sir_gary_cahill

Ledley King

fletcher would cost a lot more than 3-4m, burnley paid 3m for him

He's not listed on thefa.com, I'm sure he's played for Ireland

Umit Eminoglu played for Turkey u16 last week

Jack Grealish and Jordan Graham are in the Ireland u15 squad for next week's tri nation tournament

SGC, I know you are a keen follower of the youth, but what is it about Nathan that makes you think he is going to be that good?

To me, and I have only seen a couple of reserve games and his first team appearances, he looks a decent prospect who may make it but nothing more and I am struggling to see what his real assets are i.e. he is not Gabby quick, he is not that strong, his passing is not exceptional, I haven't noticed anything special about his movement although he does seem to end up on the score sheet - a useful attribute!

Firstly, he is very quick, maybe not as quick as Gabby but he has a footballing brain which cannot be taught or developed, he's just born to play football, his movement is outstanding, his first touch is breathtaking, he can do things that no other player can do with a football, Paul Merson said when he was 14 that he will be the best striker in the world and I agree with him.

Gotta quote?

nope

Barry's boots, I will just question one thing you say, when you say he isn't Gabby quick. I didn't think he was but he really is around that pace with better dribbling and better goal getting ability. Like I said, I think he'll be better than Gabby and around a 20 league goal striker but not world class, nowhere near it.

2009/10 was the first season that Rooney has got over 20 league and you say he's the best striker in the world and yet you say Delfouneso will be a 20 league goal striker but not world class, how does that work?

Because Rooney's game is so much more than that. His movement, touch, brain, work ethic, creativity was always up there with the best in the world. The only thing stopping Rooney from becoming the very best was the lack of goals, he's always been world class in every department apart from goals and now he's added that to his list therefore the total package. Delfouneso will be more of a Bent type player. Very good goalscorer but never world class.

A world class striker, in your opinion who scores 10-15 goals per season or Darren Bent who's guaranteed to score 20-25, I know which 1 I'd take

Barry's boots, I will just question one thing you say, when you say he isn't Gabby quick. I didn't think he was but he really is around that pace with better dribbling and better goal getting ability. Like I said, I think he'll be better than Gabby and around a 20 league goal striker but not world class, nowhere near it.

2009/10 was the first season that Rooney has got over 20 league and you say he's the best striker in the world and yet you say Delfouneso will be a 20 league goal striker but not world class, how does that work?

SGC, I know you are a keen follower of the youth, but what is it about Nathan that makes you think he is going to be that good?

To me, and I have only seen a couple of reserve games and his first team appearances, he looks a decent prospect who may make it but nothing more and I am struggling to see what his real assets are i.e. he is not Gabby quick, he is not that strong, his passing is not exceptional, I haven't noticed anything special about his movement although he does seem to end up on the score sheet - a useful attribute!

Firstly, he is very quick, maybe not as quick as Gabby but he has a footballing brain which cannot be taught or developed, he's just born to play football, his movement is outstanding, his first touch is breathtaking, he can do things that no other player can do with a football, Paul Merson said when he was 14 that he will be the best striker in the world and I agree with him.

Now please, you say Rooney isn't in the top 20 strikers in the world....

yet at the age of 18, he was scoring goals for his country at major championships, aswell as scoring a hat-trick on Champions League debut aswell as 17 goals in around 40 games in his first full season at Man United at the age of 18-19.

Now Rooney at his peak isn't in the top 20 strikers in the world according to you so how would Delfouneso who has scored just 1 premiership goal in his career in 2 years be better than Rooney is now for example? considering Delfouneso is at the same stage of his career than Rooney was when he was scoring goals for club and country.

if the manager picked Delfouneso he would've got at least 17 goals imo he just needs a chance, I don't have the answers, I have no idea why the manager won't start him, he's ready

I've watched him since he was 15, I know how good he is and how good he can be, I said it the 1st time I saw him and I still believe it now, he will be the best in the world bar none, forget your Rooneys, Villas etc

I'll donate £10000 to VT if Delfouneso is ever voted as the worlds best player.

I meant best striker

Now please, you say Rooney isn't in the top 20 strikers in the world....

yet at the age of 18, he was scoring goals for his country at major championships, aswell as scoring a hat-trick on Champions League debut aswell as 17 goals in around 40 games in his first full season at Man United at the age of 18-19.

