Powerhouse striker John Carew has revealed he couldn’t be happier at Villa and wants to pledge his long term future to the club.
The giant Norwegian, Villa’s 13-goal top scorer last season, has two years left on his contract but his nomadic reputation goes before him.
Yet after spells in Norway, Spain, Italy, Turkey and France, Carew – who turns 30 in September – has found peace at last at Villa.
He said: “I have two years more on my contract so there’s no rush with anything.
“I am very happy to be here and I’d like to stay for many years more.
“If that’s the club’s wish, then that’s my wish as well. We’ll see what happens. But I’d like to stay here for a long time.
“I’m really happy here, so I’m absolutely open for that. I’d like to put roots down here for a long time.”
Carew feels his frame – 6ft 4ins tall – and physical style means he is more suited to the Premier League than on the continent.
“It’s a league that really suits me well and I’m happy with the football and really enjoy playing it,” he said. “That’s important to me.”
Carew is now focusing on Villa’s countdown to European action, with friendlies against Swiss sides FC Wil tomorrow night and FC Zurich on Saturday, before their Intertoto Cup first leg date on July 19.
He said: “It’s good to be back and we have some important matches coming up.
“We now have the Intertoto in two weeks which is very important. But the players have come back a bit fitter than normal from their vacation as well.
“All the physical tests up until now indicate that. So, even though the Intertoto matches aren’t far away, I think we’ll be quite well prepared.”
Chris Nicholl, a former Northern Ireland team-mate of Villa boss Martin O’Neill and Villa League Cup winner as a player, believes Carew is the ideal strike partner – but a nightmare for defenders.
He said: “John is a great target-man. It’s like winning the lottery playing alongside him if you’re a striker. He’s excellent.
“Martin O’Neill has got the best out of him and importantly has got him believing in his own ability.
“If a striker struggles to play with John, they shouldn’t be playing the game. He’s brilliant – a real focal point in the team.”
One Comment
I hate to say this because I do like John Carew and I know he is good for a few goals as well as allowing others to feed off him, but his fitness bothers me somewhat.
He rarely plays a full 90 minutes and when he gets pulled off, the new attacking line up has to re adjust, therefore relieving the pressure on the opposing defence giving them the chance to compose themselves and attack us.
I know there are fans out there who will disagree, but I think we should start with Marlon Harewood and Gabrial Agbonlahor, using Carew in the same way as we used Harewood last season, Harewood has a longer shelf life and is a proven goal scorer, but if we keep leaving him on the bench he is going to want away from Villa, I think that would be a sad loss.