Going to Aston Villa for £5.5 million.

That was a year well spent, wasn't it?

I fear he is the new Scott Parker, only worse

He's better than Reo-Coker, so a good buy for Villa if he's to replace him. If he's coming to cover Barry's departure, then that is a problem.

A rare example of a good deal for Chelsea at least. Why is it that players who don't actually play much football seem to escalate in value quicker than those who do ? See also Diarra at Portsmouth.

Jesus, you've just reminded me, Dunphy was on RTE last night after the Italy-France game, babbling on about how Diarra was, "in my view, the best player in France's squad".

This was a guy who couldn't get a regular game at either Arsenal or Chelsea.

He is a good player to be fair, I'm assuming he didn't play because he hasn't much football under his belt this season. Still, is it hard to imagine him doing more than the plodding Toulalan or bringing more drive than the toiling Makelele ?

Sidwell would have cost more than 5.5m if he'd been sold at the end of last season, dalliance. It was just that he was determined to go on a Bosman.

Chelsea will be very pleased that they got money for a player who cost them nothing. As for Villa, well, it can only be to replace Barry with someone cheaper. It is really that simple.

What would worry me though is that Gareth Barry is joining a club who Villa have aspirations of competing with, if what Randy Lerner says is anything go to by. These deals suggest that it is not the case. Although Steve Sidwell is a better player than what some have suggested, he has not played at the standard that Gareth Barry has on a consistent basis, therefore is still a bit of an unknown at this level.

I think that if Sidwell had stayed with Reading, then he would be in demand now, for much more money. It's like Leighton Baines, Lee McCulloch, Jimmy Bullard, Jason Roberts and Pascal Chimbonda (sorry, still laugh at how much Jol paid for him; when Ryan Taylor was fit, he kept him out the team ); they proved to the clubs who were interested that they could play at Premier League level regularly, subsequently moving on. Sidwell is as good as any of these for me and I bet Villa fans would'nt mind having Jimmy Bullard at ther club either.