Summer transfer window 2021

[KMitch]

3 minutes ago, nick76 said:

Expectation/Goal, fine line between the meaning but still the wording at the end of July/early August (below) seems to have been reduced in the last week or so to “better than last season”

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/get-into-europe-smith-sets-villa-a-target-few-fans-will-disagree-with-2021-22-aim/amp/

 

If Jack was still in the squad, Europe is more realistic.  He isn't and TBH, I don't think the board was planning on him leaving, which set back our plans a bit for this season.  We could go out and make a few panic buys, or we ride this season out with who we have, let our promising young guns develop some more, then attack next summer's window with a much more cohesive transfer strategy.  

[Peter Griffin]

3 minutes ago, Czarnikjak said:

They took the longer term approach by trying to leverage academy to bring this sustainable success. It might not work out in the end, but it's a decent bet and I am with them on this one.

We appear to be the Premier League team investing most in bringing players into our academy. It is really good planning for the future, and by future we are only talking the next couple of seasons. We are pulling way ahead of the group of clubs being mentioned

[M_Afro]

1 hour ago, CarryOnVilla said:

getting in to Europe is not a race... Everyone is expecting that we neEeEeEEeEEd to do this this season or we are DooooOoOOm0ooomed Fooo0oooO000O00o0reEeeeEEeveeeeeer. We don't need to, we need to maintain stability and incremental improvement  

losing Grealish may take a tactical hit this season, but we have some positive signings and our youth players are progressing very nicely.. as things stand, I believe we are 2/3 seasons away from being a regular European team  

Read my post mate. I am directly talking about the stated expectation of the owners. It’s not my view it’s theirs. 

[Keener window-cleaner]

So if we hadn't sold Jack Grealish then our summer business would have been Buendia and Tuanzebe? Compared to the beginning of last season when we brought in Barkley (who at the time was a high profile signing, probably expensive and did well at the beginning) that isn't really an upgrade on the squad. Not much investment at all from the owners.

I guess it's logic, the pandemic has hit football hard (except the corrupt oligarchs and oil country-clubs) and we have spent a lot over the last years, so I couldn't complain too much about it. But it is a bit of a reality check, we have really good owners who are very wealthy, but we are being run sustainable and we probably can't expect us to throw out £100M+ window after window. I actually thought we would invest every season and step up a level for each year, but I guess this year it's more about consolidating a mid table place.

At least, if they don't put in any more money than the Jack Grealish money, they can't except any imporvement either this season. Something doesn't really add up though, Dean Smith said that we are probably two years behind where we want to be to be able to keep Jack, but to reach that level it would take some hefty investment, not just using whan you get from sales.

  

[KMitch]

1 minute ago, Tommo_b said:

I’m pretty confident about tomorrow… didn’t realise we weren’t?! 

Don't you know that we're relegation fodder unless we spend 50 million on a brick shithouse defensive midfielder?

[nick76]

1 minute ago, KMitch said:

I would love for our owners to drop 500 million on 6-7 more players and pay off the Premier League/UEFA when they come crying about FFP rules.  Am I expecting it?  No.  Am I going to get worked up and angry at them if it doesn't happen?  No.

I would also love for us to spend another 100+ million this summer on 2-3 quality players to fill out the squad, but if that doesn't happen and they powers that be decide to wait until next summer and reevaluate our needs after another year of development, I'm not going to be bothered either.  For the first time ever, we have owners, a CEO, a DOF, and a manager all in sync together with a clear business plan and strategy to continue to drive the club forward and up the table.  

And I don’t think anybody disagrees with that but this summer after the financial difficulties in Europe and having some money in the bank we just haven’t gotten over the line the improvement we needed to challenge for an European league place which obviously opens up so many things from additional players, commercial revenue and club profile over the coming years.  

Looks like a missed opportunity to get that one or two players in that would really make a difference.  They don’t have to be expensive but just technically what we need at the right level.

I mean we have spent all this time and money to get this quality recruitment team together and outside the kids we brought in there is nothing creative in the purchases we have brought in, no unknown player, no deal of the century. Buendia, Bailey, Ings and Young are quality signings but they aren’t the additional types I thought they would bring in. I’m assuming Smith and Purslow might have been able to do those deals without the recruitment team we have.  That’s been flippant I know but Lange and co were brought in to do special deals and not deals of players we know about.

[nick76]

3 minutes ago, KMitch said:

If Jack was still in the squad, Europe is more realistic.  He isn't and TBH, I don't think the board was planning on him leaving, which set back our plans a bit for this season.  We could go out and make a few panic buys, or we ride this season out with who we have, let our promising young guns develop some more, then attack next summer's window with a much more cohesive transfer strategy.  

They’ve already said they were expecting something to happen a lot earlier than we knew so I’m not agreeing on plans being set back.

[nick76]

2 minutes ago, KMitch said:

Don't you know that we're relegation fodder unless we spend 50 million on a brick shithouse defensive midfielder?

Over dramatic!

[nick76]

3 minutes ago, Keener window-cleaner said:

So if we hadn't sold Jack Grealish then our summer business would have been Buendia and Tuanzebe? Compared to the beginning of last season when we brought in Barkley (who at the time was a high profile signing, probably expensive and did well at the beginning) that isn't really an upgrade on the squad. Not much investment at all from the owners.

I guess it's logic, the pandemic has hit football hard (except the corrupt oligarchs and oil country-clubs) and we have spent a lot over the last years, so I couldn't complain too much about it. But it is a bit of a reality check, we have really good owners who are very wealthy, but we are being run sustainable and we probably can't expect us to throw out £100M+ window after window. I actually thought we would invest every season and step up a level for each year, but I guess this year it's more about consolidating a mid table place.

