Martin O'Neill says no, Barry set to remain at Villa and speculation surrounds David Wheater

According to The Sun, Martin O'Neill is going to allow Gareth Barry to stay at an Aston Villa for the last year of his contract, meaning he will be able to leave next summer for free, probably pocketing a very nice signing on fee. Or, they might sell him or they might offer him a new contract.

If you were Martin O'Neill, what would you do? Take the £9mn. the paper is talking about or let Barry stay for another season? On the other hand, if you were Gareth Barry, what would you do? Stay another season, go to Liverpool now or sign a new contract on £70k a week?

I know what I'd do if I were O'Neill and Barry, but we don't know what Barry is going to do, although I suspect he might go to Liverpool. After all, last summer 'there was no turning back' and he looked like he's been waiting for the season to end for some time.

In other news, Martin O'Neill has dismissed the speculation from yesterday started by Bill Howell that he was interested in signing Olof Mellberg. The thing is, Howell will be getting nothing from O'Neill on who he is interested in that he can publish. If there is anything in this rumour, it would have been started by Mellberg, although his agent hasn't gotten back to me yet on it and he is usually quite quick to reply to emails.

You know I'd love to see Mellberg back in claret and blue and there is always a chance, but I just can not see it happening, although I am holding a glimmer of hope. He is better than what we have.

Lastly today, as I've got quite a bit on (playing with a new Aston Villa forum that we'll be launching soon), is more speculation and this time it's suggesting Martin O'Neill is interested in David Wheater. Wheater is a young English central defender with an eye for goal and not that bad a player, but is he worth £9mn.? I think not.

So, not much else today unless you want to talk about the new away kit coming out. I'm more interested in the new home kit but unless some serious money is spent this summer, I'm going to wait until the end of the season to buy it for £15, mostly because I don't wear them, just like to collect them.