Jas10 Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 (edited) 37 minutes ago, Anything11 said: We aren't bringing him back based on his previous stint. As other posters have kindly pointed out to you on multiple occasions we are signing him based on this last year at Luton. He did more than "manage to last a season" - he drew praise from all over including winning their player of the season. So much so that pundits/media began talking him up for an England return - all while playing for a Luton side that got relegated. You don't like the signing and thats fine. Just don't try to back it up with such piss weak rhetoric. Listened to this podcast and so impressed to hear about his stats on dribbles, pretty impressive to do that in a poor team against much stronger opposition and under so much pressure... He successfully and regularly brings the ball out from a deeper position and can frequently get it to the more advanced and attacking players… regularly beating the first man and getting the ball to a teammate. It’s obvious that Unai wants as many technically gifted players as possible that can be composed in possession and give us control… the more we have of them in the squad, the better, those that won’t lose the ball cheaply or struggle under pressure… Ross adds to that with very little outlay and improves our depth and options in a department that is very light and we struggled with all season really… hopefully players like Luiz and Tielemans won’t have to be shifted around and be so curbed or blunted… they can attack and create more. Again, this isn’t the player or he won’t be playing in the role he was for us previously… and the level of coaching and management he’s going to get under Unai and co. is like nothing we’ve had at the club before.. he’s a deep lying playmaker, not a CAM or SS. But, imo… we must still go and get that proper defensive player, that DM who can help us be more robust and resilient… a tackler and interceptor. Covers us for now and can eventually compete/alternate with Kamara and even partner him occasionally once he’s back and in his groove again (not for a while). Striking a bargain deal like this for a CM (even if he plays deeper) enables us to spend more on that kind of player… I hope so anyway. This is a great way of managing our budget/kitty while boosting the squad, we’ll spend more on starters. We need a bigger and stronger squad, ECL (and domestic cups) exposed that we are lacking in that regard and CL is a major step up… it’s going to be a very busy window because we need to become more formidable and be able to handle the game load better… Edited May 23 by Jas10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brum_Aus_Villan Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 There's not even one negative around this deal. Upgrade on Chambers, Donk, Tim. Tactically flexible. Cheap. Fills home grown quota. Knows the club and league. European experience. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlack Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 Is he a bit the opposite to Tielemans in terms of minutes played in his career? So yes he's 30, but he's only played the amount of minutes the average 27 year old has? If Emery thinks he can work, and we can get him for the annual FFP hit of about 3.66m, then its an absolute no brainer. We need to add at least 4 new bodies to our squad for next season, and two of those need to be basically free transfers. Look at Kamara, his salary is over 125k... that's over 6m FFP hit per year. So even on a free he costs us nearly twice as much as Barkley will. I know they're different positions and ages but just giving the price point a reference. So if he let's us sign a DM thats in the 10m higher bracket than we otherwise would have if we signed a more expensive alternative to him, then its great business. Smart in the transfer market you say Unai? Yes please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 15 minutes ago, MrBlack said: Look at Kamara, his salary is over 125k... that's over 6m FFP hit per year. So even on a free he costs us nearly twice as much as Barkley will. I do agree with you, but just to be pedantic… Kamara is more than twice as good as Barkley, maybe 10x better 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 21 minutes ago, Brum_Aus_Villan said: There's not even one negative around this deal. Upgrade on Chambers, Donk, Tim. Tactically flexible. Cheap. Fills home grown quota. Knows the club and league. European experience. Completely agree. Emotionally i might not want him because of the last time he was here, but logically he fits our squad if he cheap enough and if Emery thinks he can get the best out of him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlack Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 1 minute ago, ender4 said: I do agree with you, but just to be pedantic… Kamara is more than twice as good as Barkley, maybe 10x better I do agree he's better. But the Ross of last season was one of the best players in the league. Overlay Ross's per minute stats on Kamara's and they start to look very impressive. But like I said, it's just a point to make that he's actually cheaper than a free transfer would likely be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyblade Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 53 minutes ago, paul514 said: I don’t dispute that but that isn’t the level I aspire to He'll be 5th choice central midfielder when Kamara is fit. He's a better 5th choice than anyone we've had in my lifetime, and honestly better than every other team's 5th choice at the top of my head, if they even have one. For reference, among our rivals these would be: City: Rico Lewis (5th choice, though Stones and Akanji can play there, and better than most other midfielders) Arsenal: Elneny (4th choice) Liverpool: Thiago (5th choice, leaving after June) Spurs: Oliver Skipp (5th choice, tossup between him and Lo Celso) Chelsea: Carney Chukwuemeka (4th choice) Newcastle: Joe Willock (5th choice) United: Scott McTominay (5th choice, though he has heavy competition from Amrabat and Casemiro) I reckon Barkley comfortably outperformed everyone on that list, along with many of their 2nd and 3rd choice midfielders to boot. If you're aspiring for higher than that, you must be from the future or something because it doesn't make sense in footballing terms or financially. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul514 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 34 minutes ago, Keyblade said: He'll be 5th choice central midfielder when Kamara is fit. He's a better 5th choice than anyone we've had in my lifetime, and honestly better than every other team's 5th choice at the top of my head, if they even have one. For reference, among our rivals these would be: City: Rico Lewis (5th choice, though Stones and Akanji can play there, and better than most other midfielders) Arsenal: Elneny (4th choice) Liverpool: Thiago (5th choice, leaving after June) Spurs: Oliver Skipp (5th choice, tossup between him and Lo Celso) Chelsea: Carney Chukwuemeka (4th choice) Newcastle: Joe Willock (5th choice) United: Scott McTominay (5th choice, though he has heavy competition from Amrabat and Casemiro) I reckon Barkley comfortably outperformed everyone on that list, along with many of their 2nd and 3rd choice midfielders to boot. If you're aspiring for higher than that, you must be from the future or something because it doesn't make sense in footballing terms or financially. We play some of the players you are considering central midfielders on the left and right of midfield, we have Kamara (the only DM) Tielemans and Luiz who are playing for the same role. I don't consider a season where his club is forced to play him non stop as a reliable indicator for a player who will play a bit part in and out here, is injured a lot AND who has been crap for several years before this. Mats Wieffer is available for 25m apparently, is far superior and a long term solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyblade Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 16 minutes ago, paul514 said: We play some of the players you are considering central midfielders on the left and right of midfield, we have Kamara (the only DM) Tielemans and Luiz who are playing for the same role. I don't consider a season where his club is forced to play him non stop as a reliable indicator for a player who will play a bit part in and out here, is injured a lot AND who has been crap for several years before this. Mats Wieffer is available for 25m apparently, is far superior and a long term solution. They played in other positions, but would still be ahead of him in the pecking order. Tielemans has played more games in CM than any other position. John McGinn is usually first to fill in in CM during an injury crisis. If there are injuries or suspension, Barkley will be 5th in the pecking order. Basically where Dendoncker was. Unless we're signing a starter, I don't see us spending that kind of money on anyone. We can't afford to have a £25m 5th choice midfielder, nor can anyone else in the league seemingly. Signing one of the best performing midfielders in the league last season for £2m is exactly the kind of business we should be doing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlitobrigante Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 18 minutes ago, paul514 said: We play some of the players you are considering central midfielders on the left and right of midfield, we have Kamara (the only DM) Tielemans and Luiz who are playing for the same role. I don't consider a season where his club is forced to play him non stop as a reliable indicator for a player who will play a bit part in and out here, is injured a lot AND who has been crap for several years before this. Mats Wieffer is available for 25m apparently, is far superior and a long term solution. i get it, but we just don't have the FFP leeway to be throwing 25m at squad players at the moment. Wieffer would cost 10 x times the amount Barkley would cost...added to which he has far he has only performed in the Dutch league, whereas Barkley was one of the best midfielders in the premier league in a struggling team I understand that now we are a CL club that people want and expect lots of big signings. We just aren't in that position yet and have a summer of being restricted by FFP If Barkley can play close to the level he showed at Luton all season, and costs us about 2 million as seems to be quoted, it is a brilliant piece of business. We need squad depth, and we cant be chucking around 25 million like that on players like Wieffer (who i agree is a top prospect) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post QldVilla Posted May 24 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted May 24 It’s like Groundhog Day on this site some days. Last year it was Tielemans, this year it’s Barkley. You would think after 18 months supporters would trust Emery to sought the squad. Welcome back Ross, hopefully we will see the player that we know you can be. