Firesales

[villakram]

It will take a miracle or gross incompetence from the rest of the football Universe for Grealish or Johnstone to be playing for Villa next season. Hourihane/Kodija/Chester also have a shot at escaping.

Let's give Hutton another contract, 'cause effort or some such 

 

[ismail-villa]

Grealish and Chester staying are absolutely crucial. Gives a chance for our youngsters to step up, Bree, Green, O'Hare etc. Definitely need CBs as Terry, Samba and Elphick all will go. Steer should be our number 1. But I shudder at thinking Richards and/or McCormack will play, their wages are too high for anyone to buy them off us. 

[Zatman]

Bjarnason could have decent World Cup and earn us something

Jedinak maybe a return to Oz league another that could go

 

[Rodders]

Personally:

After assumed sales or non-returns I think we have a base XI of:

Steer

LB / Hutton ( reduced wage new contract )Chester CB Elmo

Green, Jedinak Hourihane Adomah

Kodja Davis

with Bree, Murphy, Hogan, on the bench. 

We'll need quite a few more players obviously especially at centre half, but the first eleven doesn't need to change radically. 3 or 4 focussed purchases. 

[sidcow]

1 hour ago, Rodders said:

Personally:

After assumed sales or non-returns I think we have a base XI of:

Steer

LB / Hutton ( reduced wage new contract )Chester CB Elmo

Green, Jedinak Hourihane Adomah

Kodja Davis

with Bree, Murphy, Hogan, on the bench. 

We'll need quite a few more players obviously especially at centre half, but the first eleven doesn't need to change radically. 3 or 4 focussed purchases. 

I think we have to try O'Hare in the middle if Jack is off. Need to find some creativity from somewhere. 

[Dr_Pangloss]

IF Grealish stays, him and O'Hare could work in the same line up in the right formation.

[VILLAMARV]

Just another waffle to take my mind off the dissappointment of yesterday

We are obviously going to have to cut our cloth accordingly but to what scale It's hard to tell from the outside. Without a little knowledge of the players salaries its all a guessing game - but we do know our parachute payments fall by £18m (from £33m to £15m)

Playing guessing games with the salaries of the players that will surely now leave - Would their combined wages get anywhere near £350,000 a week? That's just over £18m spread out over 12 months. Terry/Snodgrass/Samba can't be on peanuts. Johnstone/Axel/Grabban/Onomah all registered to PL clubs and Bunn/Hutton and Gabby seemingly soon to be off the books. If they all leave we can't be far away from that total. Lots of loanees (well 6 anyway!) coming back though - Gollini, Elphick, Gardner, Tshibola, DeLaet and Gil - and that's got to be a fair chunk of wages there. If Elphick and DeLaet were here next year it wouldn't be the end of the world would it. Richards and McCormack are the obvious names left that we're paying out on for little return although it's hard to imagine a scramble for their signatures, much like the other 4 coming back from loan there.

As far as what we'll be left to work with goes, getting Grealish and Green new contracts would have been the best thing about promotion for me. Green's runs out next summer in 2019 - Grealish in 2020. I expect the PL clubs to come sniffing round those two. Will they re-sign? If not should we cash in while we can? I'd be surprised if bigger clubs came knocking for anyone other than Chester, Green, Grealish or Kodjia. And they would all command a big fee. Maybe BB, DeLaet or Elmo's experience might interest someone somewhere if the price was right.

Cutting the other £15m of parachute money next summer will be, for me, where it will start needing to be a fire-sale. I think the club have planned alright enough in the main for this year. Whether we can match the ambitions of a few of them is obviously the big question with the likes of Grealish and Green though. And whether a few of them that are left are really worth the wages is obviously important. How are Steer, DeLaet and Kodjia bearing up after nasty injuries? How interested are Elphick and Lansbury in being squad players?

Steer and Sarkic are looking like the only first team goalies at this point. Gollini is back from his weird loan but whether he wants to be here is more the point with him. The search for a GK looks likely though to me. Maybe we could chuck a cheeky loan bid in for that lad at Man U lol.

