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I really think this is the case. Iroegbunam was slowly integrating with the first team even under Dean but it seems it could be getting expedited under SG, his team went to see the latest 4-1 u23 win over Burnley in which he was the standout player which would have done his chances no harm. The 6 is a really important role in SG's system given how much ground they have to cover with the 8s pressing the wings, as much as I love Dougie the skillset needed in SG's 6 role could suit Tim more if we can start to blood him. Still a long while yet but I think this is a lad we will start seeing more of very soon.

Utter beast, with the 3-5-2 we can invite a lot of pressure down the flanks for crosses so think there is room for him. As others have said he can count himself unlucky to not have more gametime given how flawless he has been when called upon. I reckon the criticism has always been his ability on the ball but perhaps as the middle of the 3 centrebacks he can leave konsa/mings to do the heavy lifting on the expansive passing side, as they both have experience at rb/lb

I appreciate the sentiment of this but I think given the attackers that hadn't taken a pen where Archer, JPB and Carney, I wouldn't be surprised if Dean was mindful of the abuse Saka and Sancho got as young lads who decided to step in the Euro's and he wanted to protect them from that even if that mean choosing a less capable PK.

I do agree and wouldn't like people to see criticise if he came up short vs the champions league holders but would personally like to see him in case of any surprises to the upside. Certain young players are completely unphased by the opposition and can make a name for themselves vs big opposition (think Grealish vs Liverpool in FA cup semi final).

Jaden's injury was badly timed as 90 minutes vs Chelsea (even if their reserves) would have represented a real challenge and litmus test to his capability in the prem. Tomorrow may come round a bit too soon but it would be great to see him or Carney get the chance to test themselves against top class opposition over the course of an entire game.

Has performed well this season but if I'm completely honest I don't think we missed McGinn when he went off on Saturday. Whilst I do see his blood and thunder advanced role being very effective in setting the tone for our midfield especially against teams who will seek to dominate the ball. However a common theme that was very evident in the first half of vs Everton was our lack of composure in the final third (which Dean has named checked as an area we were looking to improve) and I think a big reason for that is McGinn's low pass %, I know he tries ambitious balls but I think in games which we are dictating more of the play simply he does not have the composure in the final third to be effective as our furthest forward midfield (and with Ings and Watkins covering more of the defenders, efficiency in the final third from midfields gonna be increasingly important).

Really impressive performance from Dougie on Saturday was in contention for my MOTM. He might not ever be the intimidating physical presence in CDM that many have clamoured for but I see enough tenacity in his game and awareness to at least match the sort of defensive contribution JWP would give us which many of us were swooning for. Glad to see the player we were worried about being bought by Man City has returned, certainly feels as if the midfield configuration was the issue more than the personnel. With a 3 man midfield Luiz won't be overloaded defensively and gets more time to showcase the parts of his game that gives him an edge which is the progressive passing and incisive balls from deep which I felt we saw for the first time in a long time vs Chelsea. Would like to think being a key member of the Olympic Gold winning team has put a spring his step, he still is very young for his role but long may this form continue for him to pick up his place as one of Villa's most exciting players.

I believe Tim always been earmarked for the first team but thought potentially might have to spend the season with u23s learning the way we play first. Seems clear that he's class above and may get his chance sooner than we all thought...

Without rehashing the beaten to death CM debates here. Now the end of the window has come without additions in CM, it becomes more clear the theory of leaving space open for the youth players is a likely tact from the villa management. Tim was absolutely magnificent last night, took the game by the scruff the neck, showed presence and good technical skill in the middle of the park but his killer weapon is unpicking defences from deep, which apart from McGinns low success high balls, don't really have. He appears to be more of an 8, which we can't stop churning out at the moment, but think that was also due to the dominance of the performance rather than need to sit back. Do think one or two of our surplus of box to box CMs in youth will develop into holding midfielders - makes sense they develop the overall part of their game first and later on pick up the positional discipline of the 6 role. Let's not forget Tim was in the first team for WBA end of last season, I have no doubt once he has spent adequate time in the u23s learning the way we like to play, he will be next up to break into the first team. If this guy had 10 appearances for a Ligue 1 team playing the way he does we would all be buzzing.

