Aston Villa Release Ten Players

Robert Pires

Nigel Reo-Coker, John Carew and Robert Pires head  a list of ten players to have been let go by Aston Villa after the club decided to ring the changes following a disappointing campaign.

Reo-Coker has been at the club since joining from West Ham in 2007 and had established himself as a senior figure this term.

The former England Under 21 captain regularly took the armband when Stiliyan Petrov was unavailable and made 24 starts in total this season.

Carew arrived at Villa with a big reputation in the same year as Reo-Coker and enjoyed success as he ended the season as leading scorer on three occasions.

But he has spent the past few months on loan with Stoke and recently declared that he would not be returning to Villa, instead setting his sights on a permanent contract with the Potters.

Pires' exit also appeared inevitable after he accused Villa this week of lacking respect, following a frustrating spell with the club stretching back to November when he joined on a free transfer.

Squad players Moustapha Salifou and Isaiah Osbourne will also be leaving Villa Park along with youngsters Harry Forrester, Arsenio Halfhuid, Durrell Berry, Ellis Deeney and Calum Flanagan.

Meanwhile the Aston Villa manager, Gerard Houllier, has dropped a strong hint that he plans to resume managerial duties after making his first public appearance since his heart problems.

The 63-year-old made a surprise visit this week to Villa Park with family and friends to watch a charity game involving shirt sponsors FxPro and the Acorns hospice.

Houllier signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans, telling them he was “feeling fine” and “hoped to be back soon.”

The Frenchman has been resting at his Worcestershire home, having been initially admitted to hospital on April 21st suffering from a dissection of the lower aorta.

But Houllier has made good progress over the past month and appears confident he will be able to return to the dug-out, although it is understood he may be excused Villa’s pre-season trip to Hong Kong for the Barclays Asia Trophy.

A final decision on his return has yet to be made by the Villa board, who will listen to the advice of medical experts on whether he will be allowed to come back with a reduced workload.

Owner Randy Lerner and chief executive Paul Faulkner are acutely aware of the need to avoid a repeat of last summer, which was characterised by uncertainty over Martin O’Neill’s future and ultimately led to his departure five days before the season started.