O’Neill To Continue Shopping?

Martin O’Neill says there is a bright side to Villa not being in the FA Cup this weekend as he’ll have time to continuing pursuing transfer targets.

Go for it MON, keep on shopping!

He said: ‘I am looking at that distinct possibility, if we can. I have targets in mind. As we speak at this minute I haven’t actually put a bid in, but I know what I am looking at. I know we play the game on transfer deadline day next Wednesday and I know we travel up to Newcastle the night before, but because we have no game this weekend I will be working to see if we can do something.’

‘I am thinking of a couple of things at this minute. They may not materialise and I am loath to let someone go until I get someone in. But we are getting some players back from injury at this minute – Petrov trained again yesterday, Martin Laursen, Luke Moore played a bit of the game against Walsall. We are looking a bit brighter all round now.’

One player reports are suggesting is still in the frame is Chelsea winger Shaun Wright Phillips despite the player recently saying he wanted to fight for his place at Stamford Bridge. Some reports are suggesting Villa bid between £8-10million and the player was said to be in two minds at the prospect.

MON said: ‘We did make a bid for Shaun Wright-Phillips but this was in addition to anything that we were trying to sort out with Ashley Young. It wasn’t a case of Wright-Phillips instead of Ashley, absolutely not. I had set my sights on Young for quite some considerable time and I totally understand about Wright-Phillips still wanting to try and make it at Chelsea if he can. In terms of the permanent move at the time, Wright-Phillips wanted more time to think about it.’

Adding: ‘You never know we might revisit it in the summer-time.’