Is Gareth Barry an option for Aston Villa if they swap places with West Bromwich Albion next season?
West Bromwich Albion are seven points adrift of safety in the Premier League and it looks increasingly likely that the Baggies might lose their top-flight status this season.
If they do, quite a few of their players will have plenty of admirers and perhaps Aston Villa should consider re-signing one of their former midfielders in Gareth Barry.
There is every chance that the Villans and West Brom will swap divisions by next season, with Steve Bruce’s side third in the Championship and two points adrift of second-placed Derby County.
Like a lot of Albion lads, Barry has struggled for much of the season, but earlier in the campaign he had looked an inspired signing by former boss Tony Pulis and maybe Bruce could draw that same level of performance.
Even at 36, Barry, out of contract in June, would be an improvement on Aston Villa’s current midfield options like Mile Jedinak and Birkir Bjarnason, and lord knows he has enough experience to help Villa survive next term if they do come up.
He wouldn’t be a long-term option for obvious reason, but experience would be massively important for an Aston Villa side who might yet lose centre-back John Terry, amid a report from The Telegraph that the legendary defender has delayed contract negotiations until the summer, when his current one expires.
Having left the club for £12 million in 2009 to join Manchester City, Barry, who spent 12 years at Villa Park, suggested via The Telegraph at the time that he would forever hold an affinity for the club and maybe Bruce should enquire to see if that remains the case.
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