Martin O'Neill challenges Liverpool to end Gareth Barry saga
Jul 4 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post
“We had a meeting a few weeks before that, Randy (Lerner), myself, Gareth and his agent and he said that Champions League football was what he wanted to do.
“So this idea that we have not done anything in our power to keep him, I am afraid I totally and utterly disagree. Why on earth would we not want to keep our very top player at the football club when we’re trying to improve?
“I think we have made steady improvement, we have gone from 16th to 11th to sixth in the league. This season we are going to try to push on from there. So the one thing you want to do is keep your best players.”
The Villa manager added: “But Gareth has made his position clear and after that it is straightforward. We have put a valuation on him and Liverpool value him differently at the moment. That is what the stalemate is, it is nothing else.
“Gareth has pointed out he wants to go and if Liverpool come up and meet our valuation, he will go.
“That has been the case since the beginning of June when Gareth said he definitely wanted to go to Liverpool.
“We put a valuation on him and we have based this valuation on a number of straightforward issues, not least that he is actually a top-quality player.”
Liverpool insist they are still talking to Villa and they have not made a final offer.
With the Barry war of attrition continuing, Philipp Degen has become the first new arrival at Anfield this summer, with fellow full-back Andrea Dossena poised to follow in his footsteps over the coming days.
Degen, 25, who comes on a Bosman-style free transfer from German club Borussia Dortmund yesterday put pen to paper on a four-year deal.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are giving trials to three youngsters from MTK Hungaria.
Defenders David Kelemen and Norbert Ode, as well as midfielder Zsolt Poloskei, are currently training with Gary Ablett’s reserve squad.
The arrival of the teenage trio is a product of the continuing link between the two clubs.
Last year Peter Gulacsi, Krisztian Nemeth and Andras Simon all arrived at Anfield from Hungary.
