Aston Villa's pursuit of Irish international midfielder Wes Hoolahan is set to drag on until the end of the transfer window, according to a report in the Irish Independent. Norwich have previously denied that Hoolahan had handed in a transfer request. However, the influential attacking midfielder is said to be keen to re-unite with former boss Paul Lambert. Both clubs have history; acrimony still reigns over Lambert's controversial move from Norwich to Aston Villa. It remains to be seen how this impacts negotiations. It is reported that Aston Villa's initial bid fell well below the £1.5 million reported in mainstream media yesterday, and also far short of Norwich's valuation of the player. The 31-year-old playmaker has impressed since moving to the Canaries from Blackpool in 2008 more than five years ago, and played a key role in their promotion to the upper tier. Norwich CEO Paul McNally said this in a statement yesterday
The club's focus is on improving the squad during this transfer window. As we have always said, no players will be sold against our will. We have received no transfer requests this season and have no intention of releasing any of our senior players. Our focus this January is very much on improving the squad.
Diarmuid is a freelance student and studious sports journalist operating out of the wilds of Dublin, Ireland. His specialist subjects include the English Premier League, the GAA, and track and field athletics.
