Richard Dunne and Tal Ben Haim on the move?

With the arrival of Joleon Lescott, speculation has increased that Richard Dunne may be leaving the club, while Ben Haim is being linked with a season-long loan to Portsmouth.

The Daily Mail earlier claimed that Aston Villa have agreed a £6m fee for Dunne, and this has since appeared in The Guardian. As of today Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott look set to be our first choice centre back pairing and it’s doubtful if Dunne will be happy with a place on the bench in a World Cup year. Giovanni Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland are well placed in their qualification group and Dunne wouldn’t want to miss out.

Nedum Onuoha has recently inked a contract extension to confirm the management have faith in his abilities. With Vincent Kompany also a more than capable centre-half, Dunne may be considered expendable by Hughes. It’s hard on the loyal servant, but there are decent options available to him. One problem could be whether potential suitors would match the wages the Irishman is currently on. If they do, it could mean a fond farewell to the Joe Royle signing.