Of all the signings made by Villa this summer, the biggest name of all didn't cost the club a penny.

After the three-month saga of his proposed transfer to Liverpool, Gareth Barry declared that he was staying at Villa Park, much to the relief and delight of Martin O'Neill.

Even if the Merseysiders had met the asking price of £18m, the Villa manager was well aware that he would have needed to spend all, if not most of the fee on a replacement.

Barry's decision to stay effectively made him a new signing.

It was just a pity that all the talk during the summer months was of Barry moving away from the club he has served so well for more than a decade.

He enjoyed another outstanding campaign in 2007-08, missing just one match all season, through injury, and scored nine goals - his highest Premier League total to date.

He also re-established himself as a regular in the England team, producing some excellent midfield displays which earned him glowing reviews from the national press.