I made no demands on contract - O'Leary

Aston Villa manager David O’Leary has insisted he delivered no ultimatum to chairman Doug Ellis about being guaranteed money for new players before he signed a new contract.

O’Leary has moved quickly to quash speculation that putting pen to paper on a new three-and-a-half year deal was dependent on transfer funds being made available to bolster one of the smallest squads in the Premiership.

The former Leeds boss is expected to formally sign a contract which will keep him at Villa Park until the summer of 2008 when Ellis returns from a short holiday on Monday.

O’Leary said: “The one thing I’d like to put the record straight about is I haven’t gone in and put any ultimatum to the chairman or the board of Aston Villa.

“I haven’t gone in and said ‘If I’m going to put pen to paper I’ve got to be given all this money for new players’. There’s been nothing said about that part of it.

“There has been no demand from me along the lines of ‘I’ll only do it if I get X amount of money for boosting the squad’. The whole thing has been about signing a contract that is agreeable to both parties.

“I am just hoping that I can show the fans that I’m willing to sign here - and by signing people know that I’m ambitious and that I want to do well and try and take this club forward.”

O’Leary’s solicitor Michael Kennedy and Ellis have to agree on a couple of points before the contract is formally signed.

But O’Leary said: “We’re just about there now if we can clear up a couple of things. I’m happy to sign.

“Hopefully people will realise we’re all ambitious and want to take the club forward like the fans want. It’s been done on that basis.”