BARRY STAYING AT VILLA!

Great, great, great news. Overjoyed.

No he's not. If he'd signed a new deal I'd believe it, but even if Puddle are done, there is still a chance another club could have a crack!

Where is JohnDoe?

FCK OFF RAFA. OUR LAD IS GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY.

MON's known for his ****e transfer window activities. This is a sign of change. UTV

Well done Martin O'Neill and Randy Lerner. Never backed down in this whole saga and you have done business really well. Up the villa.

Credit to M'ON and RL, plenty of clubs eventually end up selling there star players and at a cheaper price, but these two stood their ground and didnt allow themselves into getting bullied into selling a player who has been one of the best players in his position over the last few seasons and extremely consistent at a knock down price.

I would love join in the celbrations folks! But I am not convinced. here are the reasons. 1. it's only a deadline that has passed. 2. Barry hasn't said he wants to stay. 3. the statement say's nothing about next season. It just say he remains at the club... What does that mean? for how long? Until LFC find the cash?

What a fantastic boost this will give to the rest of the players. Well done MON and RANDY now lets all move on and concentrate on getting more new faces through the doorand look forward to what should be an exciting new season. woder who will be captain next season

I agree with that Barry needs to come clean, sign the new contract if not we'll know where his head is.

Gappy 65 the statement says all parties aware and agreed to. ALL PARTIES that means Gareth his agent MOn and every one else involved. Chill out celebrate stop beig negative

The one thing it does do is puts the pressure on Barry and LFC to 1 stump up or **** off. Or put in the tranfer request... We'll see...

All credit to MON for staying strong but if they end up selling him now its going to look really bad.

I won't believe anything until September 1st.

50 years; I would like it to be the case but I'm not convinced. The wording is vague at best!! It just say's remaining at Villa. It doesn't give any time frame. No next season, nothing!!!

have just spoken to a journalist friend of mine very well conected at VP. This person was tipped off yesterday that Gareth would be staying. Very reliable source have no doubts now that Gareth will be with us next season

Next season is another season for us to worry about, i think for this season he will be staying. M'ON has said he wanted an end to the Barry saga so he can continue with his plans for the upcoming season. Plus he would also like Barry to stay for another year. so there you have it M'ON, Liverpool failed to meet the deadline, don't sell him during the January window and lets see how we have progressed and improved come next summer transfer window!

Where's JohnDoe????

Everybody seems to be assuming that Barry will be devestated to have to stay at Villa. I don't see it that way at all. OK, he would have preferred the move to Liverpool, no-one would argue with that, but he has been here 10 years, must still have a great deal of affection for the club so I don't think he will go into a sulk. Apart from anything else, there is a world cup coming up and Barry wants to be a regular member of the England team. The only way he cand do that now is to play consistently well for Villa.

the fact that benitez and liverpool have messed us about so much was really getting on my/everyone's nerves. so to tell 'em they can't have him is absolutely chuffing brilliant. we have stood up to the fourth biggest team in england, and one of the most unprofessional clubs. MON/Randy have stuck firm and have shown other clubs how to deal with these idiots. LEGENDS.

The thing that must puzzle Barry is this. Liverpool new the deadline was today. They had 20 million ready to splash and sign Keane. If thay wanted Barry so badly, why didn't they place the money for him first? They had no such deadline with Keane. Thats got to convince him, if nothing else.

Surely (and dont call me shirley) he will need to make a statement himself to say to the Fans (us and me) that he will be with us 100% fo each and every game!!!!! And that he is sorry for the whole episode???

good point 31, just need a contract extension from Barry now and we'll be laughimg. And even if he doesn't want to stay and would rather go elsewhere its no different to the likes of Ronaldo, lampard, drogba, adebayor etc. And I'd rather be in villa's position with Barry a key player the club wants to keep than liverpool who are now left with a p****d off Alonso nobody wants to buy.

I'm here jonah, young_jonah, what's up?

JohnDoe ... I think it very arrogant to unsettle Barry if you only wanted to buy him if Alonso was to be sold.

sorry, should be just couldn't afford him.

