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Torres is one of europes finest attackers and he is a very good personality too. He has stayed loyal to his club Atletico Madrid because it is the club in his heart. If he was to leave for another club it would be outside Spain...I´m quite certain about that. Torres has all the good attributes for an attacker and is very high skilled. The only reason why he isnt with a bigger club is because of his love to Atletico Madrid.

Booooooooooring!!! Why do Villa fans always have to wait so long time for something to happen? It is frustrating and irritating! Its getting on my nerves that Villa hasnt anyone lined up or hasnt announced anyone...boring boring boring! I longed for Villa to be the talk of this summer transfer market because of signings made, but it doesnt really looks like that. I know there is a lot of time left but it is nevertheless frustrating.

I'd go for either of them.Santa cruz is young but his goalscoring record isn't too great but he looks good when he plays for paraguay.Makaay on the other hand has a good scoring record but is already 32.Could still do a job. They wont come cheap in wages and for Makaay I think it is bad business even though he still scores a lot. We should bring in a younger striker and stop there because we have both Agbonlahor and Moore to bring goals.

Makaay is 32 yo (born march 1975) and Santa Cruz 25 yo (august 1981). Santa Cruz is a very good header but I dont know how his form is today...its been a while since I saw him the last time. Makaay scored 16 goals (33 app) in Bundesliga last season, Santa Cruz only 2 goals in 26 appearences.

Pun intended?since he plays for Nice and all.Maybe MON has been priced out of a move for Gordon and he doesn't want to raid celtic anymore so no boruc so instead he's going for lloris?Bloody hell,where's the guy who said he works in a football agency,he sounded like he had loads of inside info.I hope he returns soon with more infoP.s: he also said we were tryng to bring someone in from france during his last post. The goalie is 20 years old and one of the most promising youngsters in France. Might be a good deal on here...

I thought that everyone could the swedish language?!? :shock: Profile on Yahoo Sports: Hugo Profile On the swedish link it only says that the youngsters display saved OGC Nice and that he was brilliant. He seems to be one of the most promising young goalkeepers in France and he is destined for a bigger club next season.

A little bit about Hugo Lloris: Hugo Lloris In this article he is hailed as the best keeper in the league below Ligue 1 and he will surely end up in a bigger team next season even if Nice doesnt qualify for Ligue 1.

Oh man thats disappointing. Those rumours came from nowhere and were around for a while, must have been a reason we didn't act. Or maybe not? If he goes to Juventus we have never been interested...at least according to some on this site because MON never misses a target. :winkold:

That is right and that is what Villa are doing, but if the youngsters doesnt cut it then the club needs to buy big players..or face mediocracy or even relegation. It is the true hard world in football. Big signings will take you places short term...youngsters will keep you at these places long term.

What english youngsters has been making the grade recently in Man U and Arsenal?

I´ve seen the rumour coming back and that we were to beat Everton for Koumas. I dont know the player that good but for me it seems that it is yet again a british player with too high price tag! We could do much better hunting players outside of England...and save a good amount of money yet get higher quality.

By my calculations we currently have a first team squad of 20. If we add your 'ten players' to that, we will have a first team squad of 30. How many clubs in the Premier League have a first team squad of 30 players? And what 20 players do you count in to the first team? Taken from OS: 1 Thomas Sorensen 2 Mark Delaney ? 3 Olof Mellberg 4 Martin Laursen 5 Gareth Barry 6 John Carew 7 Stiliyan Petrov 8 Steven Davis ? 9 Stuart Taylor ? 10 Gabriel Agbonlahor 11 Wilfred Bouma 12 Ashley Young 13 Aaron Hughes ? 14 Liam Ridgewell ? 15 Gary Cahill 16 Luke Moore 17 Sam Williams ? 18 Patrik Berger 19 Craig Gardner 20 Isaiah Osbourne ? 21 Shaun Maloney 22 Stephen O'Halloran ? Villa had to take in youngsters to fill the squad and I seriously doubt that Williams, Osbourne and O´Halloran will be first team players next season. They will most probably go back to reserve team or be loaned out to other clubs to develop.

