O’Leary: Villa could be in trouble

ASTON VILLA manager David O’Leary is desperate to shore up his leaking defence but, with a proposed takeover in the offing, it is a question of whether he will be in a position to strengthen come the transfer window.

Not for the first time this season, O’Leary watched in despair as his backline disintegrated in the 3-1 defeat against Man City at Eastlands.

O’Leary fears unless the situation quickly improves, then Villa almost certainly face a relegation scrap.

O’Leary has been linked with a move for Spartak Moscow’s Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic but the future of the club is up in the air, with negotiations understood to start this week with property development company Comer Homes Group regarding a £64million buy-out.

Any takeover could lead to O’Leary being handed a crucial transfer kitty, but with just nine weeks to go until the transfer window, the clock is ticking on those talks.