Winter transfer window 2020/1

[Wainy316]

8 hours ago, VillaChris said:

Gana would be brilliant in this team. As would Adama, Amavi and probably Veretout.

We just signed them all at completely wrong time.

Not to forget we had Grealish back then too.  They’d be a right team now with a new CB pairing.

[VillaFaninLondon]

8 hours ago, VillaChris said:

Gana would be brilliant in this team. As would Adama, Amavi and probably Veretout.

We just signed them all at completely wrong time.

Quite simply, if you put those players in the current Villa team they would turn us into potential top 6 challengers I'm sure. Traore, Barkley and Grealish would be hell for most defences, Gana and Veretout could play in front of the back 4 with McGinn and Luiz as cover, Amavi would be an upgrade on Targett. 

 

I'm gutted they flopped so badly here. 

[Tayls]

1 hour ago, VillaFaninLondon said:

Quite simply, if you put those players in the current Villa team they would turn us into potential top 6 challengers I'm sure. Traore, Barkley and Grealish would be hell for most defences, Gana and Veretout could play in front of the back 4 with McGinn and Luiz as cover, Amavi would be an upgrade on Targett. 

 

I'm gutted they flopped so badly here. 

They didn’t flop. That’s the thing. We were so disgracefully run as a club at that point across all areas that they simply did not have a chance. The team as a whole was poison. 

[paul514]

19 hours ago, villalad21 said:

Tuanzebe no thanks.

He is out injured about 70 % every season.

Do not want injury prone players and we should not sign them

Cheap and easy to get for a quality player who isn't always injured, plus he would be a rotation player not automatic first choice.

[paul514]

16 hours ago, VillaChris said:

He's a good player for Palace and Serbia as he's proven in prem over last 3-4 years so to me that type is clear upgrade on a Nakamba who isn't trusted to start games anymore based on last season's efforts.

i said on last page he's on too long a contract and too close to 30 to be a serious transfer target for us with what we've done in last two years (could've seen Bruce going for him if we'd gone up in 2018) but we certainly need that steady DM alongside Luiz imo who can keep play ticking along with simple passes and help keep our shape infront of back 4.

Whelan actually did a good job at that for parts of 18/19 so I'm not that fussed about any new DM being a man mountain although taller players will help defending crosses and set pieces which we still aren't great at.

Probably more realistic target is Will Hughes. He played for first time this season for Watfoed on Saturday so I imagine we enquired during summer and were told he'd be injured for a while. That's the sort of tempo midfielder DS likes but again he's more box to box and upgrade on Hourihane rather than pure DM.

Hughes is a good shout for a cheap but decent quality player, with assumed limited cash though we have to purchase a defensive midfielder first.

[lexicon]

Are people really still talking about Adama ffs 

0 goals, 0 assists this year.

He's less productive than Trezeguet. No thanks.

[Herman22]

14 hours ago, Wainy316 said:

Not to forget we had Grealish back then too.  They’d be a right team now with a new CB pairing.

This is exactly right. We had Lescott and Richards at centre back that year. Hard to think of a worse defensive pair in the history of the club.  

[MrBlack]

20 hours ago, The Fun Factory said:

I think not being in a shambles of a football club is the right fit for him. Felt sorry for the lad when he was at us, we dragged him down to our level. He did well to get out.

At the time I'd have agreed with the other poster that he might just have been a bad fit for the English game, but hindsight tells us he's a cracking player and we were a total shambles at the time. I'm sure he'd be fine in a decent team in this league.

Carles Gil did alright after leaving as well, in Spain and now America.  Shame an injury this season has stopped him pushing on.  That goal too 

[MrBlack]

Back on topic... if we have any money to spend, my signings in order of priority would be :

1. CDM

2. CB (we've got so lucky with no injuries at the back so far this season)

If we have more, which is unlikely,  then another option on the wing if the club aren't going to utilise Traoré would be a welcome addition.

Honestly though,  I'd be happy with just the first item in the above summary. A better Nakamba unlocks so many different midfield options for us. 

[Laughable Chimp]

8 hours ago, paul514 said:

Cheap and easy to get for a quality player who isn't always injured, plus he would be a rotation player not automatic first choice.

Smith doesn't rotate players in the league. He always plays his perceived best first team. Can't remember the last time he's went from starting a player and then benching them just because they needed a rest and that's especially true for defenders.

[Zatman]

1 hour ago, Herman22 said:

This is exactly right. We had Lescott and Richards at centre back that year. Hard to think of a worse defensive pair in the history of the club.  

History of the Premier League

[villa4europe]

9 hours ago, paul514 said:

Cheap and easy to get for a quality player who isn't always injured, plus he would be a rotation player not automatic first choice.