Now Rooney at his peak isn't in the top 20 strikers in the world according to you so how would Delfouneso who has scored just 1 premiership goal in his career in 2 years be better than Rooney is now for example? considering Delfouneso is at the same stage of his career than Rooney was when he was scoring goals for club and country.

if the manager picked Delfouneso he would've got at least 17 goals imo he just needs a chance, I don't have the answers, I have no idea why the manager won't start him, he's ready

I've watched him since he was 15, I know how good he is and how good he can be, I said it the 1st time I saw him and I still believe it now, he will be the best in the world bar none, forget your Rooneys, Villas etc

First Bent better than Rooney now Delfouneso best striker in the world in 2 years.

why can't he be? you've said on many occasions that Agbonlahor is 1 of the best strikers in the league, Delfouneso is streets ahead of Agbonlahor at the same age

IN YOUR OPINION

Blimey, if Delf is so much better than Gabby then why is Gabby our first choice striker?

am I the manager??

First Bent better than Rooney now Delfouneso best striker in the world in 2 years.

why can't he be? you've said on many occasions that Agbonlahor is 1 of the best strikers in the league, Delfouneso is streets ahead of Agbonlahor at the same age

That makes ZERO sense. That's like saying "I may as well start paying my mortgage now but I don't move in for 2 years"

If we have to pay the fonz 50k in 2 years to keep him then we will. No point in pouring £5million down the train between now and then.

Edit: was referring to SGC's last post

ok then so you'd rather risk losing the best young striker in the country?

What we pay him now makes no difference to whether he stays or goes. If he's attracting attention in 2 years we'll offer him the money then.

Paying it him now when no-one's particularly interested is madness.

if he leaves in 2 years and his reason is "Villa didn't pay me £50k a week for the past 2 years" then he can **** off anyway.

Well I've seen reports recently saying that Everton will offer Jack Rodwell 50k per week and he's the same age as Delfouneso and a lot less potential imo, it's called looking after your best assets or risk losing them

It's actually reported in the mirror (best actual link, so hardly concrete) that it's £25,000 a week, and he also has played 47 games for Everton and 11 for England under 21's, so Delfouneso is less experienced than Rodwell.

apologies, I thought it was 50k, I never said he didn't have more experience, I said Delfouneso has more potential which he does

No, he really doesn't.

Jack Rodwell can play in central defence, at full back, in a holiding role, in central midfield, in the hole and probably up top too, he can tackle, pass, score goals, win the ball in the air and hasn't looked out of place once since making his name. He's also scored big goals in big games.

Jack Rodwell has all the attributes.

please enlighten me when has he played full back?? never played in the hole either and certainly not up front

imo Delfouneso could play up front for Barcelona in a few years, does Rodwell have the potential to play for them? not in my opinion

I would say that Jack Rodwell (whether rightly or wrongly) is rated higher across the board than Fonz.

It would certainly be in Everton's interests to give him a new contract if they want to keep him. There has been rumours of a £20m fee for Rodwell.

rated higher because he's had more exposure and been thrown in at the deep end at Everton because their manager knows how to handle young talent

That makes ZERO sense. That's like saying "I may as well start paying my mortgage now but I don't move in for 2 years"

If we have to pay the fonz 50k in 2 years to keep him then we will. No point in pouring £5million down the train between now and then.

Edit: was referring to SGC's last post

ok then so you'd rather risk losing the best young striker in the country?

What we pay him now makes no difference to whether he stays or goes. If he's attracting attention in 2 years we'll offer him the money then.

Paying it him now when no-one's particularly interested is madness.

if he leaves in 2 years and his reason is "Villa didn't pay me £50k a week for the past 2 years" then he can **** off anyway.

Well I've seen reports recently saying that Everton will offer Jack Rodwell 50k per week and he's the same age as Delfouneso and a lot less potential imo, it's called looking after your best assets or risk losing them

It's actually reported in the mirror (best actual link, so hardly concrete) that it's £25,000 a week, and he also has played 47 games for Everton and 11 for England under 21's, so Delfouneso is less experienced than Rodwell.

apologies, I thought it was 50k, I never said he didn't have more experience, I said Delfouneso has more potential which he does

That makes ZERO sense. That's like saying "I may as well start paying my mortgage now but I don't move in for 2 years"

If we have to pay the fonz 50k in 2 years to keep him then we will. No point in pouring £5million down the train between now and then.

Edit: was referring to SGC's last post

ok then so you'd rather risk losing the best young striker in the country?

I thought that was Sturridge :winkold:

Delfouneso is slightly better

That makes ZERO sense. That's like saying "I may as well start paying my mortgage now but I don't move in for 2 years"

If we have to pay the fonz 50k in 2 years to keep him then we will. No point in pouring £5million down the train between now and then.

