david-avfc

The rumours I’ve seen are about a sell-on clause back to his previous Argentina club adding the complications… I don’t get how it could be that complicated as they’d have surely known what they were agreeing to when they bought him initially! I wouldn’t be surprised to see him just appear on the official site at some point whilst all these “ITK’s” tell us the deal is too complicated

We can pay decent wages provided the players are contributing and adding value to the club. The problem is having an extended list of high earners who are mostly sat on the bench or in the reserves. I don’t think many people have a clue on individual player wages, apart from a few cases when it’s specifically been reported by a respected journalist. Stuff on random websites could be complete make believe, some of them are probably as accurate as FIFA or Football Manager

Luiz played in 2 international tournaments in the summer so has basically had 2 seasons back to back, with the covid disrupted season before that as well it’s more like 3 without a break. Surely that must cause some fatigue, mental if not physical at least so I’m not convinced he’s playing at his 100% potential at the moment. I still think he could develop into a top class midfielder, he maybe suffers with this “6” or “8” debate as he’s not really either but in the proper system he could thrive. Hope we don’t sell him but if his head’s been turned maybe better to cash in as his price will only fall if he doesn’t sign an extension.

I think Konsa is a very good player, very composed and excellent on one on one defending, there was a stat one season that he had been dribbled past less than any other centre back in the league, makes less mistakes than Mings too. As I said though he lacks that commanding nature which is OK if he has someone like Mings alongside him.

Mings’ position in the side is possibly near the top of the list of areas to improve in the summer. I don’t think Mings is bad at all, but there needs to be a continual push to improve, as there was with Digne / Targett. The one thing that does go underrated is just how dominant he is though. He wins the ball in the air, makes blocks, tackles, not afraid to use his physicality against strikers. He also leads the defence with his organisation. I think it’s clear as day when he doesn’t play what a loss he is when he’s not there, so replacing him is far easier said than done. I think most fans agree Konsa is technically a better footballer, but he’s definitely not a dominating or commanding centre half and that’s what has probably held him back playing for England, and is why Mings is so important to us even if he drops the occasional clanger. However he does lack the concentration and reliability if he is ever going to lead us on a proper European charge. If we did move for a new centre back we should go big and as per above it’s about getting someone with the right characteristics as much as someone with the right level of general ability. No idea who is out there but I expect they might cost £30m+.

He was always alright but lacks the natural ability and flair to kick on as a PL attacker. His injury has presumably set him back further. If we got a few million for him then we should definitely look to cash in as he’ll only ever be back up here

I find it amazing how quickly Ramsey has developed. This time last year he was OK but he was yet to lay down a marker to prove who he was or what his game was about. He looks like one of the top prospects in the country now. I was thinking yesterday during the game how amazing it was that in a pitch with a £140m player it was a young lad from down the road who was our best player, and he was probably the key player in our Man U comeback too. I think he's still got a way to go before he gets an England call up (plus the extra 50% required due to the Southgate-Villa premium) but at the age of just 20 we can only hope in a couple of years he will be our next superstar. Looks like a sensible lad which will help him to get there too.

I do think he’d be a decent back-up / emergency striker if we were ever short. He played there for Ajax I believe and had a decent scoring record. A different level obviously but he could definitely do a job if needed.

Seems like this one is gaining traction so wouldn’t be surprised to see him at villa park by the end of the window. The comparisons to Luiz are interesting, I like Luiz but I feel that we need a more aggressive ball winner in midfield. Maybe we are planning to shift Luiz on as he looks like he might be running his contract down, and this guy is a deliberate like for like transfer rather than someone to play a different role. The reviews certainly seem mixed from Juve fans but you have to say he seems like a very experienced player and coming from a top club with lots of international appearances you’d hope he’s got some proper too quality pedigree in his game

We’re a long way off getting into Europe. We are just too inconsistent and probably too far back on points for a late charge. Maybe next season can be different but there’s a huge gulf to overcome, it’s not just about individual quality, but also the ability to do it consistently basis and I’m not sure we close to having that yet.

hello Season ticket holder since early 2000's in the holte end. Also a frequent user of another villa forum with the same username, but interested to see some other opinions and get involved in other discussions from time to time.