Now we are on the same level...the two austrians and the swede can be those talented 3 players. I would though...put NRC in the group of squad players as I dont see him as a high profile player yet. He has potential but he isnt a big player yet. If I calculate we will buy this: Big signings: 1 defensive midfielder of high profile (?) 1 defender able to play central or right side. (De Jong?) 1 attacker/attacking/creative midfielder of high profile (Sneijder?) Squad players/promising: 1 defensive midfielder (NRC) 1 attackning midfielder on right side. (Koumas?) 1 attacker. (Nugent?) 1 goalkeeper that is as good as Sorensen but a better prospect. (?) Promising talents: 2 Austrians 1 Swede :winkold:

It seems that way because we don't follow other team's transfer stories with the same attention that we follow Villa's. It's also wrong to assume that as soon as a player's name appears in the press we are "trying" to sign them. There may have been some interest - a phone call to an agent, for example - but almost without exception, the first stories will be placed in the news by those same agents. In the case of Young - and now, apparently, Reo-Coker - there was some haggling between the clubs over the price of the deal, but I don't see a way to avoid that. There is... Tell them to name their price...and get the deal done and move to the next! If West Ham desperately needs £10m then give them that and move on. A player like NRC is worth that to our team even though his real value might not be that high. We are not going to get bargains every time we want to buy players, especially when everyone knows Lerner is loaded with dollars and the club is going like a rocket in value. I dont see any reason to mess about...just show muscles...punch and get the player to sign!

Of the players that have gone, only McCann was a first-team regular last season. Also (as you noted), we need to add quality to the squad - not quantity - so your "we need to buy ten players" line makes no sense at all. At the very most, I think O'Neill is looking for six players this summer - a keeper, two defenders, two midfielders and a striker - and if we get that many in, we'll have good cover for the season. If MON stated that we needed a better and bigger squad than what we had last season...and he has lost 5-6 players from that squad...you do the math... To sign 5-6 players ends us in status quo if we look at the quantity statement from MON. I think MON will buy around 10 players where 3 will be high profile, 4 will be good squad players and 3 will be high talented prospects. That is my feeling and prediction.

Relax man! Its the same old people with the same old whining that we saw in January and look at what we did then! It ended with a bright smile, but as I recall it...it seemed to take quite a while in the hunt of Young. Were we lucky to strike the deals of Young and Carew or was it planned? Did Villa do the most work or was it the other club (Lyon) that made the most work? Even if we had a share of luck in january getting players I do think that some questions needs to be discussed. I say it again...it never seems to be easy for Villa to strike deals. It takes such amount of time whereas others just seem to go in...punch...and sign a player. Maybe it is just an illusion and fantasy on my behalf, but there is a feeling that wont leave...

I must say that Villa are heading in the right direction and it is a fresh breath of air that they tie up youngsters like the promising austrians and the swedish. They also have something that I have missed with Villa and that is technical skills and size. I do think MON is spot on here and it is lovely too see... The first team must be priority though and of course it is. However...we do need to get high profile players in sooner than later because the targets we´re after are going to see what we buy and what our plans are. If we only have plans and nothing done yet we can be branded a fantasy land by players whereas other teams do what they say and land players.

Thanks, I will. In Barry, Gabby, Young, Carew, Laursen, Bouma, Petrov, Mellberg and others we do have 'material for Europe'. All of those players are good enough. Now we just need to sign a few players to supplement them. Which doesn't have a lot to do with our 'fragility', which is what you were originally complaining about. How shocking. Does it matter though? we finished 12 points clear, as we always were going to with the run-in that we had. Er....yes. As you do to win any game. Get one injured of your Euro players and you´ll see how strong we are...just need players to supplement those we already have? Well that seems a little bit too much positive thinking. MON himself has stated that he wants to steer clear from what problem we had in November when we were down to bare bones in players. We have now lost 5-6 players and yet not filled those places...and to listen to MON words before he would like to add quality to the existing squad. That means he will end up buying up to 10 players this summer! Yet there is no one signed. It seems as if it is a little bit tough out there...at least if you read behind the lines with MON and Fitzgerald commenting on OS for example. It would be utterly disappointing and sad for Villa to come out and say..."ok this is what we´ve got this summer"...."`We tried the hardest we could but there was not to be". I sincerely hope that I wont ever see that kind of statement, but not get fooled here....we are still in the Ellis warp as the club is trying to break out from that reputation quick. It will take time before Villa has the same status outside as the club has within in its supporters. We are a little bit too much positive about AVFC and that the club could attract new high profile players easily with MON and Lerner. They will...but it will take time though. The competition for signings are very tough and there are quite a few good managers out in europe that attracts players more than MON. There are cosiderable amount of clubs that attract players more than Villa.