Exactly my thoughts, the way he hustled for the ball and was able to run the channels just as well as being the focal point was very Watkins-esque. I could see both Ings and Watkins being great mentors for him and given we are going to need more strikers if we play two up top I think keeping him around will be far better for his development than on loan as he is similar enough to Watkins he would suit the system. Like many others this was a name I wasn't expecting much of as had put him down as one of the last batch of the pre-NSWE youngsters. Seemingly Shakespeare and the staff also were surprised, he has gone from strength to strength from Moors loan to impressing staff at a pre-season tour as well as being consistent for the u23s. Fair play to the kid for forcing through, - looks like he has an elite mentality, even after the hattrick seemed completely unfazed and already thinking about his next goal!

Club chief responds to Aston Villa transfer interest in Cheick Doucoure (todayuknews.com) With Vestegaard nearing a Leicester exit it would seem likely JWP is fully off the menu which would add credence to this transfer. The above doesn't tell too much but it's at the minimum an implicit acknowledgement of a bid. I'm getting a similar vibe to Craig Butler's comments about 'making sure everyone is happy' before we closed the Bailey deal...

One thing I don't buy is that the Ings transfer came up so unexpectedly that it has thrown a spanner into our tactics/formation as we need to adapt to potentially having to play 2 strikers. Tammy was rumoured all summer and by very reputable sources I think we've wanted 2 top striker for a while. Whilst I agree the benefit for depth is very necessary if Tammy came we would be in the exact same situation where it would feel unfathomable to not start either Tammy or Watkins (Tammy for sure wouldn't join if it was anything else). Whilst the 4-3-3 definitely picks itself a lot easier with 1 striker I feel Jack leaving has kinda given us the option to rebuild the team strategy as everything was created to be conducive to Jack, and I think Shakespeare has really advocated at the minimum for the option of 2 striker formations. 4-3-3 may be the de-facto formation for the likes of Klopp and Guardiola with an embarrassment of riches, the likes of Leicester, Chelsea and Leeds which I think are seen as more tactically reactive managers, regularly switch between back 3, 2 striker systems, standard 4-3-3 etc and I for one will be open to us having that tactical flexibility until we carve out a more specific identity with our new look side.

Might seem like jumping the gun for someone we've not even kick a ball for u23 yet but I think with all this talk at the moment of a marquee signing at CDM it was acknowledging Tim. He wouldn't have joined already broken through WBA first team for money alone, Mark Harrison is constantly harping about evidencing the pathway to youth players and I feel Tim would have been given some assurances in his chance to break into the first XI in due course / our coaching team liking his profile for us. Given that I think his presence impacts the profile of player we go after for CDM. Papa Sarr is a good example, the same age as Tim despite accomplishing far more. I can not see us signing another 18 year old in that role for the same window. Douglas Luiz is only 23, so whilst I don't think that means we need to bring in an aging head purely for experience as we will still seek to invest in players with re-sell potential. I do like the profile of Cheick Doucoure and seems fairly experienced for his age but to me the age and profile of JWP (26) lends itself far more to both providing immediate impact for the first team as well as keeping the pathway for players such as Tim open (and continue to attract top level youth talent as they see evidence of this pathway).

Other than JPB, Jacob Ramsey I think may have come out of this pre-season with his reputation most furthered. Dean and the staff clearly very much rate him despite some of his performances stalling in what was a very shakey midfield during a very shakey league performance time from feb - may. The main issue for me with Jacob is I'm not sure which midfield role he is best suited for seems to have equal parts of a 6, 8 and 10. Perhaps 10 is least likely but would certainly be servicable there.He seems to have bulked up a lot this summer ready for the more physical CM roles but the issue with him in either 6 or 8 is I'm very much unsure of who he would be a good partner with. If we do manage to get another CM of JWP level I think it could actually be well placed for Jacob to be the partner, he desperately needs a more experienced head to guide him through the game in CM and the style Dean wants to have at 6 where they are equally comfortable with the ball as well as sitting could suit the all round nature of Ramsey as he could fill in should JWP progress the ball upfield or similarly could bomb on knowing JWP taking a position in front of the centrebacks. The marquee CM signing really could be the best thing for Jacobs development as I think he's already ready and doesn't need a loan yet will continue to get lost in a midfield with McGinn or Luiz next to him.

If he does break-through properly it will be a credit to our coaching team. @useless will be more familar with his history but if I recall correctly he was rejected by over 11 clubs at academy level and I believe was spotted on some phone footage in local London cage football match? Street football talent when properly harnessed has yielded some of the greatest footballers in recent years; Rooney, Sancho, Foden, Sterling all spring to mind from England as well as a large part of France's golden generation (Pogba, Mahrez even though Algerian heritage come to mind). https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2020/08/23/street-football-still-best-academy-game/ - This article summarises it quite well. The biggest issue has always been coaching the boring part of the game that makes a professional footballer and with Jaden starting academy football so much later than his peers I felt he would have been too raw to be anywhere near the first team for some time. Very impressive to see the maturity in his game in the pre-season games so far and a testament to the ability of our current youth coaching team.

