Our man on life after Barry for Villa

Martin O'Neill today finds himself picking up the pieces from Gareth Barry's departure and facing up to the biggest test of his three-year reign as Villa manager.

He already had the huge void left by Martin Laursen's retirement to fill. But it is the loss of the other bedrock of his side to Manchester City which leaves him with his toughest challenge to date.

O'Neill, like David O'Leary before him, has had to cope without Laursen before. But Barry? He has been a mainstay of Villa's side for a decade.

In the cold light of day, £12million for a player with one year left on his contract looks like sound business – and it may yet prove to be so.

But in a market where £6million buys you an unknown Ecuadorian - see Christian Benitez, as Birmingham demonstrated - finding a match might not be as easy as you'd think.

Yet hat's not all.

Supporters worried Barry's defection to Eastlands represents Villa waving the white flag on cracking the Champions League will expect signings which are a statement of intent.

Having again finished sixth, it's fair to say Villa will still be in the market for the same 'B list' of players.

First port of call could easily be White Hart Lane, with Harry Redknapp seemingly ready to return to his wheeling and dealing ways.

Rumour has it all but three of his squad are available for transfer, so midfield trio Jermaine Jenas, David Bentley and Tom Huddlestone will all be on O'Neill's radar.

Young Fabian Delph has earned rave reviews at Leeds and is destined for a club of Villa's size, while Barry's move to Eastlands will have pushed Michael Johnson - a player O'Neill is known to admire - further down the pecking order.

Middlesbrough's Tuncay and Portsmouth's Niko Kranjcar are both potential 'wildcards,' having proven their class at Premier League level.

What you could see is a move away from the 'buy British' policy O'Neill has traditionally favoured.

He has recently been scouring the continent and, with his budget cut, he may look abroad for better value.

One player who continues to catch the eye is Standard Liege's playmaker Steven Defour.

But while supporters will seek signings, recent bench-warmers Nigel Reo-Coker and Steve Sidwell will both see this as a chance to stake their claims.

The number of players linked could reach triple figures.

What will be crucial is getting the right one.