I can't wait for Gerrard to moan in November when they are out the title race again because one thing for sure after spending 20m on Keane, the fat waiter will be down the job centre. Barry for Villa.

chrisd4villa, I think Rafa was banking on selling Alonso to Juventus. When that deal fell through he had to slow down his interest in Barry and wait until someone else bought Alonso. It's not just to finance Barry's deal, our midfield would be too crowded with Gerrard, Mascherano, Alonso, Barry, and Lucas all vying for places.

klutch, dun bother those guys. theyre single and lonely...u know haha. anyway, this feels like a new signing. infact, it seems like that time when Gerrard made a U-turn from a chelsea move. and look wad happen? CPL medal. with Barry commitments settled, we are going to win things for sure. with the full backing of FANTASTIC villa fans (esp from Vital) things are looking ever so bright, even when u live millions of miles away in Singapore :D

young_jonah, Why did Barry slate O'Neill publicly then if he wasn't desperate to move to Liverpool?

He didn't slate MON as far I am concerned he spoke of a series of events between himself and the club which included an alleged lack of contact from MON and the club.

JohnDoe, he also said "But Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has shown how much he wants me at Anfield". I think that the events of the past couple of days have shown how badly he's been advised.

JohnDoe, where did all those quotes from.I have read all that we have seen in the press.Are these from your neck of the woods after the crack pipe has been passed around!!...Should he stay as indicated by the club he can buy out the remaining year of his contract for 2million quid next summer..In the year run up to the world cup, so no great shakes for him.What this gives us is a year to try and give him the CL football he craves.LFC had the figure and the timescale within to do the deal and they bought Keane....FACT! Let's put the circus to bed and see if we can make the fat waiter cry in his paella!!....UTV

To be fair JohnDoe the quotes you have posted above are only a chain of events as i stated before, nowhere in that does he "slate" MON, he was banned for being unprofessional as was Berger when he did the same. Unauthorised interviews are not wanted at our club.

I want to hear it from the horses mouth.

Now for some quality signings please so we can take 4th spot off that cheeky scouse bar stewards...get in there! Barry for villa! If you all hate scousers clap your hands...

i wonder what was said at the meeting on monday - M'ON says it was a very positive meeting,

OneloveVilla, that would be notw, you know, the paper Barry gave the interview to.

So does that mean he wants to sign a new contract should it be on offer? Will he still be captin next this season? Whats happening? I'm still not convinced. What is going to happen if they offer 18 million cash before window closes and when are we going to sign some more players?

*amused

im looking at the last pic and it says lets build the team around him, we should of already built a team around him

Well done to O'Neill and Lerner. They have played it perfectly. Remember that Barry still has 2 years left on his present contract, which he was more than happy to sign 12 months ago. But despite this, O'Neill is prepared to increase his pay by more than £1mill pa for the next 4 years, plus a lucrative testimonial next year. On top of all that he has an opt-out next year if we don't qualify for The Champions League. Barry should feel extremely pleased and if he is anything like a man he should get down on his knees and show some appreciation to everyone at the Club who have fought to keep him for us!

just come across that article ric112 lol. dont know how much truth there is in that though, M'on has spoken to the OS site and said he was delighted that Barry is staying! Would be a bizarre outcome if it was true. Another reason wht it could be just paper talk, if M'ON was still talking to Liverpool about Barry moving then surely he wouldnt have come out and said how delighted he was at Barry staying.

Two things: the deadline idea was the result of a meeting between Barry, his agent, MON, and Randy Lerner (ergo, Barry has agreed to this in light of Liverplop's waning interest by which I mean transfer funds). Barry never did hand in an official transfer request. Can we assume, then, that he isn't being held at gunpoint? I'm hoping he's along for the ride now. With some new players (shut it! They're coming!) and Barry back where he should be we'll be better than Liverplop's gang of unsettled mercinaries soon anyway. chrisd4Villa-don't you mean misled by Benitezor his agent or Gerrard? Klutch-Alonso doesn't bring out the best of Gerrard. Barry makes Gerrard a much more effective player-thats his worth.

