Barry may have stayed with Villa
Gareth Barry insists he would never have left Villa if they had qualified for next season's Champions League.
Up until the final six weeks of the campaign, Martin O'Neill's looked good bets for a top four slot, only to fade dramatically as Arsenal reclaimed a qualifying-round place.
But the true extent of the damage inflicted on the club is only now becoming apparent, with Barry claiming his £12million move to Manchester City would not have gone through if his former club had been able to offer the incentive of a place in Europe's top competition.
The England midfielder said: "I was very honest about the Champions League and, if Villa had qualified, I would have been honourable enough to keep my word and stay."
"It would have been wrong to leave if that had been achieved."
Barry has been the victim of some intense criticism from the Villa Park faithful for his decision to leave.
The former claret and blue skipper even penned an 800-word letter to explain his reasons for quitting the club in response.
But does not view that as an apology, in his mind the decision made will ultimately benefit his career.
Barry said: "I am not apologising, I just felt it was right to give my reasons.
"I have been at Villa for 12 seasons and always had a good rapport with the fans.
"To leave after so long was a big thing."
