Bowyer Wants Move

It didn't go down well with the chairman, who refused to reply to the comments, but now it seems Souness could struggle to keep his player now that Aston Villa are set to offer a deal.

Graeme Souness: "It's no secret that Lee would like to go further south eventually to be nearer his family. But that's not an agenda from our part. Lee Bowyer is an important part of our squad and we don't want to lose him."

Souness is still smarting at the way Jermaine Jenas set up his mind to join Tottenham back in August and the manager was powerless to stop him leaving St James's Park. However he could cut his losses and organise a swap deal with David O'Leary for Gareth Barry, a player he has long admired. In fact it was Barry who tried to part Bowyer and Kieron Dyer when they threw punches in the Villa fixture last season.

In the meantime, Souness is adamant the former Charlton schemer has an important role to play - starting at Stamford Bridge. He said: "Lee came through his reserve-team game with no problems on Monday and he will be in the squad for Chelsea."