Source: Team_Talk
O'Neill eyes Wes, Delph is ready
O'Neill has been linked with the Dutch star over the course of the summer, as his place at Real Madrid looks increasingly uncertain.
Real have spent millions bolstering their squad with Xabi Alonso, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka all arriving - making it unclear where Sneijder could feature.
Sneijder's agent Soren Lerby has made it clear that Real have told him that they want to keep the 25-year-old.
But with Inter Milan also linked, it seems Real could be ready to allow Sneijder - amongst others - to leave.
And O'Neill admits he needs to be interested in players of the calibre of Sneijder.
"I think that the more creativity you have in your side the better chance you will have," the Villa manager said. "These are particularly special players who are not [generally] available.
"If there were players like Sneijder, who have great talent and might be surplus to requirements at a club that is buying [new players], then I think you should be interested, even if that interest is not reciprocated. Because how else are you going to try and improve your team?"
O'Neill, meanwhile expects teenage midfielder Delph to compete instantly for a first-team spot following his £6million move from Leeds.
Delph will wear the Villa shirt for the first time in Saturday's home friendly with Fiorentina but O'Neill believes he is ready to make the step up into the Premier League.
He said: "It will be asking a lot for Delph to step in and make an immediate mark but he is capable of doing that. I have got no doubt at all about him. He is a Premier League player.
"Ashley Young made an incredible mark on the club. I suppose people will think Delph might fall into that category and I wouldn't want to put too much pressure on him early on but he has got Premier League ability.
"He is not fazed by these things. I am very pleased to have got him. Ideally it would have been great if he had been with us a couple of weeks ago and had the chance to bed in.
"But give him a game or two and he will be flying. He is ready to compete for the Premier League spot."
O'Neill is continuing to step up his bid to bring in new players before the start of the new campaign, with defence his main priority.
Villa are understood to be lining up a bid of £2million plus £500,000 in add-ons for Newcastle full-back Habib Beye, for whom Hull have already had an offer accepted.
Portsmouth centre-back Sylvain Distin is also on Villa's radar and it is believed the south coast club have already rejected one offer for the former Manchester City player.
O'Neill is light in terms of numbers at the heart of his defence, with only Curtis Davies and Carlos Cuellar available.
In addition, right-back Luke Young has been struggling to overcome a thigh problem that forced him to fly home from Villa's campaign in the Peace Cup.
Meanwhile, O'Neill has branded England's friendly with Holland only three days before the start of the new Premier League season as "pointless".
O'Neill knows the series of under-21 and full internationals that will be staged next week will disrupt preparations for the opening game of the season against Wigan at Villa Park on August 15.
The Villa boss has already been without James Milner, Craig Gardner and Gabriel Agbonlahor for most of his pre-season programme after their involvement with England in the European Under-21 championships, while youngster Nathan Delfouneso has been with the Under-19s.
O'Neill said: "It is not just the England international. You've also got World Cup games being played three days before the season starts.
"It seems really strange and pointless to be playing those sort of games so near to the start of a season.
"We will have loads and loads of people away. We have got full internationals, under-21s and under-20s. We might as will invent an under-22 and under-24 competition.
"In a week where we will be trying to prepare for the start of the season, we will not see a lot of our players until Friday morning before the Wigan game.
"I might as well say all international games three days before the start of the season are pointless. It doesn't make a great deal of sense."