Gareth Barry's transfer to Liverpool finally looks like going through after the Anfield club came up with the money to secure his move from Aston Villa. The longest-running saga of the summer has reached a confusing climax after an earlier statement that he was staying at Villa Park. Sportsmail understands that the mix-up was due to a deadline being missed by 20 minutes, and the transfer will finally be concluded on Thursday. Scroll down for more Finally on his way: Gareth Barry Makeweight: full-back Steve Finnan Villa will receive a £17.5million fee plus right back Steve Finnan in exchange for a midfielder who will fulfil his wish to play in the Champions League this season after all. To find the money, Liverpool needed to provide the bank with a guarantee that funds to cover the move will be raised during the remainder of the close season. The transfer has dragged on since May when Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez made it clear that Barry was his top priority. More... We're coming to get you, Fergie - Liverpool's new No 7 Keane is determined to break United's Premier League dominance FOR ALL THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB, CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE LATEST ASTON VILLA NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB, CLICK HERE Villa manager Martin O'Neill was angry with him for making details of his interest public, and a war of words raged between them for much of the early summer. Liverpool made four separate bids to sign Barry but none of them matched O'Neill's valuation of the player. Barry's outburst against O'Neill in a Sunday newspaper then appeared to signal the end of any chance of him remaining at Villa. He accused the manager of finding time to be a pundit at Euro 2008 but not to speak to him about his future and was disciplined and told to stay away from the club's training ground. Then Barry was booed by Villa fans at a pre-season friendly at Walsall last week, but that mood had mellowed when he appeared as a substitute in Saturday's InterToto Cup tie with Odense. Matters finally reached a head on Monday when O'Neill tried to force the Merseysiders into a corner by setting a deadline. That was passed at 5pm on Wednesday when Villa had still not received confirmation from Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry that funds were in place. Villa then put out a statement on their website confirming that Barry would be staying. It read: 'This evening, Aston Villa can announce that Gareth Barry will be staying with the club following the interest from Liverpool over recent months. 'During discussions in the past few days, a final deadline to conclude this episode was set that all parties were aware of and agreed to. This deadline has now passed and so Gareth will remain with Villa.' However, it soon transpired that the two clubs were still talking over the move. Barry had been due to play in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Notts County on Thursday - but his name was subsequently withdrawn. And it also appears that the England midfielder has already committed himself to renting a house in Cheshire. The transfer has dragged on but now Benitez has to act quickly by offloading players to keep Liverpool's part of the bargain with financiers. Those destined for the exit door include Andriy Voronin, Alvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso and Jermaine Pennant. Following David Bentley's defection to Spurs, Pennant will probably be the first to leave as Blackburn manager Paul Ince spends some of the transfer money he has received. Robbie Keane kicked off his Liverpool career against Villarreal in Spain, two days after completing his £19m move from Tottenham. The Republic of Ireland captain started up front alongside 19-year-old David Ngog, who cost £1.5m from Paris Saint-Germain

this is a shambles, what is going on at villa, this has gone on long enough, if he goes now we're going to be a laughing stock. just sort it villa because i think we're all sick of it now.

eltoro, I agree with your concern and frustration but as JC'sCrew says MON and Mr Lerner are pro's and we have seen nothing other than that side of them... Just need Barry's statement now and it'll be onwards and upwards - Thank the lord we haven't got their owners at Villa - or their manager!

Have to agree with Brad Friedel that LFC deal with things in an "obscure" way under their new owners ... reports this morning say that Liverpool missed the deadline by 20 minutes!!!

Looks like he is going. Have we taken for suckers here as part of a bid to force Liverpool to move quickly? Seems like we have. If so, are MON and RL agreed here or is there a split? This could be disastrous for us. What will the other players make of this if he goes? What an almighty mess - except for LFC. If this is true, they have screwed us up good and proper.

I am dead chuffed, because I am sure that Barry can be instrumental this season in helping us continue to climb the premiership table, along with a few more signings! Welcome back Bazza!

By the sounds of o`neills comments barry has agreed to this give it one more season to see how we get on plan,I also suspect in that very positive meeting on the day keane signed for liverpool barry was offered *****loads of money by villa,And told look they said they didn`t have 18 million for you but they have got 20 for keane we value you more etc,Barry could not now come out and say i have changed my mind without looking very silly,So they came up with a deadline they new liverpool couldn`t meet as the day before rafa had said he needs to sell to buy.

AMS78 - "Barry had been due to play in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Notts County on Thursday - but his name was subsequently withdrawn." even if the quote is from earlier yesterday afternoon that doesn't explain why his name was removed form the Notts county friendly or even more importantly why Barry is staying quite over the matter. When Gerrard made a U turn and decided to stay with Liverpool he made statments in the press the next day that he wish's to stay, How come Barry wont come out and say his happy to play at Villa for another year??

