Aston Villa set to unveil Heskey after agreeing£3.5m deal for Wigan striker

23 January 2009 17:56
Ready to sign: Wigan striker Emile Heskey arriving at Villa's training ground in Bodymoor Heath Collapsed: Emile Heskey was set to return to Liverpool but the deal broke down Manchester City are also understood to have shown late interest, but failed to table a bid. Heskey will sign for Villa, subject to passing a medical and agreeing personal terms. O'Neill believes the 31-year-old, who will sign a three-and-a-half-year contract, can play alongside either Gabriel Agbonlahor or John Carew - who is on his way back to fitness following a back problem. O'Neill said: 'We have agreed a fee with Wigan, and Emile is making his way down here to undergo a medical. If that works out, he will be joining us.   More... EXCLUSIVE: Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill hopes for£3.5m Emile Heskey thumbs up today Sunderland 1 Aston Villa 2: Ref justice as dubious decisions go Villa's way ASTON VILLA FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB Middlesbrough's Mido set to be unveiled at Wigan despite text to Levy about rejoining Spurs Wigan in the Hunt for Palacios replacement after agreeing£5m fee for Reading winger WIGAN FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB 'We are in a decent position at the moment. We need to keep the momentum going. We don't have the biggest squad in the world, and currently John Carew is out and Ashley Young is suspended. 'Emile will bring something to us. Gabby has done fantastic up front on his own, and Emile will give us another option. 'He can play with either Gabby or John. He will be excellent for us. He is currently vying to be the No 1 England centre-forward - so in terms of value, this is a great deal for us.' National service: Emile Heskey O'Neill was quickly aware of Heskey's talent when working with him for four years at Leicester. He said: 'I know him from my days at Leicester, and he was fantastic for us. He had plenty of natural talent, even though he was only a young kid. 'He played out wide for a season and did the sort of work that Ashley Young and James Milner now do for us at Villa. 'We were sad to see him leave. But he wanted to go to Liverpool and play with Michael Owen - and he has done exceptionally well in his career. 'I will be delighted to renew acquaintances with him. He is still relatively young at 31, and in good shape.' Heskey's career has been reinvigorated by his spell with Wigan, earning him an England recall and a number of Premier League admirers.Heskey's strike rate has often been criticised, but O'Neill is not concerned by his lack of goals. 'Something levelled at Emile is that he doesn't score enough goals and I am sure he probably thinks exactly the same,' said O'Neill. 'But it doesn't mean he hasn't made a massive difference in other areas. Confidence is always a big thing with Emile. When his confidence is high, he is always a player.'   More... EXCLUSIVE: Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill hopes for£3.5m Emile Heskey thumbs up today Sunderland 1 Aston Villa 2: Ref justice as dubious decisions go Villa's way ASTON VILLA FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB Middlesbrough's Mido set to be unveiled at Wigan despite text to Levy about rejoining Spurs Wigan in the Hunt for Palacios replacement after agreeing£5m fee for Reading winger WIGAN FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB  

Source: Daily_Mail