KMitch

Yes, please!  He's a very different profile to all our other central defenders and is a better passer than all of them combined.  Mings is one of the best CBs in Europe in Europe at winning aerial duels but he's not a great passer of the ball.  Torres is one of the best in Europe at passing the ball but isn't great in the air.  You'd imagine Emery would rotate them out depending on the opposition, or heaven forbid, figure out how to play them together, or play a back 3 of Torres, Mings, and Carlos.  I 100% want this to happen for us.

Until Percy says it's happening, it's not happening.  Can't wait for him to sign with someone else so we can go back to talking about unrealistic wonderkid signings.  

2 minutes ago, CarryOnVilla said:

 

James Nursey...  Even more unreliable than Gregg fookin' Evans.  

4 hours ago, Rustibrooks said:

I know Emery has worked with Pau, but I’m a bit scared he might get dominated in the air in the prem. I’m sure he’s not the best at winning duels in the air, but who knows he may just adapt fine.

It's true...  He's in the bottom 3rd of left footed CBs in Europe for winning aerial duels, be he's 3rd in progressive movement (aka passing).  Would be fantastic for us to rotate with Tyrone at times depending on the opposition.  Games where we're expected to dominate possession, play Torres.  Games where we need a gladiator in the backline, play Mings.  

1 minute ago, Frodo said:

I am being patient just saying we're going to get knock backs from players we go after like we did with Asensio & I don't think it will be the last knock back we get, I know some leagues finished this weekend gone, I'm just stating what I think will happen over the course of the summer window. 

Players turn nearly every club in the world down except maybe Madrid, Barcelona, & Man City.  It's part of the game. Just because Asensio decided to take oil money over the Premier League doesn't mean our transfer plans were blown up.  Emery doesn't strike me as a quitter or even someone who gets easily discouraged, so I doubt he's going to be sulking if top tier players don't want to join at this point in the project.  He signed a 5 year deal when he came here and I'm sure he's more than aware that we need to push further up the table and into the Europa League/Champions League places before we can really start attracting the top tier players any manager would want.

Also, keep in mind Villarreal spent a grand total of 5.5 million pounds in transfer fees on players this season and ~35 million pounds last season.  Our wage bill is also massive compared to Villarreal.  We aren't going to be able to compete with the top 6 for every player, but Emery will have enough to pull a few our way and poach good players from clubs in the next tier down around Europe (Villarreal, Betis, any French club not PSG, etc).  He has significantly more resources than he did in Spain.  

1 hour ago, QldVilla said:

I said he upgrades our squad, which he does. Tielemans at his best is still an upgrade on both Ramsey and McGinn, the question is whether he still has his best football in front of him and will Emery make him a better player as with the rest of our squad?

Ill leave it to the Manager if this is a target player for the club.

Not at all.  I've actually watched a lot of Leicester this season which is why I don't want any of their players.  Tielemans is incredibly overrated by the neutrals and goes missing most games.  Leicester fans call him "the fat kid" because he's put on weight and didn't try at all this season.  Pop over to FoxesTalk and see how much he's getting slated by their fans.  They're all glad to be rid of him now, but he's somehow better than our best young player since Grealish and our resurgent captain, who has been a gladiator under Emery?  

3 hours ago, tomav84 said:

kamara, mcginn and JJ play in different positions. in terms of the '8' role we pretty much just have luiz and dendonker. seen our bench last few games? we need more squad depth

We need quality additions to the 1st team, forcing players like Bailey, Buendia, and JJ to the bench to be rotation options/bench players.  Tielemans isn't better than anyone in our staring midfield, IMO.  He would be a very expensive body for our bench demanding a big sign on fee and wages.  You don't move up the table by upgrading your bench, you get better by buying better players for you starting 11 and pushing the former starters to the bench.  We've been linked to quality players like this (Guendouzi, Merino, Ugarte, etc.) but Tielemans isn't on the same level.  Again, if Emery wants him, I'll back him fully to succeed at Villa, but I don't think Emery will be looking at him or Barnes, or anyone from the relegated sides this summer. 

14 minutes ago, QldVilla said:

Tielemans is a quality player who’s had a poor season in a poor team. He instantly upgrades our squad in the midfield if he joins. He’s played consistently in Europe and won Cups in England.

Leicester being on the decline for the past 18 months just may be the reason why his and others form has been poor. If Emery wants him, I’m not going to argue given his history with these players.

Who does he upgrade?  McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Kamara, & JJ are all better than him.  He's be fighting with Dendoncker for rotation spots, IMO.  

If Emery wants him, I'll 100% back him to be a success, but I don't think we'll be interested in any of Leicester's players.  

14 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

 

Because I’m bored. 

Just saw this as well...  Scary stuff.  

53 minutes ago, thabucks said:

Pulisic or Harvey Barnes - gotta choose one who ya picking ? 

Neither...  Pulisic is a significantly better player than Harvey Barnes and would really raise our profile in the USA (lots of new Chelsea fans recently because of him), but always without fail picks up an injury just as he hits form and it sets him back over and over again.  I honestly think he's a realistic target for Villa, but he would demand a lot of money but that's not smart business for our club when he's in the treatment room for 10-20 games every season.  Barnes does not fit our system at all and had one good season in his career so far...  No idea why everyone is raving about him other than his performances against us recently.  I'd be shocked if Emery actually wanted him.  

1 hour ago, paul514 said:

Yea and out of those clubs, some don’t want him, some have other priorities.

it is very possible none of them bid for him.

