O’Neill: We can lure top stars

Martin O’Neill insists Villa won’t have a problem attracting the top players this summer – even if they miss out on the UEFA Cup.

Villa go into their final ‘must-win’ game at West Ham against a backdrop of uncertainty with captain Gareth Barry expected to join Liverpool.

Villa need Everton to lose at home to Newcastle to claim the UEFA Cup spot knowing they will go into the Intertoto Cup otherwise.

But boss O’Neill wants major investment on new signings this summer and believes he will still be able to lure top talent to Villa Park even if the club can offer offer Intertoto Cup football.

“I don’t honestly think that (attracting the best players) will be a major problem,” said O’Neill.

“Even if we did finish sixth and had to go through the InterToto, I don’t think that would be a major problem.

“The football club is big enough to be able to do that. And despite Saturday we’re moving in the right direction. But Saturday was a genuine setback.”

Defeats for Villa and Everton against Wigan and Arsenal respectively left the UEFA Cup equation the same.

But O’Neill is especially disappointed not to have cashed in as they could have leapfrogged David Moyes’s side, who played on Sunday, with victory over struggling Wigan. “We missed a chance to put severe pressure on them, but their result at Arsenal makes it galling.”