Thursday's Aston Villa Transfer Talk

Oh my lord this transfer window is getting boring! I'm not talking about the non arrivals even, it is just I like the rumours and there are so very few about at the moment! Not too much to ask for is it? Just a few made up press stories linking us with someone exciting?!

Anyway, the only bit I can find today is a report in the Express & Star claiming Villa will have to look elsewhere for a striker this January as Emile Heskey is another player he has had to strike off his list.

The England and Wigan 'striker' is staying at the JJB until the summer and the Express claim that Martin O'Neill will now increase his efforts to sign Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland.

I asked Salut (Sunderland site) yesterday about the links and he said:

He was an excellent acquisition for us, and we need to keep him. If he's sold and we go down for want of firepower, Niall - despite what I said above - needs to be led to a darkened room and handed a revolver and bottle of whisky (though I suppose that should be the Irish version, whiskey, in his case). But 12m is excessive. He is not yet a finished striker: strong, fast, clever but in my view still developing. In a better team, he could either flourish or seem less special. See the full interview on the front page.

Latics chief executive Brenda Spencer said: 'He is enjoying his time at Wigan and has told us he was staying with us until the summer, that he was seeing out his contract. He is 31, so if he gets his final move we would wish him all the best.'

The paper goes on to claim MON is running out of options with Peter Crouch and Michael Owen both staying with their respective clubs Portsmouth and Newcastle. As well as West Ham striker Craig Bellamy and Blackburn Rovers star Roque Santa Cruz looking likely to move to money bags Man City.

They also say that Spurs striker Darren Bent might be an option if he will take a pay cut. The Independent claim that West Ham turned down a swap deal from Spurs. Apparently they wanted to have Craig Bellamy in exchange for Bent.

The mad rumour yesterday that we'd bid £9million for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba made me laugh but then again, thisislondon.co.uk quotes Frank Lampard pleading with the striker to stay at Chelsea. Apparently he was upset at being dropped in the FA Cup replay with Southend. The Daily Star goes one further and says Chelsea will sell the striker in the summer.

Another rumour is that Martin O'Neill is set to bid for Sheffield United's 20-year-old right-back Kyle Naughton and apparently the Blades want around £4million. The report claims that (like other rumours have said) Villa will offload Nicky Shorey and keep Luke Young at left-back for the rest of the season.

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