James Milner making a mistake by forcing move?
According to reports Aston Villa and England midfielder James Milner is set to push through a move to Manchester City in a £25 million deal, despite interest from Premier League champions Chelsea. Would Milner be making a mistake by forcing a move to Eastlands?
The Daily Mail and The Sun have reported that Milner has been quick to make up his mind since England crashed out of the World Cup against Germany in South Africa and is set to sign an £80,000-a-week deal with Roberto Mancini’s side.
A Citizens source said:
“It’s not signed and sealed yet but we are confident it’s a done deal. Things are now moving fast and we are hoping to wrap everything up by next week.” (Daily Mail)
I think a deal between Villa and City for the player would be a deal which would be bad for both parties.
Milner has made his name at the Villa Park club mostly impressing in a central midfield role alongside Stiliyan Petrov, which earned him a place in Fabio Capello’s 23-man squad for the World Cup.
It is hard to see where Milner will fit into a Manchester City midfield which includes Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong and many believe Yaya Toure will be an imminent arrival. Does Manchester City need Milner, or should they opt for someone a little more creative (as that is the area they are struggling with most in my opinion)?
From the 24-year-old midfielders point of view a big move to the Sky Blues doesn’t mean instant success either. Perhaps he should look at former Villa skipper Barry, who left for bigger and better things but only managed to finish just the three points above his former club last season…still outside of the Champions League places.
As for the claret and blues’ point of view, former player Paul Merson believes they should only be considering a “stupid” offer for the PFA Young Player of the Year as Villa will need their best players if they have any ambitions to break the big four.
Merson said:
“If they sell Milner I think they can write the top four off. It would be a miracle to get in the top four the season after you sell one of your best players.
“It’s worrying. I’d have said give us £50million if you want him, otherwise he’s staying. It’s stupid money but that’s the way it’s got to be.”
Perhaps the former Arsenal man is exaggerating slightly, but Villa need to maximise the profit out of the transfer to remain competitive and should really be looking to include a player like Stephen Ireland in the deal.
Ireland has his problems but is a talented player who can thrive under the right manager and looks set to leave Eastlands after he was so publicly criticised by his manager Mancini. If Villa could pull out a player + cash deal then they could be onto one of the bargains of the summer.
As for Milner, I think the best place for him to progress but hope he will continue to improve should he go to Manchester City much like Adam Johnson, who could count himself a little unlucky not to feature in Capello’s World Cup squad after a great season with both Middlesbrough and City.
Do the Manchester City fans think that Milner is worth the money and is what the club needs?
How do the Aston Villa fans feel about any potential deal, how much do you think the player is worth?
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Click on image below to see the PORTUGUESE babes at the World Cup