Aston Villa Links: Jean Makoun, Barry Bannan, and Darron Gibson Transfer Rumors

Well, just as I thought transfer rumors for Aston Villa were pretty much done for the summer, we've gotten a slew of them in the past few days, including a few 7500 to Holte favorites. Let's get right to the links, including some about yesterday's 2-0 win over Hereford.

• We've known about the Jean Makoun to Olympiakos rumor for a while, but Alex McLeish put a few others (that we hadn't heard) to rest along with that. Mat Kendrick brings us news that none of Makoun, Barry Bannan, or Luke Young will be leaving Villa Park any time soon. McLeish wisely recognizes that the team is stretched thin and cannot afford to lose players. Bannan apparently drew interest from Ian Holloway and Blackpool who are currently sitting in 9th in the Championship. Young was a target for QPR who could certainly use some sort of transfer market additions should they have hopes of staying up. These rumors have a way of not dying though, so we'll be sure to update you should anything change.
  
• According to the Daily Mail, Aston Villa have shown some interest in Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson. The Ireland international has fallen out of favor at Old Trafford and could be an interesting player. That said, at this point I'd take the rumor with a grain of salt. Mat Kendrick doesn't see it happening, and I'm willing to trust him. 
• If you're looking for a recap of yesterday's match from one of the ~22,000 people who were afforded the opportunity to see it, Kendrick has his here. He also mentions elsewhere that Alex McLeish was very appreciative of the crowd's support despite what was, by all accounts, the most frustrating 80 minutes of football this club have played in a while. I only mention this because every day it seems we are further and further removed from the mentality that spurred fan protests at McLeish's hiring.
  
• The last thing I expected to read this morning was a write up on Shay Given's consistency... from the New York Times. Needless to say, seeing this was a pleasant surprise.