Speculation Summer Speculation 2015

[penguin]

 

£15M is a huge gamble for a player who has never really played at a high level though.

 

Euros, though, so more like £11m-ish I'd guess?

 

That's £11m for a sought after 19 year old from Barcelona.  We paid £7/8m for a 21 year old from Genk.  Which represents the bigger gamble?

 

 

Traore by quite a distance imo. Benteke had played for and had a good goal scoring ratio for a few teams in the top level of the Belgian league, which obviously isn't the greatest but clearly a level above Spains 2nd division. 

[TrentVilla]

 

I can't help but wonder how much influence Almstadt is having on our summer, not just in the targets themselves but the speed and efficiency with which we've brought them in.

This 1000%.

You cannot underestimate how difficult it is to get signings across the line, especially promising talent without any baggage. Fox and Almstadt have done a terrific job, and they must have a black book with this talent in too, it's a different level to the stuff we usually get.

 

 

A number of our targets/signings this summer are reported to have previously been scouted by Arsenal in the last 12 months on his watch including this latest name.

[YGabbana]

Any solid links then or is this the usual twitter BS

[Folski]

Wrong thread

Edited August 4, 2015 by Folski

[Guest av1]

stokes ex barca players, bojan (24) muniesa (23) affelay (29) i dont think any of them have actually ever been a team mate of him, the spanish speaking element might help him (they've got joselu too) but its not necessarily that much of an advantage, the report last night said he was coming over to meet the teams, see the facilities and then barca would open negotiations with the team that he preferred 

 

so thats him being lead down past our new pitch side trophy cabinet then...

We have \Gil and Crespo that speak Spanish so I dont think that would be a factor

And Sanchez.

 

Hutton may have the basics too.

He's Scottish so can barely talk English.

[Delphinho123]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/adama-traore-liverpool-fc-not-9786047

 

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Stoke-City-Aston-Villa-main-rivals-Barcelona-s/story-27541761-detail/story.html

 

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/story/2547589/adama-traore-set-for-%C3%A2%E2%80%9A%C2%AC10m-villa-bid-amid-liverpool-link

 

Can't find anything on twitter about it.

[DCJonah]

I can't help but wonder how much influence Almstadt is having on our summer, not just in the targets themselves but the speed and efficiency with which we've brought them in.

This 1000%.

You cannot underestimate how difficult it is to get signings across the line, especially promising talent without any baggage. Fox and Almstadt have done a terrific job, and they must have a black book with this talent in too, it's a different level to the stuff we usually get.

A number of our targets/signings this summer are reported to have previously been scouted by Arsenal in the last 12 months on his watch including this latest name.

Wilkins mentioned Sherwood's experience in the youth team at spurs for our knowledge of young talent around Europe.

It sounds like we actually have a decent team in place to identify and sign talent.

[HanoiVillan]

Rentilla?

 

Former Barcelona B. Spanish CB, signing tomorrow. 

[rubberman]

Hopefully Traore will be visiting Stoke tomorrow evening...see how he fancies it on a wet wednesday night.

[SikhInTrinity]

Hopefully Traore will be visiting Stoke tomorrow evening...see how he fancies it on a wet wednesday night.

 

has been there this morning apparently.

[Lerner's Driver]

First VT post and this one may have been more relevant to the Tim Sherwood thread...

 

But, further to Trent's comment about our newly honed transfer skills and the effective management behind the scenes, I can't help returning to Tim's very confident assertion that he would make sure we were never in relegation trouble again.

 

Now, you can obviously put this somewhat down to 'new manager bluster' and the fact he is predisposed to making bold statements of this nature as a matter of course, but, I just wonder if he was so confident because he knew what was coming... 

 

Summat's up at the Villa.

[Vive_La_Villa]

First VT post and this one may have been more relevant to the Tim Sherwood thread...

But, further to Trent's comment about our newly honed transfer skills and the effective management behind the scenes, I can't help returning to Tim's very confident assertion that he would make sure we were never in relegation trouble again.

Now, you can obviously put this somewhat down to 'new manager bluster' and the fact he is predisposed to making bold statements of this nature as a matter of course, but, I just wonder if he was so confident because he knew what was coming...

Summat's up at the Villa.

I would say it was because he was told he would be fully backed financially (keeping with FFP) when he took over the job.

[Vive_La_Villa]

The club are acting how a multimillion pound business should be run. We've spent so many years seeing the club incompetently run that this transfer window has shocked us all big time!

[Folski]

 

First VT post and this one may have been more relevant to the Tim Sherwood thread...

But, further to Trent's comment about our newly honed transfer skills and the effective management behind the scenes, I can't help returning to Tim's very confident assertion that he would make sure we were never in relegation trouble again.

Now, you can obviously put this somewhat down to 'new manager bluster' and the fact he is predisposed to making bold statements of this nature as a matter of course, but, I just wonder if he was so confident because he knew what was coming...

Summat's up at the Villa.

I would say it was because he was told he would be fully backed financially (keeping with FFP) when he took over the job.

 

 

Has he though? You could argue he's had less to work with than Lambert. He's cut the wage bill by a nice bit this summer, trying to cut it even more with a long list players we want to cut, and he hasn't even spent all of what he's got in.

[Lerner's Driver]

 

First VT post and this one may have been more relevant to the Tim Sherwood thread...

But, further to Trent's comment about our newly honed transfer skills and the effective management behind the scenes, I can't help returning to Tim's very confident assertion that he would make sure we were never in relegation trouble again.

