Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill steps up hunt for Emile Heskey

Dec 5 2008 by Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail

MARTIN O’Neill is determined to get old-stager Emile Heskey to Villa Park in January and will mount a “get him at all costs” strategy – just as new kid on the block Nathan Delfouneso insists he is ready for the first team.

O’Neill believes he can get the very best out of Heskey and I understand the Villa manager is firmly in the driving seat to get his former Leicester City striker.

That is despite Wigan boss Steve Bruce’s public utterances that it will take an “outrageous” offer for them to part with the 30-year-old.

Wigan are privately eager to part with the former Birmingham striker, who is out of contract at the end of the season and who has scored just six goals in the last 18 months – four last season and two this.

Meanwhile, O’Neill, who has led Villa to the last 32 of the UEFA Cup for the first time in a decade, saw Delfouneso cap his full debut with a stunning goal against MSK Zilina.

And the youngster says he is now looking to make just as big an impact at Villa as former Academy graduate Gabby Agbonlahor.

The 17-year-old Tyseley-born player, who was watched by his father and brother at Villa Park with his mother watching on TV from home, could not prevent Villa slipping to a shock 2-1 defeat.

Delfouneso said: “We have a tradition of local Birmingham boys coming through at Villa and that’s always good for the fans.

“Villa have had a lot of local strikers like Darius Vassell and Gabby and I’ve got