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Do We Need Them?


villafan306

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5 days left in the transfer window and we have signed not one player. But do we need any?

Let's look at the facts. 41 points from 24 games, 5th place in the league and in with our best chance of qualifying for the Champions League since.....well ever. So you wouldn't think that we are desperate to sign anyone.

But truth be told, we are. Our squad is wafer thin and one or two injuries could halt our European charge for this season. But we haven't signed anyone so far this January and with 5 days left (and bear in mind nothing ever really happens on a Sunday) rumours are thin on the ground. So what I intend to do here is look at our squad. what I think we need and who I think is available (bear in mind I have no inside knowledge whatsoever).

Goalkeepers: With Carson being valued at £10million and Martin O'Neill wanting value for money, chances are this won't become a permanent deal right now. But with Carson here until June there is plenty of time to ponder this one. Taylor has been as good as Carson when called upon and in my view is unlucky not to be starting more often. Sorensen is looking to move in the next few days but I don't expect us to sign a replacement.

Defenders: As far as the left back slot goes, Bouma is probably the most consistant player in our team. He is always very solid and can put a good cross into the box too. Should he be injured Barry is more than capable of filling in. Central defence is sorted. Laursen is immense and having signed a new deal will be the heart of our defence for a while yet. Davies and Knight are locked in a battle to partner him, with the young loanee (whose deal becomes permanent in the summer) currently having the edge after some fantastic displays. Let's not forget Gary Cahill either. We have rejected two £4m bids for him so far and with Olof Mellberg maybe leaving before Thursday, MON may decide to hang onto the youngster. Which brings me nicely onto the major talking point for Villa fans:

Right Back: Mellberg is heading to Juventus. That seems to be a fact. But chances are he may be going before Thursday. Leaving us with either Craig Gardner or Gary Cahill to step into right back slot. Now whilst either of these young villains would be more than happy to play there, neither are right backs. So we need to bring someone in. And if Mellberg (who lest we forget is not in fact a right back anyway) does go this transfer window, we'll need someone before Thursday. So who is available? To my knowledge only 3 players.

- Pascal Chimbonda: Mercenary Spurs defender, renound for his terrible attitude and average ability. Spit his dummy out of the pram at Wigan as he was apparently bigger than the club and is rated as surplus to requirements by new Spurs boss Juande Ramos. Reently quoted as saying he wants a move to newcastle as Keegan has offered him a lot of money and that he didn't care about getting a League Cup winners medal, only the money. So thanks, but no thanks.

- Alan Hutton: Little known Glasgow Rangers defender who is again seemingly quite average. The 23 year old right back has already snubbed a move to Spurs (which caused Chimbonda to spit his dummy out of the pram again and demand a move) and is rumoured to be handed a new deal at Ibrox as reward. He wants to stay in Scotland it seems so that's another target we won't be signing.

- Nedum Onuoha: The England Under 21 captain is frustrated at the lack of oppotunities at Manchester City and as such his agent has been trying to get him a move before the window finishes. Onuoha fits the bill for MON; Englsih, young, hungry and talented. The only stumbling block may be Sven's reluctance to let what little home grown talent the club has leave, but he would definately be my choice.

Other targets for this position may include Justin Hoyte and Ryan Taylor, however neither player is likely to move during the transfer window.

Midfield: Left midfield belongs to Ashley Young. That is not under any threat. Gareth Barry could fill in as back up if required, as could Shaun Maloney. Central midfield would ideally be made up with 2 from Barry, Reo-Coker and Petrov. Gardner and Osbourne are both able to step into the role if needed due to injuries/suspensions. Leaving a gaping hole on the right side of the park. This could be filled by Petrov (though he is obviously uncomfortable there), Maloney is also an option and Agbonlahor has played right midfield in the past. But it wouldn't hurt for us to sign a right winger to balance the side. Here are a few options:

- Giles Barnes: The talented Derby winger has been linked with us earlier in this window. Barnes is 19 years old so would again fit the Englsih, young, hungry and talented and could be a future star in the making. He would probably cost less than Ashley Young but comparisons would obviously be made, Barnes and Young on the wings would be enough to make any defence wet themselves a little. This one might very well happen and would be welcomed by most if not all Villa fans.

