Gordon Cowans hopes Aston Villa keep Gareth Barry

May 6 2008 By Bill Howell

VILLA legend Gordon Cowans believes Martin O'Neill's summer spend could yet tempt Gareth Barry to stay at the club.

Barry is believed to be close to a move to Liverpool that would see Peter Crouch come the other way but Cowans, a youth coach at Villa, is not so sure.

He said: "There should not be any reason why Gareth should move because we are a big club.

"I have said it for years now that Gareth Barry needs to be playing with players on his level. Hopefully we can bring some players into this football club to keep Gareth with us who are on the level Gareth is.

"That is the only way we will move onwards and upwards.

"This is Gareth's best season. He was outstanding last season, but this season he is head and shoulders above the rest.

"He was absolutely outstanding against Blues, a class above everybody on the pitch.

"We have a chairman with a lot of money and a manager who is up there with the very best there is, in my opnion. If that cannot attract players to the club, I don't know what can.

"And if we can qualify for Europe I'm sure Gareth will stay."

Cowans praised Martin O'Neill for getting the very best out of the players this season and admits they have over performed.

"The players who are at the club at the moment have been fantastic for attitude and for workrate," he said.

"And there are some real good players at the club as well.

"But, again, we have probably over-achieved. Martin O'Neill has probably got more out of them than could be expected."

Cowans can see Villa going for pure quality in the summer.

He added: "The most important position to fill with Olof Mellberg going is right-back. We need to fill that position with some real quality.

"Any player who comes in has to be right up there to the best quality we can get."