barry'sboots

3 minutes ago, duke313 said:

I agree with you regarding the Coutinho situation, it's just not the same as selling a player and having the option to buy him back in the future.

The best example is Tino Livramento at Southampton, Chelsea have the option of buying him back in 2023 for £38m I think, but nothing is stopping Southampton selling him now if City or United bid £50m.  The player belongs to Southampton, it's not a loan, it just means if Chelsea were to bid £38m they have to accept it as agreed in the initial sale.

Well that is like an option. They can't sell to someone else for 50m without first giving Chelski the option at 38m if it is still within the buyback period. I'm with Sidcow, the two are broadly the same.

8 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

I'm pretty sure he'll sign. I heard something earlier in the week and I'm willing to stake my stellar VT reputation on it. 

Bookmark this post. 

Do you think he's waiting for next Wednesday to announce?

If he wants to start games now he needs to sign up and get out on loan to the championship like his mates JPB and Archer. 30+ starts as an "8" with a decent championship side and he could come back a man and ready to start??

It didn't do Mount and Gallagher any harm.

Btw, he looks ready for it from watching the highlights of the u-19s.

34 minutes ago, messi11 said:

My two choices right now for the Athletic Midfielder that we need. @Lange @Gerrard @Purslow 

1) Kouadio Kone- 21 years of Age/ B Gladbach/ 18 Milion
 

2) Ibrahim Sangare- / 24 year of age/ PSV/ 24million

 

Can't claim to have seen either play (outside of YouTube) but they look very similar - both seem able to get their foot in/tackle but also with some skill and ability to carry a ball forward.

Have you watched them in full games etc.?

3 minutes ago, TRO said:

My limited knowledge aside......from bits that I glean, I think the Ramsey family are good stock......These boys have a wonderful chance of doing really well.

Wouldn't it be great to see three local brothers playing together for Villa and England and smashing it.

16 minutes ago, duke313 said:

We could potentially see a midfield diamond in the future of academy products

-----------------Tim---------------
J.Ramsey------------Carney
------------A.Ramsey----------

Where does Cole play??

9 minutes ago, Made In Aston said:

I'd keep him. We are short of ball winners in midfield and, if he could replicate his November 2021 player of the month form, then he would be a useful squad player to have. 

He has a value at the minute.

I think his player of the month form was more down to the system requiring a DCM, which was even more evident when he got injured.

I am saying get rid on the assumption that the additional midfielder that we bring in (well publicised) is a strong sitter like Sangare and therefore we have Kamara and the new guy plus Tim, if he's not loaned, and Chambers if we need sub options and, hopefully, Dougie who could drop in if desperate.

I don't want our squad to get too bloated and think the youth can fill up the bench as well.

I would get rid now (for a fee possibly to a bottom half/newly promoted team or a promotion challenger where he would start). He has done a decent job at times but I think that is as much about us crying out for someone in that position and looking better with a DCM than without. I think with Kamara coming in and, hopefully, Sangare or similar we would not need Marv.

9 hours ago, Vancvillan said:

Old post I know but players born after Jan 1st 2001 don't take uo a squad place. Not sure that he'd be blocking the yoof.

They might not take up a squad place but they can eat up minutes that could go to a younger player?

I love SJM. I think he is an character and leader and always gives 100%. His presence is infectious and I think he inspires others. I agree with a lot of what has been said above - his best work will be done as an attacking "8" and the thought of him rotating with JJ shows what depth we could have with three or four more signings. I see subs/the bench becoming ever more critical (a bit like rugby) now we are moving to five subs and we need adequate depth and the right blend. 

Be a shame to see Phillips go and sit on the bench because I can't see him getting in front of Rodri, certainly not in the big games, and he'll end up being Jack's fashion (or lack of it judging by those high heeled Uggs) mate. His choice though and he will be a wealthy bench warmer!

I hope he stays. I'm looking forward to seeing him rotated with Kamara and Sangare (or equivalent). I think he will give us control of the midfield with the right teammates around him.

I don't think he is better than SJM but he is better at some things and worse at others. If we get the right six options, I think we could rotate depending upon the opposition and use subs (given that we are now allowed five) depending upon the circumstances. Dougie could be a key cog but so will the others!

4 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

I just googled typical Everton signing and there was a picture of Harry Winks.

TBF though he ain’t a bad player. 

Winks is a metronome - put the right players around him, i.e. a strong DCM and a ball carrying "8", and he could look half decent. I view him as a poor man's jwp without the energy and set piece delivery.

I think Luiz is a better second sitter than Winks and Sanson might be as well (from the limited bits and pieces I have seen).

4 minutes ago, maqroll said:

They are all good enough to remain in the squad, but as bench options.

I think I disagree. Luiz has played as a second pivot for Brazil and has a calmness and passing ability that will be useful alongside a DCM and is the most composed of our crop (excluding Kamara who we haven't seen in the PL as yet). SJM has looked great when he has played further forward - he's a constant goal threat at international level. Sanson has looked good in short cameos - who knows what he could look like with a decent run. They all have the potential to be very good players for us.