I don't remember struggling every game last season. I remember our defence looking generally very solid more often than not, and I remember us finishing with the sixth best defence in the league - even without a great right-back. No, we were good enough to avoid the relegation fight. In terms of points, we were closer to fifth place than eighteenth. I remember that we struggle to score goals...that we had a mid season nightmare and that we had a good share of luck to turn things around. I remember us being very close to relegation place...I believe it was as close as 4 points. I remember that I felt every game we played we needed luck to win. We had a terrible midfield...a solid defence...but not a effective attack. Things got much better when McCann was out of the team and when Berger hit the form together with Young, Carew, Agbonlahor and Barry. Had it turned the other way around we could have been in real threat of relegation. If you didnt see that then I must say I am very surprised. In terms of points we were closer to fifth than eighteenth...yes...but that was when the season was finished! If you want to fool yourself and think that Villa of today have material for Europe then go ahead...I wont get fooled.

I dont agree with you because we are too fragile if we stay as we are and if we even get a good man at the right side of defence, we´ll still struggle every game as we did last season. There is no use to get players in that arent better than what we ships out and there is no use if we just fill up places where we are short. We need to fill places with players better than what we have shipped out and players that are better than what we have to field today. If we dont do that we will simply have a new relegation fight on our hands. Last season we were lucky to avoid relegation fight...at one time it did really look bad. We need to improve in every area...

When do Villa start the tour to USA? Pre season starts?

What wages do you think we are going to pay in a near future? The policy of wages made by Ellis is history...and they should be. If we want europe we have to pay for it too... Yeah it has done the Barcode the world of good, with numerous players just going their to pick up massive wages and win feck all and not try in the process! A totally different thing Jez. We need to up our wages in order to compete..there is no doubt about it. The only thing is to pay that kind of money to the players who are worth it. To simply put every mistake on the players shoulders why Newcastle hasnt worked is not right. They have had some abysmal managers...really low skilled managers...yet high expectations and demands. Newcastle is a huge proof that money doesnt fix everything...still...they have been very ambitious in trying.

What wages do you think we are going to pay in a near future? The policy of wages made by Ellis is history...and they should be. If we want europe we have to pay for it too...

I think that Sam will go for Kevin Nolan that has been outstanding for him at Bolton. He will have to sarcifice someone and I think it is Owen. He will keep Martins, Ameobi and Viduka (of course). If we are to take that extra step and buy top class...then Michael Owen is the kind of players we should look for. He is within range for the new Villa too. Maybe Sam knows that there soon will be a bid for Owen and now he goes out telling everyone he has a clause...that might trigger a bidding war instead of having to sell for £9-10m for the first club that comes along. As I said...I see Sam as a very smart business man.

Never been a massive Owen fan, but when he did play for Real Madrid and Newcastle he has been inspirational to both teams. The reason why he didn't play at Real Madrid was because of the Raul/Ronaldo love affair. The reason he hasn't played for Newcastle is becuase of injuries. I think however our money can be better spent elsewhere, like someone to compete with Carew rather than Gabby/Moore/Maloney/Young. I only see Gabby and Moore as strikers whereas Maloney and Young can play that role I do think they are better suited to play midfield. The strikers we now have is Carew, Agbonlahor, Moore. There is definitely place for either Owen or Defoe, maybe both.