In defence surely then Hutton, Terry and Samba all leave at the end of their contracts this summer. None are getting any younger and neither can be cheap by championship standards. Elphick wants first team football and Chester is a lot of people's vote for POTS. Elmo, DeLaet and Bree means we're still well stocked at RB. Surely we'll be after a LB to compliment Taylor? Suliman obviously been well hyped but hardly stood out on loan anywhere so far. Looks like 2 x CB's and a LB are going to need to be found at the very least. Hard to find a reason to mention Richards but, yeah, he's still a thing.

Midfield, or at least the middle is really the only place we have too many players. Jedinak and Whelan become the elder statesmen of the squad (Do we need both? or either?) wouldn't be surprised to see Jedinak move on this summer. Although I do have a soft spot for him despite his ageing legs. As for Whelan, I'd not bat an eyelid if he moved on tbf a bit too much like a DietJedinak, without the ball-magnet for a head. Lyden seems to be going the way of Gardner picking up injuries when he could/should be kicking on. Can't see us ever really getting much out of either of them along with Tshibola who has been nothing but a massive disappointment. Lansbury hasn't really made much of a mark here, Bjarnason has been ok in the middle but is no winger lets face it. Hard not to have a soft spot for him after the Wolves goal though! Hourihane and Grealish are the only 2 I really wouldn't want to see leave out of our vast array of central midfielders which probably tells it's own tale. BB, Hourihane and Grealish would, I suppose, be at least competitive down here though. Whelan, Lansbury and O'Hare as back ups? I think in an ideal world most people would like to see a more mobile defensive midfielder alongside Grealish and Hourihane next year though tbh. Got to depend on moving others out though with the numbers we have. Bit early for Doyle-Hayes imo.

Real lack of numbers out wide. Green and Adomah basically. Can RHM or O'Hare break into the team in a wide role? Kodjia out wide? I assume Gil is just off somewhere. Snodgrass' departure leaves a big hole in the first team imo.

And up front. Kodjia. Hogan. Davis. RHM. All VERY different options. And all come with their individual limitations playing up front on their own. With Grabban and Agbonlahor leaving the ranks and McCormack seemingly surplus to requirements. Keeping hold of Kodjia looks vital to me. The team mustering 1 goal in 3 play-off games says it all though really.
 

 

[S-Platt]

Amavi money to come in at around 8 million.  Sell on clauses on Traore and Vertout another few million.  Simples!

Add all the wages we are getting rid of and the fact Wolves have basically showed the way to circumnavigate FFP I think we will be ok kids!

[Tom13]

Although this team has his faults, I've grown to really like this group of players this season. Real shame that it's looking like it'll have to be ripped apart without achieving our goal

[Ponky]

It all hinges on who the manager is. Bruce will fight to keep many of the old heads, but those who weren't really part of his plans like Lansbury, Hogan and Bjarnasson will probably be sold.

Whether or not Jack leaves I think will be left up to him, but his currency is as high as it has ever been. I suspect he would not be enthralled at joining the likes of Brighton or Crystal Palace, but would jump at the chance to join a higher mid-table club like Arsenal or Chelsea (see what I did there). 

If we bring in a new manager with a modern football system then we may find the likes of Hogan and Bjarnasson staying. Hogan especially has shown he can score when he gets a run in the team and we play to his strengths, but he has spent most of his time here chasing down long balls over the top. And Bjarnasson, when played in his proper position, was consistently very good. These guys are by no means bad footballers, they are just not well suited to Bruce's style of play - which makes their recruitment in the first place something of a mystery.

[Ponky]

Rubbish post - ignore

Edited May 28, 2018 by Ponky

[KSV]

Chelsea signing Traore for the rumoured 30 mil would be quite handy! Doubt it will happen though. 

RHM must be a start next season. We need to give him a run of games. Dont give me this hes too young rubbish. Look at Sessegnon. RHM is faster.. has a better finish and is a more solid build. His injuries are what are holding him back. He is ready. I would play him through the middle with Green outwide and Kodjia/Adomah. 

Central midfield is where we need to invest or get some one on loan. A better version of Onomah ideally. CB is another area where we cannot gamble with youth. Especially if Chester goes. I imagine Elphick will get a run or at least be back up. 

