|
It quickly emerged that O’Leary was unhappy with the fact that assistants Roy Aitken and Steve McGregor had not been offered deals of a similar length.
This proved a crucial stumbling-block, but the pair agreed deals in principle last week, lifting the impasse and O’Leary finally signed the contract which will keep him at the club until 2008.
O’Leary said: “I’m here for the long haul. We now want to move the club forward. I think it’s going to be a long process and that’s not me talking it down, I’m just being realistic.
“I want to make sure by the end of the five years I would have been in charge that Villa are achieving top six finishes in the Premiership on a regular basis.
|
“But to achieve that, and take the next step forward, we do need to bring in quality players. I would like a couple next month if at all possible to set us on the way.”
The news will come as a welcome relief to Villa fans, who have watched as O’Leary turned them from relegation candidates to a top-six side last year, and Villa are again challenging for a place in Europe this season.