- David Bentley: A longshot but the talented Blackburn winger again fits the Englsih, young, hungry and talented criteria that MON looks for. Bentley has recently stated though that he is happy at Blackburn and is not looking to move. This one is not likely, just a few hopeful fans on messageboards suggesting it.

And that is about all for midfielders. There doesn't seem to be a plethora of available talent right now, maybe we could hang on until the summer and see who is available. The only other suggestion I can think of is Michael Kightly from Wolves, but whether or not the former non-league player can make the step up to the top level remains to be seen.

Strikers: Carew and Agbonlahor seem to have MON's backing, but Marlon Harewood is emerging as a real challenger for a starting place. Luke Moore seemingly wants to leave and has not impressed when he had his chances earlier this season. Rangers are sniffing around but nothing is likely to happen until the summer apparently. With Maloney also able to play as a striker, I wouldn't imagine that strikers would be the top priority for MON this window.

So there we have my take on what the next few days could bring. We need to sign a right back, that much I thinkwe all know and signing a right midfielder would be a wise move if we intend to secure a top 6 finish. My guess is 2 signings and I'd be more than happy with Onuoha and Barnes to be honest. What does MON have in mind though? Time will tell...

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Depends really if you talk about padding out the squad then no, the youths are fine backup the reserve and youths league tables suggest we have something to fall back on, if we have genuine class to play 1st team right away then yes, im vexxed that he doesnt look abroad more, too narrow minded for my liking and we have no good wingers in england that have skills to take multiple players on, fine i rate bentley, SWP is ok but not quite the same as a ronaldo, quaresma, nani we need cutting edge

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The answer depends on our goals: The team has shown Uefa quality, that's for sure, but what about CL? Do we want a squad able to play at its best and possibly achieve a Uefa spot or one that can be flexible and be in the quest of the CL place while eventually targeting the top 3? I believe a more accuare question is "do we need them NOW?" and then my question would be "NO".

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we desparately need a right midfielder. Someone of real quality and skill . 4 years ago Solano came to us in Jan and transformed our play as all of a sudden we had balance. If MON can pull something out of the bag then we could go on to have a storming end to the season.

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We do have a fairly promising right winger I beleive, a chap nicknamed 'the togolese zidane' (a curse if ever there was one): Mustapha Salifou. He's been one of our better players in reserve games and has started making the bench recently.

As far as i can see, a right back is imperitive. Not only would it provide the sound defensive side that we probably wouldn't get if/when gardener plays there, but it would add attacking balance to the team too, making the right wingers job easier. It's vital we get a decent right back before the end of the week.

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We do have a fairly promising right winger I beleive, a chap nicknamed 'the togolese zidane' (a curse if ever there was one): Mustapha Salifou. He's been one of our better players in reserve games and has started making the bench recently.

He's been playing centrally for the reserves.

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Don't get me wrong, I'd love for us to bring in a better RB than Mellberg this window, but I think in terms of a short term immediate effect on our team, a RW is far more important.

Mellberg is defensively very sound, seldom at fault for goals, has put in lots of important tackles and blocks all through the season and has also contributed way more than I had expected in the attacking aspect of the game with 3 goals and a couple of assists as well.

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of course we need a few signings before thursday...

if we are looking to compete for europe then we need to strengthen the team. The villa team at the moment is far to small to be able to play a european game mid-week and then a league game on the weekend. With the size of our squad(the smallest in the premiership) and the lack of expirience a few of our lads have.. we need to add a bit more strength and depth to the team, regardless of our current league position

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well it would be great to see new signings, i can

see why MON wants to go for english talent and thats

down to the fact half way through a season you dont want

someone who cant keep up with the pace of the game, and isnt

quite ready for the premier league.

i would def agree, we need i would say a right bk but also maybe

another defender who can play anywhere along the back four.

i would also like to see two midfielders be signed just to show we are

trying to build up a decent size squad, as yeah we have great youngsters, but

at the end of the day they are just youngsters, and you can not but that

much pressure on them so quickly, i mean look what has happened to theo walcott.

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