According to French newspaper Le Parisien, Gérard Houllier is set to tempt Robert Pirès away from Leicester City with a role as player-manager at Aston Villa. The 37-year-old ex-Arsenal star is being wooed by the Championship Foxes, but although he would likely see more first team play at Leicester, returning to the Premier League would be difficult for Pirès to turn down:
Since encountering this story on Twitter this morning, I've been rather puzzled. Of all positions that Villa require depth in, the wings/attacking midfield are last on that list. The team already has a couple aging strikers, and I'm not sure what bringing in another player up in years is going to add to the squad. Sure, the title player-manager implies that he'll be working with younger players, but again, that's probably the last thing that Villa need help in.
Pirès is a free agent, and it's unlikely that he can expect to command a high salary. Yet at the same time, it seems that Villa should be saving their pennies for someone that could actually make an impact on the team come January.