Manager Gerard Houllier has confirmed Aston Villa will offer Nigel Reo-Coker a new deal at the club after revealing the combative midfielder is to take over the captain’s role from the injured Stiliyan Petrov.
Reo-Coker has one year remaining on his current deal at Villa Park and talks have begun between both parties over the prospect of extending his spell with the Midlands outfit.
The former England under-21 captain was a peripheral figure under former manager Martin O’Neill and the pair endured a fractious relationship during the Northern Irishman’s time at the helm.
But the 26-year-old has blossomed since being restored to the starting line-up under Houllier and has completed a dramatic U-turn by being offered the armband by the Frenchman with Petrov facing two months on the sidelines.
And the Villa chief expects the former West Ham United skipper to sign a new deal at the club ahead of Wednesday’s Carling Cup tie with Burnley – where Reo-Coker will lead the team out for the first time in his new post.
Consistent
Houllier told Sky Sports News HD: “I don’t want to talk about the past. I don’t want to bother with that. Just from what I see, Nigel’s attitude and his work-rate has been consistent.
“In terms of performance, he knows exactly his role in the team. He works for the team and he has improved a lot, even over the last few games.
“Exemplarity is also a very important factor to me and that’s why he’s the captain. I hope he will stay with us.”
Asked if there will be contract negotiations in the near future, Houllier added: “It’s too early to say but Paul Faulkner has started to have talks with his agent. He knows I want to keep him.”
Houllier admits he is wary in general about giving lucrative contracts to players because of the negative effect it can have on their performances but he does not believe Reo-Coker falls into that category.
Careful
The former Liverpool manager added: “You have to be careful when you give good contracts to players. You don’t want a player, once he has a contract, to get back into a sort of comfort zone, put a bit of weight on sometimes and not work as much.
“You have to make sure the contract is not the end in itself. It must be the start of a fighting experience to win things for the club.
“If you give a contract to a player it means you trust him for the future. I just want fighters.
“I want players who are very hungry for success and not players who just think ‘feet up and relax’. That’s all.
“I think Nigel has probably gone through good times and bad times until now.
“But he knows the years to come are vital for him and it’s better to be in an environment he knows, he likes and in which he will enjoy his football and therefore improve.”
