Indigo

Also the above tweet from Romano is along the lines of why I thought folk were getting too hung up on the idea that PSG wouldn't be a goer because they don't have a manager in place (well, won't soon anyway). They aren't exactly known for doing business in a conventional manner and gave Campos a lot of power last summer to control transfers and generally undermine Galtier. They'll sign a player they want regardless of if they have a head coach in place.

Romano tweeted this as recently as an hour and a half ago: Ornstein is as reliable as it gets.

Romano, Ornstein etc have said it.

Wan-Bissaka is a good player on the ball, for me. He's a good dribbler and a tidy passer, particularly in his own half playing through being pressed. The criticism he gets is just that for a full back at a top side he has minimal end product in the attacking third of the pitch and things would often break down with him putting in ineffective crosses or just taking the safer option etc. I think with the way tactics have started to evolve now with one - sometimes both - full back(s) being more reserved you'll see him shine a bit more as he did at times this season as it suits his game.

Think people are underestimating that PSG are a club that will sign players regardless of who the manager is or whether they even have one, and that they are very light on forward at the options so as it stands he would be playing for them. He's struggling to get a look in at Real because of Rodrygo, but there is no right-sided player at PSG currently so he walks into the position. If it's between us and them he's getting offered main man at a Conference League team going places vs starting forward for - as loathe as I am to say it - one of the wealthiest and most appealing clubs on the planet to play for. Villa are going to struggle in such scenarios, as much as I'm holding out some hope that he'd be one of the outliers that would choose us.

More of a Toner fan myself.

I'm a season ticket holder for the club Aaron started out at over here - St Patrick's Athletic. Good to see him going strongly now, he was always getting great reviews as a young lad and I believe managed to make the move to Villa not long before Brexit came into place and changed the shape of academy football over here. He joined a prestigious group of common players between the clubs that includes the likes of Enda Stevens, Keith Fahey, Kevin Toner, Mikey Drennan...and some guy called Paul McGrath.

Must be one of the few players in history to be more of a goal threat directly from corners than from free kicks in dangerous positions.

Disagree with this, think it was one of the strongest aspects of his game this season actually. At home to Leeds springs to mind where no matter how much they tried to shake him, Gnonto just couldn't get any change out of Young.

Nooooooo! Was hoping he'd be kept around in some capacity, he clearly wanted to and I thought his performances objectively deserved it as well. His versatility and experience would have made him a handy member of the squad with - hopefully - all of the additional fixtures next season. I'm sure it's being done with good reason but a sad one all the same.

I was speaking in generalities on my second line, obviously there could be anomalies where someone would be swayed be the PL, Emery etc, but I think it's fair to say we'd be doing well to compete with PSG for players given where both clubs are at right now. It's not a knock on Villa at all, it's just the reality of where PSG are at and if anything would make me even more excited if we managed it. On point 1) this is just a comment on how haphazardly PSG are run but unless they're about to change that I don't think it matters. The managers are hamstrung by what goes on above, and ultimately the decision-makers like Campos, Mbappe (lol) sign who they're going to sign so if they want Asensio they'll go for him regardless if anyone is in the post or not right now. I doubt Galtier would have much of a say in the matter, for example.

Worth saying again that Messi is leaving, and if PSG can get their way they'd probably be happily rid of Neymar too. Even accounting for him it leaves Mbappe and Ekitike as the only players for them that play across the forward line, so Asensio more than likely plays most weeks for them were he to sign despite statements to the contrary, as he would be the only one who is naturally right-sided. Even if they sign another forward it'd likely be someone to play through the middle which again wouldn't really threaten his place in the team. Main hope for me would be that PSG explore other options, because as appealing as Villa are right now we're not at the level yet to have much chance at beating them for them for players like this.

He probably would play quite a bit for PSG. Off the top of my head if he joined tomorrow he'd be the only player in the squad whose natural position is to play off the right side of the forward line.

On a normal one as always.

PSG are a law unto themselves and would definitely do something like that regardless.

My Kaveh lowlight is when he responded to having the piss lightly taken out of him by HLTCO on twitter - who's a good guy and follow for what it's worth - for talking his usual rubbish about transfers by saying he was being attacked in a racially motivated manner by him despite there being less than zero evidence for it. Believe it wasn't long before he ended up deleting the tweet.

Can you imagine how much the players would be laughing their arses off if they saw all of the debate over such an innocuous comment.

Felix was an embarrassingly shit signing for Chelsea. Atletico paid €130 million or whatever it was for him, he failed to live up to it and Simeone didn't like him, so much so he was happy to let him go in January. However Simeone may possibly be off soon himself so rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater they give Felix a new deal before then loaning him to Chelsea - who don't know how to use him but just want to sign all of the players - for a decent fee but with apparently no option to make it permanent, so in the event that Simeone does leave they can just use him again under whoever the new manager is. He's a lovely player to watch but really not that effective at the highest level, obviously good enough for Villa (and given our system he'd probably work well in it compared to most other sides where he struggles to have a natural position) but I can't see it being a goer at all this summer.

Might be years of Villa-based disappointment influencing me but this stinks of we're currently closest to signing him because we've actually made a concrete offer, however the story even coming out and the talk of us "waiting for an answer" is Asensio's side holding out for a more attractive club to come in.

I was only having a laugh man. If Asensio signs I'm having a summer of watching highlight videos and dreaming of him belting in 25-yarders, not quivering at the idea of him not putting up enough middle third pressures per 90.

Barnes has better defensive numbers on FBREF than Asensio, I know who I'd rather.

I mean they were kinda right though? By all accounts he'd done everything but signed a contract with Villa, and it was the Spanish press that broke the story that it was no longer happening.

This is my favourite thread on here.

I remember him scoring the below goal against Barca in the Super Cup and it being the common consensus at the time that he was the next big player up for Madrid. Meanwhile we were getting underway in our second season in the Championship. He obviously hasn't quite lived up to the potential but I don't think I'd have believed you if you told me we'd ever apparently be in for him.

Yeah agreed, still think FBRef is a great resource but within a short period of time I've gone from loving it to wishing I'd never see it again lol. It's just become the basis for all judgements on players now when even the creators of such platforms would tell you that context is always key with stats.