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thunderball

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Everything posted by thunderball

  1. thunderball
    Everyday that Maupay, Philips and Benrahma don’t sign for someone else it feels like it’s one day closer to signing for us.
  2. thunderball
    I think Smith , Purslow and Suso will do what’s right, whatever that is, let’s wait and see....
  3. thunderball
    Yes, but we already have meaningful cover in midfield, but striker is a key position. If Wesley doesn’t work out we need options worthy of our ambition, currently we have Davis and Kodjia having said good bye to McCormack and Tammy. I really think we need a half decent back up and not convinced Kodjia is that?
  4. thunderball
    What if Wesley doesn’t work or gets injured?
  5. thunderball
    I don’t think DS will only play 4-3-3 with his first choice players all season, he needs options and plan B.
  6. thunderball
    Think he can play wide in a front 3. At worst it’s an option to swap out with El Ghazi. Hope it happens, think he could be a massive hit in the PL
  7. thunderball
    If we sign Trezeguet (and Benrahma who is our main target) I expect Green to out on loan which would suit him I think
  8. thunderball
    Blades have a £20m fee agreed for Maupay. It was thought it would go through this week however apparently Villa and Burnley have since submitted bids. Maupay allegedly holding out to be reunited with Dean Smith.... [via Twitter, all according to journalist Chris Walton]
  9. thunderball
    Yes, good business right there.
  10. thunderball
    Bowen going to Southampton, fee agreed apparently.
  11. thunderball
    Villa supporter on Twitter claims “not ITK about anything else but has heard from someone with inside knowledge that Cahill is as good as done”. Make of that what you want.
  12. thunderball
    Dont think you can come on here and fast track your way through 30 pages of todays posts. You lazy ba...... Nothing.
  13. thunderball
    One thing is for certain, we won’t have “quantity” [which suggests excessiveness], if we pull out all the stops we will only have a bare bones squad and a first team that will will be lucky to be as effective as the team at Wembley and that finished 5th in the Championship. To get quality you need to spend as it doesn’t come cheap - you can get lucky now and then (McGinn) but not when you need 5-6 new players, you might luck out and get 1 McGinn, but not 5-6 low cost players who are undiscovered diamonds. When you micro-manage a club, adding all the little things just for than extra 0.5% everywhere: training, fitness, conditioning, nutrition, personal plans, drills, set pieces, pacing your pre-season to build up for the opening game to hit the ground running, because every other team does because you can’t afford not to anymore and the bar has been raised by Liverpool and a Man City to another level. Not actually having the players in place to take advantage of this, that is a problem, that is dropping the ball. Maybe that is not as good as it could be when we have substantial backing.
  14. thunderball
    It seems to be his agent suggesting the move rather than any credible Villa interest.
  15. thunderball
    I hear you. My post is set against the context of our NEED to buy quite a number of players having let a number leave out of contract, that suggests confidence and a plan. It is also set against us having substantial financial backing and prior to the season ending Purslow and Smith said they had two plans in place depending on our status. And finally Smith saying he wanted his team in place for pre-season. Mings should be relatively straight forward, the player is on board. Whilst at the risk of falling into the ITK trap, there is plenty of quiet voices at their respective clubs saying we have definitely tried to close Webster, Philips and Butland. But none of these are anywhere close seemingly, and they are definitely gettable and not fantasy signings or in competition with others. Fully understand the complexity of a transfer, but the last three mentioned seemed more straight forward if the fee was paid? My real concern is as one of the favourites to be relegated, what is the cost of poor preseason preparation and a slow start, especially when we knew who would be out of contract and what we needed. 4 weeks to go and off on tour shortly.
  16. thunderball
    I’d agree with this. I do feel however it is going to take big balls and conviction to make the signings we need. If you look around though, plenty of other middling teams are happy paying £25m, £30m plus for the right player (even last season). After all, it’s not the cost of the player but the VALUE TO OUR TEAM AND PROJECT.
  17. thunderball
    The longer we leave it, the more selling clubs will smell the blood and panic in the air. We are very short on quality and numbers. Dean Smith wanted his main business done by pre-season, this isn’t happening. Sounds like Philips is being offered a new contract by LUFC, if he signs it’s not happening, if he doesn’t he’s had his head turned which could precipitate a sale. Really not confident now though, it feels as though Purslow is in shock and hasn’t acclimatised to the new order of things this window, which has moved on again. It does seem the best players at clubs in the Championship are now £20m and upwards. There are some big clubs with a lot of money down there now.
  18. thunderball
    He could, any signing could. But he is young and on an upward trajectory, if you have seen him you will know he is quick, strong, combative with a good range of passing and has great energy. He was the fulcrum of Leeds team. He is every bit on par with McGinn for me, not better - a different player, just a competitive, a driving force, high energy, never-say-die kind of player with a touch of quality and likelihood of improvement.
  19. thunderball
    The point is at 24 you have a long career runway in front of him to get value, and an opportunity to profit. He could sign for 5 years to amortise his purchase price to £4m/season and his wages would be generally cheaper, than say a 27 year old. We could own him for 4 years and sell him at 28 his prime for likely what we paid or possibly more, whereas if we bought a half decent player at 28, you get a diminishing asset. My concern is we could have a lot of money in the bank and back in the Championship. We have the weakest squad in the PL at the moment and if anything the market is rising even in this window, God knows what it will be on August 7th, or in January and next summer.
  20. thunderball
    It was one up top: Steer. It was an experimental formation.
  21. thunderball
    At 24 he is worth £30m, not sure what we are farting about for, we need to knuckle down and prepare for August, not play some poker game until August 8th having got no one else in and neither have they so see who blinks first. I would say we have most to lose, with this approach to signings? I see Mings may now be in doubt because Ake is piquing the interest of MC, we will end up with option D at this rate.
  22. thunderball
    This is just sheer unrealistic greed to expect this, c’mon? I would be honestly quite content if we only sign Philips, Butland, Mings, Webster, Maupay, Benrahma and also Axel (loan with purchase option next summer).
  23. thunderball
    Yes he does. Financial.
  24. thunderball
    Correct if Chester is fit, but he could be finished
  25. thunderball
    My thoughts exactly. In these ridiculous times he looks worth the £20m. Looks as comfortable playing in ‘midfield/wing’ as at the back . Importantly another ball playing player. Note: we will need 3 new CB’s.
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