Summer transfer window 2021

[Zhan_Zhuang]

37 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

Well let’s get the big guns from abroad, similar to the way the most successful teams have done so in the past. There are better and better value players out there than many of those in the PL.

Would you seriously take 60m and spend it on JWP rather than an outstanding talent such as Oyarzabal (who I think is unattainable but a similar player should be targeted) or the top talents from Spain, Germany & Italy?

We don’t need to spend like crazy anyway, we don’t need to spend massive fees on individual players and pay exorbitant wages from the off. You can still get excellent  players with high potential for 20-40m if you can scout and research & identify the right targets well.

I would much rather spend less on a Buendia or De Paul than bloody JWP!!!

Most of our players know the league well by now and our recent signings have adapted well (Watkins & Cash) & quickly. We have plenty of British players too.

We need talent and ability not (just) experience right now.

For the fourth time Ward-Prowse was an example of a player who I think we need who is PL quality. Villa lack creativity from the centre and a dead-ball specialist. He was/is a player I think who would have improved us this season and he is improving every season in terms of statistics.

De Paul and Buendia yes of course they are cheaper but they don't play where Ward-Prowse does. My point is we are poor in the middle of the park in giving the ball away, inviting pressure and creating.

£60 million was just a number I picked it doesn't mean anything, Transfer Markt has his current value at just over £25 million.

[Steero113]

3 minutes ago, Sulberto21 said:

I suggested him for the current season on a half a season contract. If he wasn't made out of wet tissues I'd have him for next season. The obvious one was Mandzukic who rejected us earlier this season. It's the benefits of their experience to Ollie, Davis and Wesley I'm looking at.

Totally agree, someone of their mould on a one year (with an option for a further) would be an investment into our squads mentality and nous more than anything they could necessarily bring on the pitch. 

[Zatman]

2 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

I'd honestly go a bit more on a proven midfield player personally rather than another project....as it is I'm not certain we'll even get another midfield in this summer given we have already 4-5 options for just 2 spots if Jack plays more central next season.

So like a few positions I'd rather have a real difference maker in there.

Said it before but Milenkovic Savic has been linked to loads of top clubs but no one has taken him. Lazio going to miss out on top 4 so financially will be a big blow to them in these times.

He's just turned 26, 6ft 3, regularly hits double figures in Serie A and can play as attacking midfielder or slightly deeper as McGinn type. If people are looking for Soucek type to me he's ideal if you want to spend 40-50m on a CM and sort who would push us into top 6 bracket of clubs. Overall 40 goals in just under 200 games for them.

West Ham signed Felipe Anderson from Lazio about 3 years ago for 40m so you can get those type of players out of clubs even if he flopped a bit and they had to loan him out.

Lazio have always wanted around 70 million for him even when weren't in Champions League. He is a strange player as many coaches dont fancy hin especially for Serbia which is why nobody had paid big for him

[Zatman]

2 minutes ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

For the fourth time Ward-Prowse was an example of a player who I think we need who is PL quality. Villa lack creativity from the centre and a dead-ball specialist. He was/is a player I think who would have improved us this season and he is improving every season in terms of statistics.

De Paul and Buendia yes of course they are cheaper but they don't play where Ward-Prowse does. My point is we are poor in the middle of the park in giving the ball away, inviting pressure and creating.

£60 million was just a number I picked it doesn't mean anything, Transfer Markt has his current value at just over £25 million.

De Paul plays centrally for Udinese though more where we play Barkley

[Jas10]

7 minutes ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

For the fourth time Ward-Prowse was an example of a player who I think we need who is PL quality. Villa lack creativity from the centre and a dead-ball specialist. He was/is a player I think who would have improved us this season and he is improving every season in terms of statistics.

De Paul and Buendia yes of course they are cheaper but they don't play where Ward-Prowse does. My point is we are poor in the middle of the park in giving the ball away, inviting pressure and creating.

£60 million was just a number I picked it doesn't mean anything, Transfer Markt has his current value at just over £25 million.

Let’s move on, it wont’t happen anyway. We’ve both expressed our points of view.

No sense in repetition, agree to disagree.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Jas10

[VillaChris]

6 minutes ago, Zatman said:

Lazio have always wanted around 70 million for him even when weren't in Champions League. He is a strange player as many coaches dont fancy hin especially for Serbia which is why nobody had paid big for him

He's always started for Lazio ever since Inzaghi turned up. I can remember him being a number 10 in his early season (scored 12 goals in Serie A in 17/18 for instance) but then Luiz Alberto properly adapted and he was rejigged more to box to box midfielder.

Yeah dosen't always play for Serbia (that Norway game he came on as a sub) but they have a very odd set up there with loads of their better players deciding to retire early or not interested in national team over last decade.

