Chris Hughton has insisted Wes Hoolahan is going nowhere after Paul Lambert revealed his admiration for the midfielder.
Lambert is keen to add some midfield creativity to his Aston Villa squad and recently said of Hoolahan: "When I was the manager of Norwich, he was fantastic, he really was - a big, big player.
"He was excellent. But he is Norwich's player, so there is no point in talking about him. I won't disrespect anybody on that front."
The Villa boss added former Canaries striker Grant Holt to his ranks on Wednesday, landing the Wigan forward on loan for the rest of the season.
But Hughton insists Hoolahan will not be Midlands-bound in this month's transfer window, when Norwich are trying to strengthen - not weaken - their playing staff.
Villa are reported to have offered £750,000 up front or the option of two instalments rising to a potential £1m for the Republic of Ireland international, who was an unused substitute in the midweek FA Cup defeat at Fulham.
Hughton has added competition to his midfield ranks following this week's capture of Newcastle winger Jonas Gutierrez on loan.
"We've had a few injuries, especially in midfield, and then Michael Turner will be out for a while as well.
"We are trying as hard as we can (to sign players) the same as everybody else, but January is a notoriously bad time to bring in players because they also have to be right for the club."
No comments:
Post a Comment