with a top striker to partner with Torres (Villa) But I would be happy with Crouch. Just need to know if Crouch will get his chance next year (if he wants to stay)