Villa have already being linked with a host of players including Jermain Defoe, Steve Sidwell and two of O'Neill's former charges at Celtic, Craig Bellamy and Artur Boruc, and the top brass at Villa Park are keen to reassure everyone they are not unattainable targets. "We want to be around the top of the Premiership and playing Champions League football and you need world class players to do that," said Richard FitzGerald, thought to be the most successful poor homophobic pun around. "People might have thought we pushed the boat out signing Ashley Young [for £9.65m] but I can guarantee significant funds have been made available. Randy Lerner has freed up a transfer pot for Martin O'Neill."