New Year - Same Villa Transfer Rumours!

New Year, transfer window. Have we bought anyone yet?!?!? :o)

The press are in hyperdrive now and so here we go, fasten your seatbelts, the January transfer window is usually a bumpy ride which can lead to great gems like Ashley Young or slight disappointment like last January's high expectations resulting in just one transfer, Wayne Routledge from Spurs - now on loan at Cardiff and being chased by QPR.

The Daily Mail claim that Villa, Man City (who are after everyone apparently) and Spurs are all monitoring Michael Owen's situation at Newcastle despite the player saying he wasn't looking to move in January. Will it just be down to him? Surely if the Magpies get an offer they will be tempted to cash in because if not he can leave on a free in the summer. That said they aren't in any way safe from the drop so maybe keeping him until the summer would be less costly than the thirty odd million quid they'd lose if they were relegated.

The Daily Mirror say that Villa and Spurs are also looking at Craig Bellamy but if the reports are correct that West Ham want £20million for him the transfer would be madness and neither Villa or Spurs would be mad enough to take the plunge on such an injury prone player who would have little to no sell on value due to the fact if he moves it would be his final big move at his age.

The Daily Mirror also repeats the link to Inter Milan's Honduras striker David Suazo who is currently on loan at Benfica. They also say Everton are interested.

The Guardian say that Martin O'Neill has his shopping list ready and claim that Emile Heskey from Wigan and Portsmouth's Peter Crouch are both on the list. Many reports have linked us with Heskey but others suggest he will stay until the summer and leave on a free. The Independent meanwhile insists he is Liverpool bound. Yeah, whatever! Wouldn't say no to a Crouchie return though, he was a different player at a totally different Villa last time he was here. Since then he has gained experience at International level and is banging in the goals for Pompey. The Guardian article suggests the wage demands of Crouch might put Villa off though.

Another report suggests that Craig Bellamy wants out of the shambles at West Ham and will put in a transfer request if the Hammers block bids for him.

I hope the report in the Daily Star is correct that both Stoke and West Bromwich Albion are interested in Marlon Harewood. Not because i dislike him, but because he clearly isn't in the plans at Villa and I would like to see him get a club where he'll get some games. Sitting on the bench all the time must be soul destroying. It hasn't worked out at Villa, some of us admittedly never expected it to as he isn't the next level but he does have a decent enough attitude when he comes on as a sub (although he can be strangely subdued when he starts which is a bit of a mystery?! The red top says he isn't in Villa's plans anymore. Seems pretty bang on as he doesn't even get a super sub chance these days. We can't sell him until we have at least one striker in though can we?

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