A lot depends on Luiz and Chukies new contract positions for me.

I would be more than happy going into the new season with three from six of Kamara, Sangare (or equivalent), Ramsey, SJM, Luiz and Chukie. I would sell Sanson and Nakamba unless Luiz and/or Chukie move on in which case I would re-assess. 

We all know that we have needed a DCM for a long time now and Kamara addresses that, but my mind goes back to the West Ham game where Stevie referred to wanting some steel and composure. I think we would have that and have a good mix of attributes across that six.

16 hours ago, nick76 said:

Well we were linked with him in December…some reports suggested £20-25m

For the same money, we could have Dennis or Broja (latter is slightly more) who are both proven in the PL and could be decent options?

Neither are necessarily an upgrade on what we have - but I think this is very hard to achieve - but both would provide depth/options and potential.

19 minutes ago, Creeper said:

Guesses (I know **** all):

Brazil: Richarlison
Argentina: leandro parades
France: Rabiot

It will be interesting to see who these are. Speculation that the Brazilian is Barbosa.

4 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Better yet, one that is worth 100 mill but we refuse to sell, and he doesn't want to go either.

The way that inflation is going at the minute that could be Kienan Davis shortly!

5 hours ago, sne said:

If so maybe he's interested in going on an adventure.

I was going to say that he might be after your ring but that just sounds all wrong!

35 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

It ain’t that simple mate. You could have the best midfield in the world but if you have a shocking back 4 then you will just keep conceding goals. We had the odd decent player but then we also had way too much shit. The Premier league is so competitive just one weakness can cost you points. Several weaknesses and you’re ****.

I think the PL has improved massively since we were relegated that time. The first match I watched when we came back ... It was soooo much faster. I am not saying we would have won the league but I think we had enough to survive if deployed properly.

21 hours ago, VillaChris said:

 

Garde actually played them regularly with Sanchez also starting games. We still lost endless games and our best results were 1-1 draws for two months.

I take your point though. We should've signed some of them while we still had likes of Benteke and Delph at the club instead of having all the pressure of replacing them in what was a bottom 6 prem team.

I don't recall him playing Gana as his DCM - from memory they all used either Sancho or Westwood.

Our best midfield was 

                             Gana   Veretout

                                     Jack

I think that would have kept us up but then we wouldn't necessarily have been where we are today!

22 hours ago, Adam2003 said:

I thought all those players were underrated on here at the time (same with some of our players now) and am not at all surprised by their subsequent success but I think your post could also be used as an example of how even signing really really good players doesn’t work IF you sign them too early. Fine if you plan to loan them out and let them develop, not if they’re all going into the team.

I don't think the problem was signing them too early, I think it was giving them to a clueless manager who either didn't know how to use them or didn't want to use them.

He tried to use Gana to replace Delph when he is a "6" and not an "8" as we saw at Everton shortly after. I don't recall once seeing Veretout and Gana playing alongside each other in CM which i always thought would have been a strong pairing.

Tactics Tim was the fault not the signings.

23 hours ago, useless said:

Whenever I saw Dennis for Watford he didn't actually look that great.

I think he got off to a very good start but faded badly, just two goals and one assist in his final seventeen appearances.

 

He went through a bad run but it coincided with Sarr not being in the team - you can't score if no-one is giving you the ball?

18 hours ago, duke313 said:

I haven't seen us linked with any right backs.  Only full-backs i've seen linked with is Bassey, Sergio Gomez and Quentin Merlin who are all left-backs.  The lack of speculation around right-back means we will pull someone unknown out of the bag or are going with KKH.

Hickey? He played RB for Scotland the other day so could, arguably, cover both positions in the short term if KKH were to go on another seasons loan.

18 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Most speculation has been towards the left back, backup, does this suggests we are happy with RB backup options?

Maybe they don't want to block a pathway for KKH. Even if he is loaned out next season again they may consider Chambers and Konsa adequate cover for a robust Cash?

15 hours ago, VillaFaninLondon said:

I think you can mix up a possession game with a counter attacking game with that formation, plus get players like Bailey into the team who we invested a lot of money in and we don't want to see it go to waste. In a narrower formation we can't do that.

 

It doesn't matter anyhow as Gerrard seems dead set on the formation he used up in Scotland. 

We don't know yet whether this was Gerard or Beale or both. Gerard is always accused of mimicking Liverpool but Salah and Mane are more like goal scoring wide players than 10's. And Ryan Kent, who was/is supposedly a big success in Glasgow is a winger. 

We may see more flexibility in Gerard's style now Beale has moved on. Although, fundamentally I think he will still want his FB's to push high up.

I think we will have a bit more visibility of Stevie's thought process when we see what else he buys this summer.