Tim Sherwood has stressed that he can’t focus on keeping the soon-to-be out-of-contract Ron Vlaar at Aston Villa while the club are in the midst of a relegation battle.
New Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has told the Telegraph that Ron Vlaar’s contract situation must remain on the back burner amid the club’s relegation battle, despite the threat of him leaving for free when his deal expires in the summer.
Vlaar’s future has been the subject of ongoing speculation following his impressive World Cup performance for Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands side, with his name since linked to a host of top European teams.
After Villa managed to hold onto their skipper past the summer transfer deadline, a reunion with Van Gaal at Manchester United was mooted for last month, per the likes of the Guardian, but an ill-timed knee operation put paid to a potential move.
Nevertheless, the Dutch centre-back remains keen for a fresh challenge amid further interest from Arsenal, Napoli and Southampton, according to the Telegraph, while SportItalia journalist Alfredo Pedulla also reported last week that Roma have been in talks with his entourage over signing a pre-contract agreement.
Negotiations over an extension have been ongoing in recent months but, with the club in 18th-place with 13 Premier League games remaining, Sherwood has stressed that he is focused on other matters from now until the end of the campaign.
“Obviously the club want to keep their best players and I’m sure the club will endeavour to try and keep Ron,” he said. “I’ve been impressed with him and you need experience.
“But the contract situation is not really for now. The focus is picking the right team and Ron focusing on playing and doing the best for the club. He is, and so are the other boys.
“I know it’s an obvious statement but none of them want to get relegated. It’s all right saying it, they just have to show it. We need to try and do that this season and then try to look forward. First things first, we need to stay in the division.”
Vlaar, 30, has seen calf and knee injuries restrict him to just 13 total appearances for Villa this season, with promising pair Ciaran Clark and Jores Okore building up a strong central defensive partnership in the meantime.
With the ailing Nathan Baker and Philippe Senderos also waiting in the wings, allowing him to leave would seem far from a disastrous move, but one can’t help but imagine what kind of fee the club could have fetched for his signature following his standout showing in Brazil.
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