Oh Gareth what have you done?

He made it clear – he wanted to go to Liverpool and leave Aston Villa behind but as Gareth Barry is finding out – you don't always get what you want in life.

Liverpool have now cooled their interest in him, they are more interested in partnering Robbie Keane with Fernando Torres to create a top class front pairing. The news that Xabi Alonso looks set to stay at Anfield has meant that signing Gareth Barry has gone down the pecking order leaving the England international staring down the barrel of returning to the club he essentially told he **** off a few weeks back.

He said that the club didn't want him and that his manager was more interested in being on the BBC for Euro 2008 than he was in keeping him at the club. The gaffer was strenuously denied these allegations saying that Barry had already made up his mind and that they were allowing him to leave should someone meet their valuation.

The valuation was based on the fees Manchester United paid for Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick – both in the £18million bracket. It sounds a steep price but it has been the market value for England midfielders in the past two summers so that is where the market is.

Liverpool have constantly tried to short change Aston Villa with offers that fall short of their valuation for the player. This has led to the club not accepting any bids because they don't have to sell, they can happily go into the season with Barry anchoring their midfield once again, well when I say happily, on paper it works.

In reality the Villa fans are all against him and the manager couldn't care less about him. He burnt his bridges and now if he has to come back with his tail between his legs, he won't exactly be welcomed with open arms by his fellow players, the fans or his manager.

His only hope is that Arsenal follow up their interest in him, otherwise he will be an Aston Villa player going into the 2008/2009 season and that is certainly not something he planned on two months ago.