Summer Speculation 2014

[suttonpaul]

No fresh deals means a buyer is close IMO.

I don't think it means anything other than the club's for sale and Lerner/Faulkner don't want to extend committments to players the new owners may not want to keep in the long run. They're still under contract so no extension is needed to keep them into next season and they've all professed a committment to Villa in the recent past and won't be expected to try to force a move.

I agree we have until October or so to tie people down in good time a lot could happen in that period it's best to wait although I would tie Delph now that's a no brainer

[Isa]

A three year, £55k per week contract for Lescott?

Bloody hell! It's as if the MON era never happened...

This is a player they paid over 20m for. Yes it was over the top but he is a free and will give us solidity at the back for the price of about 8m over 3 years even if we brought a kid for 3m on 20k a week that's still 6m and if he turns out to be good he will want more money and if he doesn't that's a bigger waste of money. It's a no lose IMO and we need a few seasoned pros in key positions

What you neglect to mention is that a younger player has sell-on value. Not that we have to sign a "kid" either. It doesn't have to be one extreme or the other.

Age is irrelevant to quality anyway. We don't need "seasoned pros" we just need players of greater ability, regardless of their age.

[Condimentalist]

Lescott would be a superb signing given our current predicament. Here's hoping.

[dakid007]

No to Lescott hasd numerous times to Join us and wasn't interested so why should we give him a nice retirement package. F him. Rather go for caulker

[suttonpaul]

Caulker you might be looking at 10m for him and the same wages as Lescott.

 

As for sell on value you don't need one when you aren't paying an excessive wage for a free which in the case of Lescott we wouldn't be according to reported figures.

[P3te]

I think this summer could see us bulked up with 2 or 3 freebies on reasonably decent washes and maybe one £5m signing. The wages won't be Lerner's headache for much longer do I can't see him complaining.

If the club is in the black including £20m for signings, then don't be surprised to see that money spent on the wage bill for a year instead of fees. That'd let Randy walk away and whether more money is spent next summer or not on top of the new wages will become the new owner's issue

[KSV]

Big no to Lescott for me. I think we can do better. High wages. Always pissed me off with his attitude. Overrated. Error prone.. we have enough of those players.

If were going to spend big on wages for experience it must be Gareth Barry. Bring him home. We need that calming influence in midfield. He can be in El Ahmadi's spot but be a lot better at it. Westwood and Delph could learn a lot from him.

Agree with the above. Caulker is a much better CB than Lescott. Go after him. That will probably be it for signings. Im expecting a CB and a CM. PL will likely bring in another striker.

Edited May 20, 2014 by KSV

[P3te]

So based on my postulation that freebies on 50-55k will be the order of the day, I'm going to say something like the following for our incoming players (note: not who I want, just who I think we could go after, and I'm not saying I'd expect them all)

 

Joleon Lescott - 3 year deal, £55k p/w (first year would cost ~£2.86m in wages plus say a £1m signing on fee)

Sebastian Larsson - 3 year deal, £28k p/w (first year would cost ~£1.46m plus £600k signing on fee) 

Michael Turner - 2 year deal, £28k p/w (first year would cost ~£1.46m plus £600k signing on fee)

Peter Whittingham - 3 year deal, £30k p/w (first year would cost ~£1.56m, plus £600k signing on fee)

Dedryck Boyata - 3 year deal, £30k p/w (first year would cost ~£1.56m, plus £600k signing on fee)

Gareth Barry - 2 year deal, £45k p/w (first year would cost ~£2.3m, plus £1m signing on fee)

 

*edited to work in Barry, who I forgot*

 

If we got 5 of those lot, we'd have around another £5m to spend on a purchase including wages (for one year), signing on fee and transfer fee

 

We'd come in at under the £20m mark, which apparently we have without Randy putting his hand in his pocket, and we have a bit of experience coming in. The  issue is the one we've come across in the past, which would be zero sell on potential, but that wouldn't be Lerner's concern this time, so he'd be more likely to greenlight it once he could still say to any prospective owner that the club is still self sufficient (and would be even more so with an extra £8.5m-ish being freed up next June when Given, Hutton and Bent are gone)

Edited May 20, 2014 by P3te

[Isa]

Caulker you might be looking at 10m for him and the same wages as Lescott.

 

As for sell on value you don't need one when you aren't paying an excessive wage for a free which in the case of Lescott we wouldn't be according to reported figures.

£55k p/w isn't "excessive"? Have we been taken over by a trillionaire without me noticing or something?

Also yes, Caulker is obviously the only alternative in the world.

[suttonpaul]

Someone else mentioned Caulker I also responded to him.

 

No 55k a week isn't excessive for a proven quality premiership player in 2014.

[P3te]

£55k a week is £2.86m a year in wages. If there's no transfer fee included, and a 2 year deal, that's fine for an older player IMO

[KSV]

Someone else mentioned Caulker I also responded to him.

 

No 55k a week isn't excessive for a proven quality premiership player in 2014.

He wont go for 10M. Although he will probably goto Liverpool.*

Lescott is not the player he was a few years ago.

Edited May 20, 2014 by KSV

[suttonpaul]

Someone else mentioned Caulker I also responded to him.

No 55k a week isn't excessive for a proven quality premiership player in 2014.