I just see it like this....guy played for top 6 level club for last 5 years in Italy, big and strong with eye for goal so pretty much what likes of TRO constantly call for at heart of midfield. His deal actually expires in 2023 so the price will be dropping from this summer so can see more mid range sides in other leagues having a serious look at him.

Would be far more exciting signing to me than Ward Prowse which has MON Esque feel about it.

Start signing guys like SMS and De Paul at some point in next 24 months and I honestly believe we'd play in CL at some point in next 5 years so it depends how much we want to push the boat out otherwise the risk is our star players then want to leave as happened from 2009 onwards and then it's just a task to replace them properly and stand still.

Edited May 10, 2021 by VillaChris

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Jas10 said:

 

This is exactly it. We have to be more intelligent in our recruitment.

Many teams have spent recklessly and paid the price at times. We can get ahead of the likes  of Arsenal and Spurs if we get the right players in - they don’t necessarily have to be £50m+ and on over £100k a week initially. Once you get a good player in that keeps improving then you raise their wages accordingly as their value rises.

Thats why, I don't subscribe to the narrative of " they have been in the Premier League longer than us".....as some sort of get out of jail free card.....its a point sure, but not one to hide behind and seek solace with....we need latent aggression to drive us on.

Look at West Ham, finished just above us last season, they have bought some dung over the years......what they have now is balance, not necessarily better players than us, (just in some areas like centre mid, the engine room) that give them that balance.

Look at Leeds, they have made a remarkable first season, with players like Phillips,Bamford, Ayling and Dallas,Raphina taking the league by storm.....journey men as you might say, but their approach has paid dividends....another team aggressive in their approach.

Many teams spend unwisely, and that is where, we should hope to score.....but we have to, not just be better in terms of quality, but in terms of improving aspects of the teams play to give us better control and balance in games.

Edited May 10, 2021 by TRO

[TRO]

11 minutes ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

For the fourth time Ward-Prowse was an example of a player who I think we need who is PL quality. Villa lack creativity from the centre and a dead-ball specialist. He was/is a player I think who would have improved us this season and he is improving every season in terms of statistics.

De Paul and Buendia yes of course they are cheaper but they don't play where Ward-Prowse does. My point is we are poor in the middle of the park in giving the ball away, inviting pressure and creating.

£60 million was just a number I picked it doesn't mean anything, Transfer Markt has his current value at just over £25 million.

A dagger through the heart of whats wrong with us IMO.

My worry is our answer will be some more offensive players, to add to the ones we already have......Our issue, is where you have depicted.

We can score goals, very few games we have failed, what we fail to do is control games and contain the opposition from scoring, we concede the initiative in the middle as you say.....but I wouldn't hold your breath that we will strengthen there, I fear we are focused too much on the offensive player.

I think Jack, Ollie and Bert could be as good as it gets for us, sure we need back ups.......but ,its behind them that needs a similar standard of attention, to the front.

[VillaFaninLondon]

27 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

That's the next step up for us really...Ricardo Periera had a really good world cup 2018 IIRC and was regular for Porto in CL for many years, Soyuncu regular for mid table Bundesliga team and had likes of Arsenal looking at him before Leicester got him in, Castagne a regular for top 4 Serie A team and Evans was actually a premier league regular when Leicester signed him aged 30.

Tielemans also highly rated young player although it didn't quite work out at Monaco and Leicester took full advantage of that.

We're not quite shopping with that calibre yet, hopefully in next two years.

I think it's this summer we need to be looking at those types of targets really. Leicester signed Soyuncu, Evans and Pereira after finishing 9th on 47 points, we've already got more points than that with 4 games left to play and whilst we may finish lower than their 9th (most likely 11th as things stand) we're still basically both midtable with no Europe. They signed Tielemans also after finishing 9th. 

 

Leicester signed Evans after Wet Bum got relegated IIRC, so I wouldn't be surprised if we considered someone like Anguissa or Berge from the relegated sides as they probably won't stick around in the Champ, but to find the quality of someone like Pereira, Tielemans or Soyuncu we have to scout well this summer and be prepared to spend a bit (Pereira was £25m, Tielemans was £40m). 

[Jas10]

Just wanted to point out that we do actually have several good players that will have dips and upturns in form - it happens and isn’t uncommon in younger players. We can’t just dispense of every player and need to allow time for our better ones to improve and adapt. We need to have a base to build on and garner team unity and spirit.

Traore gets plenty of criticism but he hasn’t even been with us for one season and has contributed quite a lot, a very entertaining and exciting player too. Technically gifted and skilled. He could become an exceptional player, we shouldn’t write him off too soon. With time and coaching he will become more disciplined and consistent.

