Gabby Agbonlahor believes Villa can be a force to be reckoned with in Europe next season – but only if Martin O’Neill strengthens significantly over the summer.
O’Neill is coming under increasing pressure to act in the transfer market and pacify restless supporters, who are still reeling from the impending departure of Gareth Barry to Liverpool.
The Villa skipper will become the sixth player to depart from what was already a wafer-thin squad.
With the club’s Intertoto Cup tie against either Denmark’s Odense, Finland’s TPS Turku or Northern Ireland’s Lisburn Distillery just five weeks away, O’Neill is in desperate need of fresh faces.
The two-legged tie is all that stands between Villa and a place in the UEFA Cup for the first time in seven years.
It would also represent Agbonlahor’s first venture into Europe and would certainly do his chances of international recognition no harm, after he again missed out on a first England cap despite being part of Fabio Capello’s squad which travelled to Trinidad.
He admits an influx of players will be required if Villa are to emulate the success enjoyed by ex-team-mate Steven Davis and his Rangers colleagues in the competition.
He said: “We would need more players but the gaffer knows that and I’m sure he will sort that out.
“Playing European football can only help us develop as players. We would be playing against teams from the big leagues.
“When you see teams such as Rangers getting to the final of the UEFA Cup, you think to yourself ‘we can do that’.
“It’s very important for us to get UEFA Cup football. Steven Davis is playing for Rangers and he struggled to get a game here, so if we could break into it, we would have a good chance of going far.
“Because we are not used to it, it will be tough, but I think we have got the players to do it.”
5 Comments
Dear Gareth & your agent,
Before you confuse your career needs with your emotional and irrational desire to play with your mate Stevie in the odd Champions League game, you might like to consider this.
Hicks and Gillett hate each other. The club has their debt incurred acquiring the club. They have already refinanced and the club pays interest of £30m a year. Accounts of Kop Holdings Ltd (set up to run the club) show a loss of £32.3m in the last year, despite reaching the Champions League final. The duo had to draw £1.5m to cover their ‘personal expenses’, hardly something rich men need to do. The duo have still not obtained finance for the new stadium. If they have not got it now, they will not get it. They have no capital worth talking about, the world is already suffering the ‘credit crunch’ and is about to go into recession.
Villa is totally stable and improving.
If the Reds have to sell to buy, they will have to do it again next season. Does any other Champions League club have to do that? Eventually they will run out of players. Are Man U, Chelsea or Arsenal interested in Milner? How long before someone comes in for Torres or Stevie? Will the duo resist the desperate need to sell? Have you ever heard of the two full backs Benny has just bought?
Who will pay £15m for Crouch, with only 1 year on his contract? Is Benny that daft? Harry Rednapp cannot believe what he is asking?
If they get the money to buy you, who else will they be able to afford? Benny has just had to confirm publicly his job is safe. He will be the last to know he’s going.
The Reds are a season from emulating Leeds, maybe DIC will save them from administration and a 10 point loss. DIC will sack Benny and the new man might not want you, or Stevie, who is reaching an age when they will cash in. A good agent would never sell his client to a manager with such an uncertain future or such an unstable club. The Scousers have not got a hope of catching the 3 above them.
They must qualify for the Champions League.
You are idolised by the Villa fans, but you won’t be by the scousers, wrong accent.
At Villa you have established yourself as an England regular. How do you feel about being rotated and only playing every other game? Fabio, one of the more important people in your life has said, “It’s very important to see the players every week. Its better for us if they play regularly (Crouch, Bridge and Defoe to note). It’s not important to be playing in the Champions League. A lot of players have done very well for the national team (you) without playing in the Champions League”. Source - Independent 10.6.08.
Steve (gis us a job) McClaren has just tried to raise his profile by saying you will benefit from Champions League football. Well he made only one good decision as England manager, he picked you who never played in it. But what does his view matter any more?
Benny has said they can play you at full back, wide and central midfield. He doesn’t know where he is going to play you. You need to play central midfield regularly. You play for the best manager in the country. Do you really want your next child born a scouser?! What does the wife say, or more importantly keep to herself?
Have you any idea of the fans response if you ever return to Villa in a red shirt? Don’t bother. Look Stevie in the eye, does he care for anyone other than himself and the Reds? Just accept you are bloody well off and you could screw it up, for what? Stevie will tell you about the importance of loyalty, if you need to be told, he must be laughing his head off.
Think Gareth, life isn’t always greener living in the red.
From someone who has contributed to your wage packet for the last 10 years.
Well done mate, wish it would help but it wont.
mac macarthy: very well said!
Well said, Mac McCarthy. If Villa and Liverpool were stocks I’d be buying AFVC and selling LPOO.
UTV!
Well said Mac. He is making a big mistake going to Liverpool. What a traitor. If it wasn’t for O’Neil i doubt he would have ever become an england regular.
I hope he flops at liverpool and lampard takes his place back in centre midfield. when hes not playing week in week out i can assure u cappelo will not want a bit-part player. and besides, the scousers seem to think mascherano is a better player.
Also, what bs saying about how he is moving because of his england team mates playing champions league football. he has become an england regular without european football, and he will have it next season.