O'Neill questions Wenger interest

Martin O'Neill has described Arsene Wenger's admission that Arsenal would like to sign Gareth Barry as "strange" and "bizarre".

Liverpool have led a summer-long chase to sign the 27-year-old Aston Villa and England midfielder but the two clubs have failed to reach a final fee and Barry has now emerged as a pre-deadline target for Emirates boss Wenger.

Wenger admitted this week Barry is "one of the players we follow", adding: "The problems with players who are 27, 28 is that you pay big money but you get nothing back, no resale."

Villa manager O'Neill responded by saying: "I've heard nothing from Arsene Wenger himself, so it is strange. I read his comments and I just thought they were strange. Bizarre, really.

"What I would say is that Arsene Wenger doesn't usually come out with comments like that. I accept he has made a bit of a slip, shall we say."