That's additionally promising if he's managing to influence games with the first team (albeit pre seasons) from not his favoured position. The age 17-22 seems to be the most vital for a talented youth player to transition into senior football. Players can literally go from the Messi of their age group at 17 to non league football by 22. JPB slap bang in the middle of this and really hoping this season he manages to get enough opportunities in the first team to become at the minimum a championship level talent for us to sell on but more optimistically the next in line to pick up JG's mantle from that LW berth (no pressure!)

I was wondering this as well. Does anyone know what foot he is, as we have quite the right footed LW hole in our team right now that JPB could slot into very nicely...

I think personally I've underestimated JPB's likeliness of breaking into the first team until now. Potentially it was because of the false dawns we've had with similar wingers over the years (Jordan Graham, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, Andre Green come to mind). Despite him getting minutes alongside Carney at the end of last season, it has seemed there has been more excitement with Carney's potential (alongside Louie Barry and Aaron Ramsey too). From what we've seen in pre-season now he has seemingly spent a decent amount of time with the first team there is a very good chance this guy saves us a lot of money should we be looking for a LW replacement. He's known for being very productive in terms of end product which seemingly one of the most difficult parts for a young winger to add to their game, so the goals in pre-season could go a long way for him being seen as a real option next season. Looking forward to seeing what he can achieve with some minutes.

I have a great feeling about this one not based on much in particular... By all accounts we seem to have taken WBA's 'Carney' albeit in a more defensively minded role. He is apparently best mates with Barry, as they came up through Sutton Coldfields at the same time before both being picked up by WBA, which is not a bad thing given how much of villa players seem to be genuine friends which each other and I'm sure leads to a great atmosphere in the camp similar to the England squad in the Euros. Whilst he'll be a long way off yet, he made it the matchday squad of the first team towards the end of the season and he seems to play in a role we are crying out for at the moment. Whilst there some nominal CDMs such as Raikhy and Bogarde in the wings I'm not sure either fit into the archetype destroyer whilst being comfortable on the ball that Tim has shown.

Do we know if the deal for Tim Iroegbunam went through, seemed imminent but haven't seen any confirmation since. Was one I was quite excited for as was close to WBA first team and would give us options in a role we aren't exactly blessed in. The deal for Finn being completed before has me questioning whether it's a goer for Tim still?

I do overall like Nakamba and would like to keep him in the squad, however I feel he was very well utilised by Dean to help see out games or in games in which we needed assistance marking men between the lines. If we had to rely upon him for the majority of games I would imagine some of his ability on the ball would be far more exposed. If Douglas manages to recapture some of his form I don't see their being a major issue but it seems as if we might not have that luxury right now and hence I think a CDM is very important.

I feel Marv has been given too hard a time despite some really important performances from him last season. Despite this I feel worried going into next season with him as our first choice CDM. Would keep him as an option as his ability to help us see out games almost dropping back as a 3rd centreback is really helpful however too many games we are under long spells of pressure and his tendency to pass the ball straight back to the opposition hasnt changed and at this point in his career I can't see it changing. If selling him is required to bring in a more accomplished CDM, I'd be sad to see him go but ultimately would accept him as a casualty of our progression.

FWIW Ward-Prowse agent is Jonathan Barnett who also represents our very own Jack Grealish and Esri Konsa. Whilst agents certainly have no loyalties, at least in this case we have an agent who has seen first-hand how serious we are about our project and the money we are prepared to throw around.

The FA youth cup was so important, whilst not to take away from the achievement of our coaching staff, but it reinforced our aggressive spending on youth that seemed to be an immediate initiative by NSWE. Just from tonight's squad, Marschall (Cambridge City), Bogarde (Feyenoord), Swinkels (Vitesse), Chukwuemeka (Northampton), Chrisene (Exeter), Barry (Barcelona), Zych (Lubin) were signed at U14 or later, plus Lindley and Appiah after they were released from Man City and Chelsea. Having a starlet that's been coached from the ages of 5 up like Jack is romanticised but in reality buying the top talent is always a way the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal have used in recent times to gain an edge. This is even more important when our owners are hungry pockets are limited by FFP but not in youth investment. Even the players that don't make it for us will be later sold and recycled into FFP revenue. Long may it continue but this combined with first XI improvements on the table has me extremely excited for the future.