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DakotaVilla Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Just because we’re signing Barkley as a very, very good back up 8 doesn’t mean we’re not going to sign a 6 people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyblade Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 1 hour ago, paul514 said: Like i said youre counting two people who are penciled in for left and right midfield in central midfield like where they are pencilled in to play in the first place doesn't matter you need 2 players for each position. Wieffer would start in DM, we don't even have a fit Kamara back until december. Not sure what you're talking about, Tielemans is 3rd choice left midfielder when everyone's fit, maybe even 4th depending on who's available. He plays CM or AM the overwhelming majority of the time. Besides, even someone like McGinn who normally plays on either wing would play CM before Barkley if there were injuries there, which is exactly what we saw this season. When Kamara got injured and Dougie was suspended, guess who the midfield pairing was. That might change of Barkley comes, but probably not. For £2m, what we're getting is a safety net where if there's a crisis we are still playing a competent midfielder and not someone like, Dendoncker or Chambers, with all due respect to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChesterDad Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 6 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said: Well he's better than Chambers and Tim. For £2m plus wages. Wheres the negative here? Chambers yes - Tim I guess the jury is still out, its’s potential where he is concerned isn’t it?. And I am absolutely all for him coming back, I thought he was superb last season and would not have questioned an England call up for him. I can’t see any reason not to do this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb_82 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 3 hours ago, QldVilla said: It’s like Groundhog Day on this site some days. Last year it was Tielemans, this year it’s Barkley. You would think after 18 months supporters would trust Emery to sought the squad. Welcome back Ross, hopefully we will see the player that we know you can be. Exactly how I feel mate, everyone is entitled to their opinion etc but we just continue to be so short sighted on these things and throw out all sorts of suggested names Couple of things for me.... 1. Lets see how the whole of the business ens up looking at the end of the window before we judge, Barkley may be a squad enabler to get someone else at a higher price in a more vital position or even another more high profile CM 2. Go and look at the team that got Villareal to Europa league win and Champions league semi - Some on here would have a heart attack looking at the names on it if they were suggested at Villa, it shows though its the key chemistry and components of the team rather than the individual 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenko#4 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 I remember watching the Olympiakos games, and they kept mentioning Vicente Iborra, who was in Emery’s Sevilla and Villarreal Europa League winning teams before going to Greece. He is a big, physical Jack of all trades midfielder who started as an AM and moved back to DM, and Emery signed him for Villarreal at 32 y/o. I think most will agree that he played very well against us over two legs at 36 as well, despite not being the most mobile anymore. This signing reminds me a a lot of that. Barkley, despite what happened previously here, seems to be a big part in Unai’s jigsaw puzzle, and will fill a similar role I reckon. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jbvilla909 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 We need squad depth, that was obvious to see in the run in. Barkley won't be our only signing this summer. He's had a great season, can cover and number of positions. Seems like a good, logical signing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romavillan Posted May 24 VT Supporter Share Posted May 24 28 minutes ago, cb_82 said: Exactly how I feel mate, everyone is entitled to their opinion etc but we just continue to be so short sighted on these things and throw out all sorts of suggested names Couple of things for me.... 1. Lets see how the whole of the business ens up looking at the end of the window before we judge, Barkley may be a squad enabler to get someone else at a higher price in a more vital position or even another more high profile CM 2. Go and look at the team that got Villareal to Europa league win and Champions league semi - Some on here would have a heart attack looking at the names on it if they were suggested at Villa, it shows though its the key chemistry and components of the team rather than the individual Yeah, look who just got a hat-trick for Atalanta to win the EL man. Someone who didn't impress in the Premier League. Quite often a big expensive name won't work, it's about the group and the interaction between the roles in Emery's system. Barkley as cover for Kamara that doesn't break the bank is good business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vancvillan Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 1. He's cheap 2. He's better than Scott McTominay, who some on here were suggesting we sign in last summer/ this winter 3. He's a different player to the one who we last saw in a Villa shirt (which for context was during the season Keinen Davis made 18 appearances, so yeah a long time ago) 4. It's not even the end of May 5. He's 6'14", which will appease those mentioned in #2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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