Aston Villa are currently 16th in the Premier League – a mere two points above the drop zone. As if that’s not enough for Villa fans to fret about, it has recently been revealed that a number of important players could all leave on free transfers when their current deals end at the season’s close. Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier revealed that he was not willing to hold contract talks with any players until the club had secured their Premier League status for another season.
Speaking to the Birmingham Mail about providing players with new contracts, Houllier said: “the situation is that we will decide everything at the end of April,” and that the focus was to be “on the pitch now”.
On one hand, it’s a sensible policy. The result however, is that Nigel Reo-Coker, Brad Friedel and Robert Pires could all leave on free transfers in the summer. That’s something that Villa will be keen to avoid no matter what happens in the League between now and the end of the season.
Brad Friedel is an extremely capable goalkeeper who has had another consistent season between the sticks for Villa. He may be 39 (in fact, he’s officially Villa’s oldest ever player) but age can be something of an irrelevance for goalkeepers and I’m sure he has at least another season in him to compete at the very top level. There’s some inconsistency between what the Press have said about Brad Friedel’s contract situation and what Houllier has said. The Press intimated that talks were ongoing and were likely to have a successful conclusion.
Whoever’s right, I’m sure Villa fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that they keep their goalkeeper on the books. At the very least it gives Villa good chance to shop around for a new, affordable and capable number one over the course of the next season.
Reo-Coker is a decent enough player who has looked lively when given a chance this season. He’s another one that I’d want to make sure was tied down for at least another season – especially if he’d be willing to take a pay cut. Robert Pires on the other hand is free to go wherever he wants. Unfortunately it appears that his return to the Premier League will end with something of a whimper.
I understand that it would be financial suicide to hand out big new contracts to players when there’s still the threat of relegation hanging in the air. This necessity does put Villa in a somewhat precarious position. It’s another challenge for Houllier who is sure to have plenty to deal with this summer – that’s if it’s not his contract that’s up for review.
Are these players worth handing out new contracts to? Is Gerard Houllier’s decision a sensible one? Please leave your comments below.
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