[Jas10]

We must not sell Grealish, that is just throwing the towel in and would be like condemning ourselves...we can’t afford to (intentionally) lose such a player and such a rare talent, he can be the key to promotion. I mean come on, we basically can’t play when he isn’t in the side and with the form he’s been in lately, just imagine how effective he could be for a whole season and with some decent players around to support him.

I think we need to shift the older players and try a different approach, experience isn’t everything and we could do with some youthful exuberance, pace and energy.

We should try and shift players like Jedinak and Whelan, the likes of which you cannot rely on for a whole season esp at their age. Bjarnason can be effective at DM (stop shifting him around in different positions) and I’d like to see Doyle-Hayes involved too.

Maybe try and find a place for Lansbury in the team too...

Let Hutton go too, I just don’t want us to be relying on so many 33/34 year old players again and they just don’t have the legs for a promotion push.

If we could somehow shift the majority of players who’ve been out on loan, that would certainly help. I just wish there was an easy way to get rid of McCormack and Richards...

Sell Hogan too because he has been useless for us and apparently we can’t “adapt to his style” or integrate him etc.

We need a younger, more energetic and exciting side imo, enough with the old heads approach, it didn’t work.

[Demitri_C]

Some papers are saying we will consider selling kodjia adomah chester and grealish. Cant see it being that drastic tbh.

Alot of papers really are trying to paint this negative picture of us. I hope we shove it down thwir throats next year.

[Rob182]

12 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

Some papers are saying we will consider selling kodjia adomah chester and grealish. Cant see it being that drastic tbh.

Alot of papers really are trying to paint this negative picture of us. I hope we shove it down thwir throats next year.

Yep. Annoyingly, a lot of Villa fan pages are swallowing it all too. Luckily a number of fans can see through the lies and have called BS.

Am I right in saying that Amavi’s €8m transfer fee was delayed so that we can include it in next year’s figures? If so, that’s a start. 

Then there’s the potential sell-on clauses for Adama and Veretout. Adama will surely not want to play another season in the Championship?

We could also try to sell players that we’ve barely used, like Gil, Gollini, Lansbury, De Laet & Gardner. (And, to a lesser extent, because no-one will want them, Richards and McCormack).

We have about £8m p/yr worth of loanee wages that we’re not paying, so that’s another big saving.

The last thing I can think of is our new sponsorship deals, so there’s more income there.

[hippo]

They are numerous hurdles to Grealish staying:-

1.He might want to go

2.The club may need to raise money to reduce losses

If he has to go - lets just get on with it - hope it doesn't drag on all summer

[Mark Albrighton]

So it’s looking like both Gil and Gollini are heading off. €3.5m for Gollini is the quote. Not seen a price for Gil, I guess that would have been previously agreed.

Maybe around £5m in from that pair. Save around £40k a week in wages maybe? That would be £2m over the year. Complete guess on my part, most likely to be wrong.

They’re not the first players I’d choose to get rid of, but at least it would be a start.

[troon_villan]

On 26/05/2018 at 19:37, punkiller1981 said:

Just curious but what happens if we just ignore FFP? Let’s be honest no other league seems to give it any respect so why would we. I don’t know how much month Tony actually has but I wound be inclined to say sod it I’ll take the fine for missing FFP

Xia is an absolute championee businessman so that is never ever ever going to happen. 

 

[Tayls]

1 hour ago, Shropshire Lad said:

So it’s looking like both Gil and Gollini are heading off. €3.5m for Gollini is the quote. Not seen a price for Gil, I guess that would have been previously agreed.

Maybe around £5m in from that pair. Save around £40k a week in wages maybe? That would be £2m over the year. Complete guess on my part, most likely to be wrong.

They’re not the first players I’d choose to get rid of, but at least it would be a start.

They are absolutely the first players we should be getting rid of. We do not need players that are coasting along offering us nothing and costing us money. Get rid. Go. Be gone. 

Edited May 29, 2018 by Tayls

[Mark Albrighton]

8 minutes ago, Tayls said:

They are absolutely the first players we should be getting rid of. We do not need players that are coasting along offering us nothing and costing us money. Get rid. Go. Be gone. 

Not McCormack or Richards? You wouldn’t want them gone first?