At least, if they don't put in any more money than the Jack Grealish money, they can't except any imporvement either this season. Something doesn't really add up though, Dean Smith said that we are probably two years behind where we want to be to be able to keep Jack, but to reach that level it would take some hefty investment, not just using whan you get from sales.

  

Smith said we had exciting names on the list before Jack went so something didn’t happen. I guess we couldn’t get the players we wanted

[Phil Silvers]

We thought Jack would stay, going has disrupted our plans, we will in effect being sideways for a bit and then its full steam ahead with a new plan A.

The thing is though that the best we can rely hope for is doing a Leicester. This league, as with all the top leagues has become an elite version of the Scottish prem, the shop is closed. NSWE task is nigh on impossible as everything, as in all big business, is geared towards the elite having all the money. The way I see it, the only way to really progress is to cheat the **** out of it like those before us.

One thing to take in to account though before throwing more millions at it, is that we might well have an elite bunch of kids coming through.

Edited August 27, 2021 by Phil Silvers

[Czarnikjak]

2 minutes ago, nick76 said:

Smith said we had exciting names on the list before Jack went so something didn’t happen. I guess we couldn’t get the players we wanted

Buendia was one of those names. The other one? Who knows...maybe ESR, we will never know.

[TRO]

9 minutes ago, KMitch said:

I would love for our owners to drop 500 million on 6-7 more players and pay off the Premier League/UEFA when they come crying about FFP rules.  Am I expecting it?  No.  Am I going to get worked up and angry at them if it doesn't happen?  No.

I would also love for us to spend another 100+ million this summer on 2-3 quality players to fill out the squad, but if that doesn't happen and they powers that be decide to wait until next summer and reevaluate our needs after another year of development, I'm not going to be bothered either.  For the first time ever, we have owners, a CEO, a DOF, and a manager all in sync together with a clear business plan and strategy to continue to drive the club forward and up the table.  

I think we have to be careful we don't go ott on this.

Our owners have done fantastic and its not the spending of money thats the issue with some imo.....its where the money is spent....I am more than pleased with their spending overall.

Right now, arguably we have one player who stands out as a defensive midfielder, who in many fans eyes is not good enough, for this level....the rest who are deployed there are all-rounders if you like, who are asked to do a job and they do their best.

I think its fair to say that is an imbalance of resource and I will be delighted if we sign a quality one, suffice to say, I will have an enhanced view of where we will finish,if we do..... I am that sure, it will be the right thing to do.

If we don't sign such a player, then we have to do the best we can, with what we've got....Thats all there is to it for me.

Ps this is a most difficult time, in trying to get break in to that top 6, when the players we are after, want us to be in Europe already.....its tricky, for the employers.

 

[TRO]

13 minutes ago, Tommo_b said:

I’m pretty confident about tomorrow… didn’t realise we weren’t?! 

some aren't.

[nick76]

6 minutes ago, Peter Griffin said:

We appear to be the Premier League team investing most in bringing players into our academy. It is really good planning for the future, and by future we are only talking the next couple of seasons. We are pulling way ahead of the group of clubs being mentioned

I think that’s a profit machine.  Youth players rarely make it at the level of a top half of the PL team.  You are lucky if two or three make it and most are sold on to other teams for profits to reinvest. I’d be surprised if the trend changes. I’ve followed the lower Villa teams for most of my life and players you think are going to make it don’t and you have batches of good groups and you get the off through but most move on.  These are a great bunch and I’m hoping more make it but history shows it rare.  I’d love a Man U of 90s group or a special one or two players to come through.

[Peter Griffin]

4 minutes ago, Phil Silvers said:

the shop is closed

If the shop is closed then why is Arsenal not in the shop and why is someone else in there instead? 19 consecutive years in the Champions League!

[Phil Silvers]

Just now, Peter Griffin said:

If the shop is closed then why is Arsenal not in the shop and why is someone else in there instead? 19 consecutive years in the Champions League!

Sorry Peter, I'm not sure what you mean?

[TRO]

5 minutes ago, Phil Silvers said:

We thought Jack would stay, going has disrupted our plans, we will in effect being sideways for a bit and then its full steam ahead with a new plan A.

The thing is though that the best we can rely hope for is doing a Leicester. This league, as with all the top leagues has become an elite version of the Scottish prem, the shop is closed. NSWE task is nigh on impossible as everything, as in all big business, is geared towards the elite having all the money. The way I see it, the only way to really progress is to cheat the **** out of it like those before us.

One thing to take in to account though before throwing more millions at it, is that we might well have an elite bunch of kids coming through.

That could be our silver bullet.....not to put too much pressure on them.

[Peter Griffin]

1 minute ago, nick76 said:

I think that’s a profit machine.  Youth players rarely make it at the level of a top half of the PL team.  You are lucky if two or three make it and most are sold on to other teams for profits to reinvest. I’d be surprised if the trend changes. I’ve followed the lower Villa teams for most of my life and players you think are going to make it don’t and you have batches of good groups and you get the off through but most move on.  These are a great bunch and I’m hoping more make it but history shows it rare.  I’d love a Man U of 90s group or a special one or two players to come through.

That's fine if we turn it into a profit machine as that gives us more revenue and thus more ability to buy proven players. However, we are doing things differently now with the youth setup. We are not 'just' trying to develop kids from a very young age and hope to strike gold. We are paying 7 digit fees for the best 16 and 17 year olds around. This should very much increase the odds of striking gold

[CarryOnVilla]

30 minutes ago, Pissflaps said:

That's the thing. There isn't one. The rules are made so we can't win in general.

 

 

If that’s the case, what’s the point in Villa fans watching football 

[Phil Silvers]

1 minute ago, TRO said:

That could be our silver bullet.....not to put too much pressure on them.

Really hope so but we must then consider that the NSWE project may take a little longer.