Houseoftomorrow

I’m not a huge fan of loans either, but if he wants to join and back up Konsa then I’m all for it. If we can push into Europe then I see us adding a quality permanent addition next season since there’s more matches to go around. Kind of a tricky position to fill until then, though.

Now I want a Various Youth kit. That dude is providing depth at just about every position and never gets any credit.

Doesn't Alvarez play primarily on the right?

I still think The Athletic is quite good, especially the Villa stuff. It's not like they're doing what BMail does and writing a "Villa told to sign x" every time a random supporter tweets about a player.

Aaronson is a really good young player who’s trying to carve out a role in the national team. I didn’t see him play at all in Austria this year, but I did watch him quite a bit in Philly. Really skilled on a ball, and reads the game well (off the ball movement, pulling defenders wide). Probably needs to work on his strength a little more, but he’s starting to show up with more assists and goals, which is encouraging. Personally, I think he’s a season or two from breaking out. He’s being overlooked a little because of players like Pulisic and Reyna, but he’s definitely got talent. Dike is a little more difficult to break down because Barnsley deployed him as a battering ram in a very direct system. I’ve heard some people say his link up play is a little suspect, but he seemed fine against Costa Rica. The kid is physically ready, and he’s commanding in the air. He made a really smart run on his goal to get back onside and showed good composure to slot the ball into the near post. I didn’t watch him a lot at Orlando, so I’m intrigued to watch him play more. Tyler Adams, the DM for the US (and RB Leipzig) is a player I’d love us to sign. Does a lot of the dirty work, covers a ton of ground, and is underrated going forward (doesn’t get a ton of goals or assists, but he cycles the ball well). He was recently linked to Arsenal and I wouldn’t mind around round of banter if we stole him.

Has Buendia played much as a 10? I keep seeing Jack - Buendia - Traore as a three behind Watkins but I always thought Buendia played on the right. I admit I didn't watch Norwich much this year if that changed.

I think the off-season will be similar to the last one; opting for quality over quantity. Taylor, Engels, and Guilbert seem certain to leave, with Hourihane and Elmo looking likely. So I'd be happy with a new LB, CB, RB, Attacking mid, ST I like the balance of attacking and defending we get with Traore and Trez, so I'm not sure I'd change anything on the right, and I know the staff rates Kesler, so I wouldn't be shocked if the RB is a veteran on a short contract (or a loan).

Only going off what he told us at the bar. Someone asked him about it and he seemed to dismiss it pretty quickly. Maybe it was just how he viewed his personnel at the time. He seemed pretty adamant that the 4-3-3 was what he preferred.

It could be that his opinion has changed, but for what it’s worth we got to talk to Deano in Minnesota last season and he (and Terry) absolutely hates three in the back formations. I was surprised he turned to it last season, but it may have been out of desperation. But I wouldn’t expect him to use it.

Saw that Málaga are restructuring their club and laying off the entire first team. I'll be the cold-hearted guy and ask if anyone rates their players?

Neither. I like a lot of the other wide options out there, not keen on trying to shuffle the central midfield more than we have to.

Not really. They'll want to get at least a few players in for preseason camp (btw, does anyone know when that starts?). I thought we would have a signing by now but a lot of players are still on holiday, so I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. I suspect we'll see things pick up next week.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Davis entering the last year of his contract? I know there’s some merit in a loan to get him minutes and see how he plays, but if he’s not in our plans wouldn’t trying to get something for him make more sense? Or having him around as a third option so you can evaluate him within the squad?

One thing Watkins has going for him is he's played all three forward positions in a 4-3-3 (I think Origi has too). He's definitely more experienced in the center, but it's nice to have that flexibility to get more goal scorers out there.

This is probably the third time I've seen someone say 15-25m for Tammy since the West Ham match. Is that what everyone thinks it will take? He's 22, English, and just had a 15g 3a season, surely that's gotta be pushing 35-40m minimum in the modern market?

Tbf we haven’t seen the shorts yet.

Looks like something out of the early 90s, and not in a good way. If that’s it, I hope it doesn’t look as cheap in person.

From the Premier League website: "The summer 2020 transfer window started on 27 July and is open for 10 weeks, ending on 5 October. A domestic-only window, during which Premier League clubs can only trade with those in the EFL, will run from 5 October to 17:00 BST on 16 October."

I'd be a little surprised if we sold Lansbury. I was fortunate enough to attend training with a group in Minneapolis, and Dean brought up how good he's been this summer (unprompted). He said similar things when we saw him at the pub later in the night. Not saying he'll see significant playing time, but he may have a niche in the team as cover in central midfield if injuries occur. Also FWIW, Hogan was the only player that didn't talk to us after the practice, and he has seemed pretty upset/disconnected this preseason (even after scoring).

Nice, I’m also in 109, a handful of rows behind the Minnesota Lions. This is the first match following the initial training camp, so expect to see two entirely different teams for each half, with some u23 players mixed in. Not sure if they’ll lump all the starters together or split them up.

For those interested in going, looks like we received more tickets.

Correct, we sold out all 290 seats in sections 108/109, which makes it the largest away section for a Minnesota United match. Just heard we're about to get a block of 150 more in section 112, which is nearby. The Aston Villa America FB group is a good place to start if you're looking for info, or want a seat on a pub to pitch bus for pre/post game. If you don't have Facebook, Simon (at)ChicagoVillans on Twitter can help with questions, too.

Thought the rumors going around were ~5m option for El Ghazi, and 2m for Hause. Of course "rumors" being the key word, but if that's true it seems like a no brainer for both, especially with the lack of numbers at both spots. Hopefully the buyout was sorted long before the run of form!

Agree with this, but I reckon Guilbert will be the man at right back. Wouldn't mind a back up for Jack after watching us play without him for three months. I realize that's probably pretty far down the board, but maybe we can grab a winger capable of moving inside if needed. Since it's been a topic on here for a while, what is the absolute most you would pay for the loan players?