Klutch, it's just gone 9am on the morning after the announcement, how do you know that Barry wont be making such a statement sometime today? I can't believe some Villa fans are STILL questioning this, MON and Randy have stood firm all summer, they're not about to change their minds now.

it only seems to be the mail, well from what i have seen anyway, they either know something no one else does or are just presuming it happens so if it does eventually go through they can say "told you so". i think the fee was 17.5 plus Finnan. Villa must stand firm here and tell them it not happening. lets hope Barry keeps his trap shut and doesnt hand in the transfer request which will almost trigger it all off again.

klutch, why does Barry have to copy what Gerrard did and on the same timescale? Maybe he's mulling over a new contract and a statement could come if/when he signs that. Maybe he's waiting for more signings for villa to show their intent, who knows? He's a villa player so really it has nothing to do with you. Or does its still hurt because even though you say you don't want him you can't take the fact that your club has lost out on this one? As for the Notts County game I wouldn't necessarily expect Barry to play in a friendly thursday when he'll be playing for us against reading on saturday. And even if the report is true which I doubt, for christ sake it's a friendly, there's no time limit for pre-match selection and its certainly not set 3 days before ko! Its only a bloody run around. All your posts have the air of bad loser written over them. Is it possible for you to admit defeat gracefully and then go back to you own board?

I know it's been said but im not convinced. i spilt my pint all over myself when i got the text from my brother about this but I believe that if they still come in with the 18mil then he will go. We need to see him signing the extra money deal or September 1st, these are the two things that will convince the majority of us. I'm still getting over him saying he wants to leave, unsure of what Alex Black has up his sleave this time.

Barry hugely welcome if he gives it his all. I remember how consistently good George Boateng was for a few years, until he decided differently. We want a committed Barry. I have no way of knowing what we are gettting. MON has a better idea - but only Barry can give the answer on the pitch. Last Saturday was fine, but things were still up in the air then. This saga is still doing us no good. Hope we sign Finnan anyway. He will be a good addition.

BBC site appears to suggest he will still be on his way. Says there are more talks for later in the week. Why are we wasting so much time with this?? Get it sorted and bring some players in!!

Great news just hope that he's now not alienate the player because of the deadline. Barry expressed a clear wish to leave but MON has pulled the plug due to his deadline..... I appreciate that Liverpool agreed to the deadline but did Barry??

That's okay then PTP. As long as Barry was aware. He should now give 100% at least until January when they may come back....

yes, nottinghamvillain but he'll be cup tied by then so won't be able to play for them in the uefa cup!

A DEADLINE is a DEADLINE, and Liverpool have missed it. I don't give a sh it what Barry wants to do now. It's entirely up to him whether he plays his heart out for Villa or sits on the bench and goes to waste. We absolutely should NOT give Liverpool so much as another sniff. Come on Martin and Randy, don't buckle now!!!! They're just trying to play mind games with you again. The answer should be "He's not for sale, get over it."

If Barry has an ounce of self respect left, he'll be feeling quite offended that the Scum (new name transferred from Bham city) were quite willing to cough up such an obscene amount for Keane, who frankly isn't a superstar. If Gareth truly does have ANY common sense whatsoever, he will have worked out from that how little he is worth to Liverpool. Most of their fans don't want him, Rafa can't really be bothered to spend much money on him and correct me if i'm wrong, but Alonso is still a Liverpool player? What is there to think about Gareth?

what a farce, he dosen't want to stay, why are we still farting about with him, holding up needed tranfers

just to let you know villian in cyprus , its absolutley boiling in cyprus today ! Barry must be feeling pretty p issed off that they have tied the keane deal up relatively quickly and spent more money on him ! Doesn't really send the message that he was a key first team player they were looking for , also everyone knows the scousers are skint and have to sell to buy so even if they bid 20 mins after the deadline , they would not have paid the full amount , and probably tried to do the deal in installments which is not acceptable in my eyes . Well done MON for jogging them on !

Sorry don't epect a statement from Barry.

So long as he does his talking on the pitch and puts in the same quality performances as he has done over the last two years, ill be happy.

If wants to keep his place in the England team then he'll have to play his guts out.Let's see how much of a class act he is now.He has brought all this on himself.

unless he signs a nice new 5 year contract that is!

the fat**** can sod off

tonybrum - its amazing that you jump all over me for voiceing my concern about the Barry saga not being over and now that you have read an article from the independent "it doesn't look good". Like i said in my earlier post Barry should man up and either hand in a transfer request or just come out and make some sort of statment how his commited to the Villa cause. And yes it does concern me cause it concerns Liverpool.

Everything that has come out since this story broke has been unsubstantiated speculation. It has all been caused by the fact that nobody, apart from Villa, has said anything. MON will stick to his guns now for sure. We can be sure of this at least.