Now, you can obviously put this somewhat down to 'new manager bluster' and the fact he is predisposed to making bold statements of this nature as a matter of course, but, I just wonder if he was so confident because he knew what was coming...

Summat's up at the Villa.

I would say it was because he was told he would be fully backed financially (keeping with FFP) when he took over the job.

 

No doubt you are right and of course, we don't yet know how these signings will pan out, but you have to say things are progressing worryingly well, so far. I'm in danger of having my optimism restored...

[Vive_La_Villa]

First VT post and this one may have been more relevant to the Tim Sherwood thread...

But, further to Trent's comment about our newly honed transfer skills and the effective management behind the scenes, I can't help returning to Tim's very confident assertion that he would make sure we were never in relegation trouble again.

Now, you can obviously put this somewhat down to 'new manager bluster' and the fact he is predisposed to making bold statements of this nature as a matter of course, but, I just wonder if he was so confident because he knew what was coming...

Summat's up at the Villa.

I would say it was because he was told he would be fully backed financially (keeping with FFP) when he took over the job.

Has he though? You could argue he's had less to work with than Lambert. He's cut the wage bill by a nice bit this summer, trying to cut it even more with a long list players we want to cut, and he hasn't even spent all of what he's got in.

I know it's down to opinion but I would say he took over a better squad than Lambert did and he has been allowed to spend a lot more than Lambert was allowed too. Yes we lost our 2 best players but all the money from the sales has been reinvested. Our average transfer fee spent has been around 8, 9M. Lamberts was around 2M.

I doubt TS would have worked under the same conditions with the job at hand that Lambert did.

Or maybe Lambert underestimated how bad the squad was when he took over?

Edited August 4, 2015 by Vive_La_Villa

[Lerner's Driver]

Daily Mail saying we are now leading the chase for Traore and we are 'in talks' - our edge is seemingly gained by dint of the fact he and Crespo share the same agent. If true, Crespo suddenly looks like a very good signing! 

[Nigel]

Ohhh another completely unknown player I now really want!

[Folski]

 

 

 

First VT post and this one may have been more relevant to the Tim Sherwood thread...

But, further to Trent's comment about our newly honed transfer skills and the effective management behind the scenes, I can't help returning to Tim's very confident assertion that he would make sure we were never in relegation trouble again.

Now, you can obviously put this somewhat down to 'new manager bluster' and the fact he is predisposed to making bold statements of this nature as a matter of course, but, I just wonder if he was so confident because he knew what was coming...

Summat's up at the Villa.

I would say it was because he was told he would be fully backed financially (keeping with FFP) when he took over the job.

Has he though? You could argue he's had less to work with than Lambert. He's cut the wage bill by a nice bit this summer, trying to cut it even more with a long list players we want to cut, and he hasn't even spent all of what he's got in.

I know it's down to opinion but I would say he took over a better squad than Lambert did and he has been allowed to spend a lot more than Lambert was allowed too. Yes we lost our 2 best players but all the money from the sales has been reinvested. Our average transfer fee spent has been around 8, 9M. Lamberts was around 2M.

I doubt TS would have worked under the same conditions with the job at hand that Lambert did.

Or maybe Lambert underestimated how bad the squad was when he took over?

 

 

Oh I agree, but I don't think he's exactly working with a war chest or anything at the end of the day he probably has a negative net spend (at the moment) and has lowered the wage bill, hardly means he's being financially backed, I just think it has got to the stage where cutting costs to this extent is seen as backing when in fact it's not. The club could (still might) have been able to extend the wage bill and spend about £20m net without Lerner putting a hand in his pocket, backing for me would have been something beyond that.

[Vive_La_Villa]

First VT post and this one may have been more relevant to the Tim Sherwood thread...

But, further to Trent's comment about our newly honed transfer skills and the effective management behind the scenes, I can't help returning to Tim's very confident assertion that he would make sure we were never in relegation trouble again.

Now, you can obviously put this somewhat down to 'new manager bluster' and the fact he is predisposed to making bold statements of this nature as a matter of course, but, I just wonder if he was so confident because he knew what was coming...

Summat's up at the Villa.

I would say it was because he was told he would be fully backed financially (keeping with FFP) when he took over the job.

Has he though? You could argue he's had less to work with than Lambert. He's cut the wage bill by a nice bit this summer, trying to cut it even more with a long list players we want to cut, and he hasn't even spent all of what he's got in.

I know it's down to opinion but I would say he took over a better squad than Lambert did and he has been allowed to spend a lot more than Lambert was allowed too. Yes we lost our 2 best players but all the money from the sales has been reinvested. Our average transfer fee spent has been around 8, 9M. Lamberts was around 2M.

I doubt TS would have worked under the same conditions with the job at hand that Lambert did.

Or maybe Lambert underestimated how bad the squad was when he took over?

Oh I agree, but I don't think he's exactly working with a war chest or anything at the end of the day he probably has a negative net spend (at the moment) and has lowered the wage bill, hardly means he's being financially backed, I just think it has got to the stage where cutting costs to this extent is seen as backing when in fact it's not. The club could (still might) have been able to extend the wage bill and spend about £20m net without Lerner putting a hand in his pocket, backing for me would have been something beyond that.

True but I don't think we are done yet and I also reckon had we not sold Benteke and Delph we still would have bought a lot of players in. But I guess we'll never how far Lerner would have stretched the budget.

I just feel he has no involvement now and the club is finally be run well.