O'Neill vows to strengthen

Villa boss Martin O'Neill today greeted the setback of missing out on Hearts keeper Craig Gordon by vowing he's still looking to "strengthen everywhere".

Gordon has agreed a five-year contract to join Sunderland in a £9m deal consisting of £7m down plus £2m in add-ons.

O'Neill is already planning his next move. Liverpool's Scott Carson could now return to his radar, although not until after Saturday's opening clash between the teams.

He could even revive his interest in Celtic's Artur Boruc following reports in Scotland suggesting the Bhoys are planning a fresh move to take Shaun Maloney back north before tomorrow's Champions League transfer deadline.

O'Neill said: "With Thomas (Sorensen) injured, we're looking to strengthen there. But we'll see how things go."

I'm acutely aware of our squad size and we'll be doing everything we possibly can to rectify that in the next three weeks.

"If you're asking if I'm confident enough going into the Liverpool game with the squad I have, the answer is yes. But we'll see how we get through.

"Much can happen between now and Saturday."

O'Neill is desperate to strengthen his defence and is working hard on testing Albion's resolve for defender Curtis Davies, as well as targeting a right-back.

He handed a trial to Le Havre's Arsene Menessou in last night's 1-1 draw at Walsall.