He wont go for 10M. Although he will probably goto Liverpool.*

Lescott is not the player he was a few years ago.

He's lost none of his attributes he has just been replaced at one of the top clubs in world football.

If he isn't good enough for villa your expectations for us are to high

[KSV]

Someone else mentioned Caulker I also responded to him.

No 55k a week isn't excessive for a proven quality premiership player in 2014.

He wont go for 10M. Although he will probably goto Liverpool.*

Lescott is not the player he was a few years ago.

He's lost none of his attributes he has just been replaced at one of the top clubs in world football.

If he isn't good enough for villa your expectations for us are to high

Don't get me wrong. He would walk into our club. I just don't want another 30+ player on high wages who loses form after 1 season and we end up having another Dunne on our hands. All that wont matter if we bring in a new owner. I don't think one will be in place before the season though.

[P3te]

 

 

 

Someone else mentioned Caulker I also responded to him.

No 55k a week isn't excessive for a proven quality premiership player in 2014.

He wont go for 10M. Although he will probably goto Liverpool.*

Lescott is not the player he was a few years ago.

 

He's lost none of his attributes he has just been replaced at one of the top clubs in world football.

If he isn't good enough for villa your expectations for us are to high

 

Don't get me wrong. He would walk into our club. I just don't want another 30+ player on high wages who loses form after 1 season and we end up having another Dunne on our hands. All that wont matter if we bring in a new owner. I don't think one will be in place before the season though.

 

If we got him in on a 2 year deal, 3 at a push, and got even 18 good months out of him, surely it'd be worth a punt though?

[suttonpaul]

Someone else mentioned Caulker I also responded to him.

No 55k a week isn't excessive for a proven quality premiership player in 2014.

He wont go for 10M. Although he will probably goto Liverpool.*

Lescott is not the player he was a few years ago.

He's lost none of his attributes he has just been replaced at one of the top clubs in world football.

If he isn't good enough for villa your expectations for us are to high

Don't get me wrong. He would walk into our club. I just don't want another 30+ player on high wages who loses form after 1 season and we end up having another Dunne on our hands. All that wont matter if we bring in a new owner. I don't think one will be in place before the season though.

By your rational that would only become a problem in 12 months time which we should have a new owner beforehand

[SeanO]

So based on my postulation that freebies on 50-55k will be the order of the day, I'm going to say something like the following for our incoming players (note: not who I want, just who I think we could go after, and I'm not saying I'd expect them all)

 

Joleon Lescott - 3 year deal, £55k p/w (first year would cost ~£2.86m in wages plus say a £1m signing on fee)

Sebastian Larsson - 3 year deal, £28k p/w (first year would cost ~£1.46m plus £600k signing on fee) 

Michael Turner - 2 year deal, £28k p/w (first year would cost ~£1.46m plus £600k signing on fee)

Peter Whittingham - 3 year deal, £30k p/w (first year would cost ~£1.56m, plus £600k signing on fee)

Dedryck Boyata - 3 year deal, £30k p/w (first year would cost ~£1.56m, plus £600k signing on fee)

Gareth Barry - 2 year deal, £45k p/w (first year would cost ~£2.3m, plus £1m signing on fee)

 

*edited to work in Barry, who I forgot*

 

If we got 5 of those lot, we'd have around another £5m to spend on a purchase including wages (for one year), signing on fee and transfer fee

 

We'd come in at under the £20m mark, which apparently we have without Randy putting his hand in his pocket, and we have a bit of experience coming in. The  issue is the one we've come across in the past, which would be zero sell on potential, but that wouldn't be Lerner's concern this time, so he'd be more likely to greenlight it once he could still say to any prospective owner that the club is still self sufficient (and would be even more so with an extra £8.5m-ish being freed up next June when Given, Hutton and Bent are gone)

 

OMG, sorry P3te but I hate these sort of bs posts about X players on X amounts. It's just made up pointless rubbish.

 

Lerner has put the club up for sale and until it's sold there will be very limited funds.

 

None of us know how much or who the club will try to get but whatever happens you can be sure it will be on the cheap until Lerner leaves, I only pray that will not be the case with whom ever it is that buys the club.

 

If Lerner is still in charge when the season gets under way the squad will be no better than it was last season except (importantly) we will hopefully have some of the long term injured players back. We are going to need them.

[ismail-villa]

I don't get this, having 20m to spend but Lerner doesn't actually spend his own money. Can someone explain this to me?

Edited May 20, 2014 by ismail-villa

[P3te]

I don't get this, having 20m to spend but Lerner doesn't actually spend his own money. Can someone explain this to me?

We're currently breaking even, and we get an extra £20m revenue from TV money. Ergo, before that £20m our balance is £0. So we've got that money to spend without Lerner putting his hand in his pocket

 

Or something along those lines

[Merlincourt]

I don't get this, having 20m to spend but Lerner doesn't actually spend his own money. Can someone explain this to me?

That's how normal business works outside of football... An initial investment is made and then the business is supposed to sustain it's self with its own funding, hence in my opinion why he is leaving, football at the top level is really hard to stay afloat without more capital pumped in per year.. Let's be honest, these guys at the top level have money to burn, and Randy Lerner doesn't unfortunately and his actions show that...