Martin O’Neill has re-emphasised his desire to keep Gareth Barry at Aston Villa after reports surfaced over the weekend suggesting that Chelsea will make a £15 million bid for the England midfield player.

Barry, 26, became the youngest player to make 300 Premier League appearances yesterday, breaking a record previously held by Frank Lampard. If Chelsea make a successful move for the Villa captain in the January transfer window, Barry could take over from Lampard in Avram Grant’s midfield as reports indicate that Barcelona may come back in for the former West Ham United player.

However, the Villa manager is optimistic that Barry’s progress into the England team this season should help to keep him content at Villa Park.

“I don’t think we would be welcoming it,” O’Neill said. “I don’t know whether it’s just paper talk and no one has contacted us about this at all. He’s playing for England now and he’s playing for England because of how he’s played for Aston Villa. That’s something we’re quite pleased with.

“I assume he’s making enough progress for clubs such as Chelsea to be alerted to him. But we’re hoping to stave off those kind of things and the best way to do that is to make progress [as a club] ourselves. I would hope we’re building a team not, not dismantling one.” Steve McClaren, the England head coach, was at the Reebok Stadium yesterday to witness one of Barry’s quieter games as Gary Megson took charge of Bolton Wanderers for the first time, in a 1-1 draw.

Nicolas Anelka, who scored Bolton’s goal with a sumptuous free kick, looks set to miss Wednesday’s Carling Cup fourth-round tie against Manchester City at the Reebok Stadium with a hamstring injury, but Megson admitted that the France striker has won him over.

“The lad’s a fantastic footballer, which everyone knows, but it seems he’s been given a bit of a reputation - which I had maybe bought into – that I’ve not seen at all,” Megson said. “He’s a great bloke and really determined. He’s showing a great desire to get us out of this position we’re in. He trains hard and is clearly a model professional.”

Megson avoided taking to the field to greet his new team’s fans yesterday as a record low crowd – 18,413 – for a Premier League fixture at the Reebok Stadium witnessed Bolton lift themselves to nineteenth place with a performance that was a throwback to Sam Allardyce’s reign in style and team shape.

“There’s not going to be a revolution here,” Megson said. “It’s going to be more about evolution.”