KMitch

Not only that, throw Chambers in the mix there as well and you have 4 players very comfortable defending and playing with the ball at their feet. Gives us flexibility to play 3 at the back too.

He's much better than Konsa and is arguably better than Mings. Fans would love him after a few games.

He's not actually a "stopper", that's Ben Mee... Tarkowski was actually a very good ball playing CB at Brentford, which is why it was puzzling to see him go to Burnley all those years ago. He's a terrific defender at his core, but is much better all around than most are crediting him for because he played for Burnley.

He's a great player... Much better than Burnley's level and is an actual proper right sided ball playing CB, which we need next to Mings. If the money is right, he could be a bargain.

I don't get the obsession with Bissouma... He's not a 6 and he's a mediocre 8 in the Prem.

Apart from Grealish's departure, I was happy with our summer business Wasn't happy with the start of the season Wasn't happy with Smith's sacking Wasn't happy with Gerrard's appointment Wasn't happy with Gerrard's initial tactics Was shocked when we signed Coutinho, Digne, & Chambers Enjoyed a little stretch at the end of Feb/beginning of March were we looked like we turned a corner tactically Was extremely disappointed to see Gerrard dismantle that formation in late March Lost interest in watching us after losing 4 in a row Happy to see we signed Coutinho on a permanent deal at a fraction of the asking price/wage packet Very pessimistic about next season after that horrific collapse yesterday and Gerrard's pathetic record against the top 7 teams.

The entire team was built around Grealish... Of course we would struggle without him, as would any team with a genuine world class player missing from their lineup. The point of bringing in Buendia & Bailey this summer was to give us actual quality options to not have to rely on Grealish alone when he hits his yearly injury and misses ~10 games. Gerrard actually had a fully fit Buendia, Bailey, AND Coutinho/Digne and struggled to get the team playing consistent enough, whereas Smith had to play 3 at the back and stick El Lazy & Young up top, because everyone else was injured. Anyway, Smith is gone & Gerrard is here. I don't see any improvement in play so far under Gerrard on the pitch, but there has been a significant upgrade on recruitment so far, so maybe when Gerrard eventually gets the sack, we can go after someone like Mourinho to get us into the Champions League with an actual talented squad.

Uh... It was common knowledge Chelsea had a transfer embargo that summer and brought in Lampard to "usher in a new era of Chelsea" made up of their highly rated youth players breaking through like Tammy, Mount, Tomori, etc. We wanted to sign him but Chelsea set a high price on him that window because Lampard wanted to keep him around and they couldn't buy another striker to replace him.

One of the best players in all of the Prem, outside of the top 4, but many VTers want to bin him off. Unbelievable.

Sorry, but that's BS... Under Smith, we tried to play possession, 433 football and would oftentimes take points off of the top teams but would underperform against those around us in the table. The first 11 games of the season were a bit different with a very shortened preseason, significant injuries/fitness issues with a lot of key members of the first team, and the late loss of Grealish set us up for a rough start. Unfortunately for him, the board decided to go another direction and Smith was let go, but I'm sick and tired of the narrative that Smith couldn't do anything without Grealish. I just want a vision/style of play solidified this summer... Win, Lose, or Draw you knew exactly who and what we were under Smith. Too many times the players themselves looked lost under Gerrard this season. Too many times we chopped/changed the formation and style of play, and when we somehow stumbled upon one which seemed to be working, he ripped it up and went another way again. I'm praying this summer the squad gets on the same page and we don't capitulate this fall.

Sell him... Imagine if Gabby had work ethic... Strong, fast, runs a lot, but can't finish and lacks a football brain. Sums up Watkins for me. 40 million+ and take it.

I thought he looked fine... Looks like there are two levels of 'keeper in most fans eyes now: Martinez and absolute shit... Have we already forgotten the dark days of Nyland??????

Finally signed a DM... On paper, this looks like a great signing, but I'm shocked none of the "bigger" teams really wanted him. Hopefully he's as good as all the VillaTalk French footy experts make him out to be (the same ones who said Traore was shite). I think Gerrard is an awful manager, but I can't fault him in the transfer market so far. Very good business so far. Coutinho Digne Chambers Olsen Kamara

Not as long as Gerrard is the manager...

Yes it is... Awful subs all around.

You just knew it was going to happen, didn't you? Once again, Gerrard can't get points off the top 7... We got a point of Man United but lost every other game against the others under this clown. This is relegation level stuff.

What a fookin' goal!!! Are we finally going to beat the Oil Money????

Tarkowski on a free and selling Konsa for 25-30 million would be fantastic business.

Is it me or does Arsenal always be seem to be linked to half the players in Europe? Feeds into the delusion their fans have that they seem to think everyone wants to join Arsenal/is an Arsenal fan.

If he was English, he would be probably be starting most games for Snoozegate... That is, if he didn't play for Villa!

Let's get this straight... VillaTalk/Twitter doesn't rate McGinn, but most Villa supporters do. I love him and think he would be much better in a different system than Slippy G wants us to play in. He's also not a defensive midfielder and his best games for us had him pressing very high up the pitch to both win the ball back and/or run in behind the opposing defenders. He was one of the best midfielders in the Prem before his injury in our first season back in the top flight. Since then, he's been asked to play a different/deeper role by both Smith and Gerrard, which holds him back from what he does best.

Nobody really wanted to talk about this being a huge factor in our "over achievement" last season. Our defense was fantastic without fans there to distract them and the players could play like they did on the training ground.

This 100%... I remember an interview with Grealish the season Targett joined. Jack said something about Terry joining the boys for training matches when they're shorthanded during International breaks and how he is still a great player in his retirement. He also said something about Targett confiding in him that "They spent 13 million pounds on me and Terry makes me feel like I'm a Sunday league player!" No self confidence at all and it shows in his play. If he makes an early mistake, he can't recover, especially when the crowd gets on him.

I would be disappointed if we signed both of those two... It would be underwhelming if after all this talk of expanding scouting and analytics at the club and we end up getting fleeced for two overpriced and overrated players from clubs a level below us. Considering we were in the mix for Bentancur and have been pretty heavily linked to both Kondogbia & Kamara by some of the more reputable continental journalists shows we're looking for players at a level above Bissouma/Phillips for similar prices.

This sums it up for me. Our football is incredibly dull and uninspired... We're now a counter attacking team, who can't break down other teams who counter attack and also look fragile in transition. We played Palace's game yesterday. They let us come at them, knowing we have all our creativity on the bench (minus Coutinho), which is why they looked so much more dangerous than we did with the ball. Gerrard is a clown. It's frustrating because if he swaps out 6 players from the first team squad we had yesterday with his own signings this summer and we still lack an identity next season, he won't be sacked immediately. We need a manager with experience and some guile. TBH, I would throw a lot of money at Mourinho, give him as much money as FFP allows for to build the squad, and allow him 5 years to get into the Champs League without any meddling from the board.