Petrov: Barry needs time to decide

29 May 2009 17:16
Barry only has one year remaining on his current Villa contract and is already in demand from Villa's Premier League rivals. The 28-year-old England international has been linked with Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham, although Liverpool - who had four bids rejected for Barry in 2008 - are again expected to lead the chase for his signature. Martin O'Neill will be keen to avoid a repeat of the 'will he, won't he' saga that played out on the back pages of the tabloids a year ago, But Petrov wants his midfield colleague to be left in peace to decide if he should stay at Villa Park or take on a new challenge elsewhere. The Bulgarian told the Express and Star: "I have said before how important Gareth is to this club. We should give him time to enjoy things because he had a hard time last summer. "What he did to come back and make the fans happy again was great. There should be no pressure put on him and he will make the decision in his own time."

Source: Team_Talk