What makes you think he would be cheap? 

Not seen him linked to anyone so no figures but I'd be surprised if utd wanted less than £20m for him and he's not worth that 

Seen a few villa fans asking questions about whether we should go for lingard, that's a massive no from me, not because I don't think he gets in to our squad because I think he does but because of the mental side of it, 5 year deal on £80k a week is not a good deal for us, he'll hit the brakes on his career like like several other players who leave utd or arsenal or Chelsea in their mid to late 20s, Everton are littered with them, he will decline very quickly when he leaves utd

[sparrow1988]

2 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

What makes you think he would be cheap? 

Not seen him linked to anyone so no figures but I'd be surprised if utd wanted less than £20m for him and he's not worth that 

Seen a few villa fans asking questions about whether we should go for lingard, that's a massive no from me, not because I don't think he gets in to our squad because I think he does but because of the mental side of it, 5 year deal on £80k a week is not a good deal for us, he'll hit the brakes on his career like like several other players who leave utd or arsenal or Chelsea in their mid to late 20s, Everton are littered with them, he will decline very quickly when he leaves utd

They're united fans with a villa jersey on.

[Wainy316]

5 hours ago, lexicon said:

Are people really still talking about Adama ffs 

0 goals, 0 assists this year.

He's less productive than Trezeguet. No thanks.

Not the week to be saying that

[lexicon]

5 minutes ago, Wainy316 said:

Not the week to be saying that

Good point! 

[paul514]

1 hour ago, Laughable Chimp said:

Smith doesn't rotate players in the league. He always plays his perceived best first team. Can't remember the last time he's went from starting a player and then benching them just because they needed a rest and that's especially true for defenders.

Don't you think that may be because there is a gulf in quality behind the first 11?

[paul514]

1 hour ago, villa4europe said:

What makes you think he would be cheap? 

Not seen him linked to anyone so no figures but I'd be surprised if utd wanted less than £20m for him and he's not worth that 

Seen a few villa fans asking questions about whether we should go for lingard, that's a massive no from me, not because I don't think he gets in to our squad because I think he does but because of the mental side of it, 5 year deal on £80k a week is not a good deal for us, he'll hit the brakes on his career like like several other players who leave utd or arsenal or Chelsea in their mid to late 20s, Everton are littered with them, he will decline very quickly when he leaves utd

I'd rather eat a plate of poo than sign Lingard.

Axel has played 209 minutes in the league since leaving us,  his contact is up at the end of next season and they obviously don't rate him and at 23 I am pretty sure he would welcome the move.

His injury record isn't what people think it is either, the injuries aren't reoccurring he has just been a bit unlucky as you can see on here https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/axel-tuanzebe/verletzungen/spieler/342046

I don't think it would take more than 10m to sign him and if it did it would be a couple of million, if they want 20 you would tell them to go take a jump, this is a lad who has played 514 minutes in the premier league in his whole career that isn't even 6 full games. 

[sharkyvilla]

21 minutes ago, paul514 said:

Don't you think that may be because there is a gulf in quality behind the first 11?

Definitely, we could have gone the other way and rather than sign 3 or 4 first team players, try and repeat last year's method of getting 8 or 9 squad players for the same price and you end up having to replace them again next summer which is really a waste of time and money.  I think they've accepted that it's a bit of a gamble not filling out the squad, as long as we are lucky with injuries then we should win more games with a settled, quality first XI but accept that an up-and-down mid-table season is progress and something to build upon again in the summer.  I'm glad they reversed the loan policy to get Barkley in as well as I thought that was like tying one arm behind our back last season and we had to gamble on loaning Drinkwater and Reina in January anyway.

As for Axel a loan-to-buy would be perfect really, I guess Utd would prefer an obligation to buy whereas we would probably want to have a look at his fitness before committing to buying him.  He really needs to move on and we would be the perfect environment for him I reckon.

Edited December 8, 2020 by sharkyvilla

[The Fun Factory]

Surely another striker no? If Watkins (Mcgrath forbid) gets a long term injury then we are fooked .

Big Wes is still not back and tbh I don't think he fits Smith style of play anyway.

[sharkyvilla]

18 minutes ago, The Fun Factory said:

Surely another striker no? If Watkins (Mcgrath forbid) gets a long term injury then we are fooked .

Big Wes is still not back and tbh I don't think he fits Smith style of play anyway.

Tough ask to find in January, just look at Samatta and whatshisface, the Spanish guy.  I guess they'll look at a mixture of Davis and Traore.  I seem to remember El Ghazi doing it once or twice last season and didn't look out of place, my memory may be playing tricks on me though.