Edit: was referring to SGC's last post

ok then so you'd rather risk losing the best young striker in the country?

What we pay him now makes no difference to whether he stays or goes. If he's attracting attention in 2 years we'll offer him the money then.

Paying it him now when no-one's particularly interested is madness.

if he leaves in 2 years and his reason is "Villa didn't pay me £50k a week for the past 2 years" then he can **** off anyway.

Well I've seen reports recently saying that Everton will offer Jack Rodwell 50k per week and he's the same age as Delfouneso and a lot less potential imo, it's called looking after your best assets or risk losing them

That makes ZERO sense. That's like saying "I may as well start paying my mortgage now but I don't move in for 2 years"

If we have to pay the fonz 50k in 2 years to keep him then we will. No point in pouring £5million down the train between now and then.

Edit: was referring to SGC's last post

ok then so you'd rather risk losing the best young striker in the country?

I'd hazard a guess that the majority of our 1st XI is on circa 50 k

I'd argue against that.

A.Young

Agbonlahor

Carew

Outside of that I can't think of anyone else that would be on circa 50K, unless when you say circa you mean anything within 25k....

no I meant around 45k-60k , I'd put my life on Dunne, Petrov and Heskey being on those wages

I'd hazard a guess that the majority of our 1st XI is on circa 50 k

How much do you think Delph is on?

around 25k but is he in the 1st XI??

No, I'm referring to you saying we should have offered Sturridge 50k which is unrealistic, 25k is a more realistic wage.

players dictate wages these days, we should be prepared to push the boat out for certain players

Not exactly.

If a player wants 50k and financially we can only offer 25k he can't come. If Sturridge came on 50k, and Delph was on 25k, he'd want that amount. Same for the likes of Collins, Agbonlahor etc. We're not Man City. Infact they wouldn't even offer Sturridge the wages he wants and that says a lot...

you have to break your wage structure from time to time in order to improve it's as simple as that really, if you're happy with 6th every season then yeah fine keep paying new signings 25k per week

We do pay big wages if a player is deserved. Daniel Sturridge has done nothing more than Delfouneso in his football career. Do you honestly believe Delfouneso deserves £50,000 a week from Aston Villa?

might aswell give it to him now because we will have to in a year or 2 when the vultures start circling

I'd hazard a guess that the majority of our 1st XI is on circa 50 k

How much do you think Delph is on?

around 25k but is he in the 1st XI??

No, I'm referring to you saying we should have offered Sturridge 50k which is unrealistic, 25k is a more realistic wage.

players dictate wages these days, we should be prepared to push the boat out for certain players

Not exactly.

If a player wants 50k and financially we can only offer 25k he can't come. If Sturridge came on 50k, and Delph was on 25k, he'd want that amount. Same for the likes of Collins, Agbonlahor etc. We're not Man City. Infact they wouldn't even offer Sturridge the wages he wants and that says a lot...

you have to break your wage structure from time to time in order to improve it's as simple as that really, if you're happy with 6th every season then yeah fine keep paying new signings 25k per week

I'd hazard a guess that the majority of our 1st XI is on circa 50 k

How much do you think Delph is on?

around 25k but is he in the 1st XI??

No, I'm referring to you saying we should have offered Sturridge 50k which is unrealistic, 25k is a more realistic wage.

players dictate wages these days, we should be prepared to push the boat out for certain players

I'd hazard a guess that the majority of our 1st XI is on circa 50 k

How much do you think Delph is on?

around 25k but is he in the 1st XI??

So Sturridge has a bad attitude and yet one of the top 3 managers in the world, possibly ever, has chosen to blood him in every game, Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup (including the final)

Nah mate, I think I'll stick to Ancelotti's view of him thanks

Oh, and by the way, if you say, well why would he sell him then , I have already answered it - I don't think Ancelotti wants to - but Abramovic wants Torres.

And if you have Torres , Anelka and Drogba (as well as Kalou) then a young Daniel Sturridge may be available.

Even if it is on loan !

I agree completely, we should've got him 1st time around and given 50k per week but as usual we were too slow in the transfer market

Why would we give a 19 or 20 year old 50k? Ridiculous wage demands.

you have to pay top dollar to the best young talent

Yes, the best young talent that have actually proven themselves.

Anyway most of the suggestions in this thread seem to be influenced by past transfer deals, all very realistic and a bit uninspiring. We need something different and MON has mentioned it I beleive.

he would have if he had stayed fit, he showed fantastic potential at Man City at times and we should've gone for him....end of

I'd hazard a guess that the majority of our 1st XI is on circa 50 k