Soccer: Southgate wants talks with Villa

Transfer-listed skipper Gareth Southgate has given a ray of hope that he could stay at Aston Villa by admitting he is willing to hold talks to see what are the future ambitions of the Midlands club.

Southgate went on the list last summer because he felt he could not fulfil his remaining goals in the game with Villa.

But the England defender, in outstanding form again this season despite his desire to leave being unrealised, says he would gladly sit down with manager John Gregory and club officials and hear their proposals.

Southgate, who has been at Villa for six years, said: ‘‘Nobody from the club has actually sat me down and said ‘what do you want to do?’ or ‘why do you want to move on?’ or ’what are your aims?’

‘‘Nobody has said ‘we’re going to do this or that’ and I would love to sit down with them and say ‘what’s the direction we are going in?’ and ‘how are you going to bridge the gap between us and the teams above us?’

‘‘At the moment that hasn’t happened but I am more than willing to sit down and talk and hear what they’ve got to say.’’

Southgate insisted that he had been determined that his performances on the field remained at a high level - however unsettled he may be feeling over his future.

He said: ‘‘I took the view in January or February that I would be here to the end of the season and that I was going to make sure we finished as high as possible.

‘‘I’m not going to play badly and think ‘if we are losing, that’s going to get me out of the door’. That isn’t the case at all.

‘‘As soon as I asked to leave I knew I was under pressure because you’ve got to show that if you are still here you’ll give everything, and I have always done that.

‘‘I still hope that I can help Aston Villa qualify for Europe this season, but I would be willing to hold those talks with the club.’’