The Aston Villa Goalkeeper Saga!

Villa boss Martin O’Neill has admitted that he may have to bring in two goalkeepers this summer. May? Surely it should be WILL have to bring in two following the imminent departure of Thomas Sorensen and the return of loanee Scott Carson to Liverpool? Villa currently only have Stuart Taylor.

O’Neill said:

‘I feel we should have three goalkeepers anyway, especially if we get into the Uefa Cup. Most teams have three goalkeepers. It’s a specialised position. But we have a number of issues.’

Adding, ‘Scott isn’t our player. We have first option on him, but I haven’t discussed anything with him. Liverpool have the right to do what they see fit. We’ve decided nothing. When we do, Scott should be the first to know.’

Not being critical, but how, after a season of watching the player, can you not have made a decision yet? I’m still baffled as to why we had a loanee keeper last season anyway, a club our size SHOULD NOT be loaning players from other Premiership clubs, especially ones we are meant to be trying to compete with.

Scott has already admitted he is only young and far from the finished article, having poured scorn on Liverpool’s supposed £10million valuation. As we reported earlier in the week b>(Click Here), he said ‘To be honest, I’m far from the finished article. I’ve got another five years of learning. ‘I don’t think Liverpool are stupid. So hopefully, they can help me out if there is a sniff of going somewhere. Liverpool have a great keeper in Pepe Reina and he’s going to take a lot of shifting. It might be time for me to move.’

Villa are also being linked, again, with Brad Guzan (also reported today in The Sun) from the Major League Soccer or whatever the heck it is called. Villa did agree a fee with Chivas in January only for Guzan to have his work permit permission refused. O’Neill said of the 23-year-old shot stopper:

‘We’d hoped he’d have the work permit and would have been here for four or five months working with Scott Carson and the other goalkeepers to get a feel of the ‘British’ scene as it were. Now, if there was a chance of getting him playing and helping his career towards the work permit then we’d definitely revisit it. The goalkeeping situation is one we’re looking at.’

Meanwhile Thomas Sorensen, who for the life of me I can’t see what he did so wrong at Villa, is being linked with a move to Ipswich. The Tractor Boys manager Jim Magilton told the Ipswich Evening Star: ‘Sorensen’s agent told us he was not prepared to drop down a division and wanted to stay in the Premier League. If he became available and wanted to come to us we would speak to him.’