As for all the PSG stuff that is just to agree a fee with them not PSV.

you seem to view this player as one of the best in the world whereas he has played one season in a farmers league.

Yes, he is...  He's one of the best U20 players in the world and just had an amazing season in Holland.  He is not coming to Villa, even if we really wanted him.

43 minutes ago, paul514 said:

Oh right, ok.

Well he hasn’t had a second season.

he does have that clause

he hasn’t signed a new deal (not sure that would get rid of the clause anyway)

we are a more attractive side than PSV

We play in the biggest league in the world

have a tier one manager

can afford the fee 

will pay him much higher wages 

i don’t know how low you rate our attractiveness as a club but outside a dozen clubs in world football we are in that next tier of teams.

So unless 

Real Madrid

athleti

barcelona

bayern munich

dortmund

psg

our sky 6 clubs buy him…..

then we are as good a proposition as any other.

We're in the top 20 biggest clubs in the world right now, but there are ~15 of them that have more money and/or pulling power than we do.  We could blow our entire transfer budget on this kid, theoretically, but every single one of those clubs you listed would offer him the same wages or better.  We ultimately couldn't compete with just one of the clubs ahead of us (PSG) for Asensio, what makes you think we can beat out a dozen of them for one of the hottest properties in European football right now?  The reason PSG haven't triggered his very cheap buy back clause is because he doesn't want to go back...  He can tell them to fook off if they trigger the clause.  He wants first team football and has publicly stated he wants to stay at PSV.  

Sorry, dude, but you need to take off your claret and blue tinted glasses.  We're more likely to sign Messi than Xavi Simons, and I've already stated how ridiculous that suggestion is.  

2 minutes ago, KMitch said:

He's one of the top young players in Europe and probably had one of the best individual seasons for any player under 20.  19 goals and 8 assists in 34 League games.  If he signs a new contract at PSV which removes his buy back clause to PSG and has another season like that next year, he'll be a 100 million pound player.  I guarantee when the NXGN top 50 list comes out this year, he'll be in the top 5.  It's like saying 2 years ago "We should sign Haaland from Dortmund!  They only signed him for 17 million, so he can't cost THAT much for us..."

Sorry, the list came out earlier on this year and he's a year too old to be eligible.  He was #27 last year and has passed most of the players ahead of him since then.  

https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/nxgn-2022-50-best-wonderkids-in-football/blt20779a3d73329005#cs436a2f61dc11fce2

Regardless, it's a completely unrealistic signing.  Everyone knows who he is and in the unlikely scenario he was to move this summer it'll be to one of the elite clubs.

7 minutes ago, paul514 said:

Which suggestions are these?

care to tell me why signing simons is so bonkers?

He's one of the top young players in Europe and probably had one of the best individual seasons for any player under 20.  19 goals and 8 assists in 34 League games.  If he signs a new contract at PSV which removes his buy back clause to PSG and has another season like that next year, he'll be a 100 million pound player.  I guarantee when the NXGN top 50 list comes out this year, he'll be in the top 5.  It's like saying 2 years ago "We should sign Haaland from Dortmund!  They only signed him for 17 million, so he can't cost THAT much for us..."

4 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

That's next summer.

Yeah Pink gig I'm guessing.

 

My bad!  That's wishful thinking on my part.  lol

16 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

Is the pitch being re-turfed, why are we playing Lazio away from VP?

North Stand construction.

Why haven't the mods closed this thread yet?  There still isn't a single credible transfer link for Messi to Villa other than a throwaway joke from Emi Martinez.  Do we need to make 30 pages of fish puns in order to close this?  

I guess I'll have to tuna in tomorrow and see if it's open or not.  

1 hour ago, paul514 said:

Well he has a buyback clause with PSG for 10-15m

so he can’t cost that much

Xavi Simons???? Paul, I want some of what you're smoking, dude.  Some of your suggestions are outright hilarious. 

Let's sign Jude Bellingham and Victor Osimhen while we're at it to go along with Xavi Simons and Paulo Dybala!

30 minutes ago, TRO said:

Character, is one of the most important considerations, when signing players, over and above their talent.

some of the players we have been linked with, leave me in doubt.

I have to trust UE to know this.....I am just not convinced, by the feasibility of some of these really big names, linked with us.

Being linked to a player in the rags does not mean we're actually interested in them.  I remember some on here were on full blown suicide watch before Emery signed because the press was linking us to Sean Dyche.  We've always done our business behind closed doors and don't leak things on our side.  We're now a very attractive and ambitious side with European football on the offer, so we're starting to turn heads in the media and agents will use our name to try to drum up interest from other teams.  It doesn't mean anything.

One of the main things we've done very well so far under NSWE is consistently recruit players with good characters, no matter who the manager is.  The squad's character was arguably one of the main reasons why Emery was able to so quickly turn things around and not let the new manager bounce fall off.  

I like the fact that Emery is going after genuine quality players like Asensio because it shows his and our ambition.  He's a great player that would have improved us tremendously if we were able to pull it off, but it wasn't meant to be.  No big deal, I virtually guarantee the club has a shortlist of others we'll now go after instead and eventually bring in someone else who will fit our ethos and improve us on the pitch.  

46 minutes ago, Keyblade said:

Crazy to think that we'd already confirmed Kamara and Carlos by this time last year.

I saw on Twitter someone already complaining about the recruitment team’s lack of ambition and how we need to get a move on already. Ffs the window isn’t even open for another two weeks and other leagues haven’t wrapped their seasons up yet.