Whereas the likes of El Ghazi and Trezeguet have been with us for a lot longer and it is obvious that they are inferior players and lacking a lot - backups at best and would be worth moving on to boost the transfer kitty and help us upgrade the team/squad.

Nakamba also is very limited and doesn’t possess the physical presence that a top quality DM really needs. Tidy and can make a tackle but he doesn’t possess much beyond that.

Engels never gets a game for whatever reason so may as well get rid and bring in a better option.

Luiz clearly has quality and was essential for us at the backend of last season, worth staying patient with.

Watkins and Cash have been brilliant and are only going to get better, Watkins deserves to be our CF for the foreseeable future and we need to provide him with better service and support.

Martinez is magnificent.

Targett & Konsa have both demonstrated just how drastically players can improve with time and coaching too.

We don’t need an overhaul but definitely need more quality in certain areas.

An obvious statement, but also, players perform better when they have more quality around them. When the team is not performing well it’s harder for individual to excel.

Just look at how Jack lifts the level of every player when he plays.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Jas10

[TRO]

5 minutes ago, VillaFaninLondon said:

I think it's this summer we need to be looking at those types of targets really. Leicester signed Soyuncu, Evans and Pereira after finishing 9th on 47 points, we've already got more points than that with 4 games left to play and whilst we may finish lower than their 9th (most likely 11th as things stand) we're still basically both midtable with no Europe. They signed Tielemans also after finishing 9th. 

 

Leicester signed Evans after Wet Bum got relegated IIRC, so I wouldn't be surprised if we considered someone like Anguissa or Berge from the relegated sides as they probably won't stick around in the Champ, but to find the quality of someone like Pereira, Tielemans or Soyuncu we have to scout well this summer and be prepared to spend a bit (Pereira was £25m, Tielemans was £40m). 

I think the crucial bit is.....signing the right players to have the maxim impact on the team.

I am personally convinced that a good strong leader in the middle with pace and power will ignite this team.....They would play the forwards in and protect the back four......The Engine (room) needs a turbo.

I don't think a particular strategy is needed good players are usually a result of good blending and creating that crucial balance.

What we have right now, is a team with great passages of play, but no glue or cohesion to galvanise it all in to a team.....A Gareth Barry, would be great.

However, I do think when they have identified the missing link, a Marquee signing this time might be key.

[VillaChris]

21 minutes ago, VillaFaninLondon said:

I think it's this summer we need to be looking at those types of targets really. Leicester signed Soyuncu, Evans and Pereira after finishing 9th on 47 points, we've already got more points than that with 4 games left to play and whilst we may finish lower than their 9th (most likely 11th as things stand) we're still basically both midtable with no Europe. They signed Tielemans also after finishing 9th. 

 

Leicester signed Evans after Wet Bum got relegated IIRC, so I wouldn't be surprised if we considered someone like Anguissa or Berge from the relegated sides as they probably won't stick around in the Champ, but to find the quality of someone like Pereira, Tielemans or Soyuncu we have to scout well this summer and be prepared to spend a bit (Pereira was £25m, Tielemans was £40m). 

I think Sanson is the start of that as he fits the profile of what Leicester would look at, mid 20s, experienced in european football in decent league etc.

It's important even if he dosen't work out in the long run we just don't get scared and use that example as to why we should never sign a French player again for example. We have more chance in long run of making top 4 eventually by signing 4-5 with Sanson's profile than just signing whoever has had a good season for Brentford imo although of course a mixture of the two is welcome and where we are at the club.

Randomly recall Leicester signing Vicente Iborra from Sevilla a few years back. It didn't work out for him in midfield and think he's at Villareal now so Leicester quickly sold him for what they paid but didn't stop them continuing to go down that route in european market.

Personally I'd love a summer transfer window again like 2015. Not so much domestic but we signed some really good players from France that summer as they've pretty much all gone on to show in the last 5 years. And difference between us now and then is complete night and day so it's the right moment.

Johnny Evans is a little different as he was 30 when he signed for Leicester. Saw about Ward Prowse above at 26 being dismissed (although I know that's more due to the inflated fee we've had to pay for that type, would be same for Zaha) but again the odd player in 30-32 bracket shouldn't just be discounted either, we all saw the impact Cavani had yesterday after all.

Think Leicester generally had the miracle title win to thank for decent european players being interested, I doubt many would've considered joining them without that so us actually winning something in near future would be massive in tempting some bigger named players.

I reckon if we can have another strong start next season we could go really strong next January as I imagine there's still a bit of scepticism among higher profile targets about actually joining us as things stand.

Edited May 10, 2021 by VillaChris

[VillaFaninLondon]

50 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

 

This is exactly it. We have to be more intelligent in our recruitment.

Many teams have spent recklessly and paid the price at times. We can get ahead of the likes  of Arsenal and Spurs if we get the right players in - they don’t necessarily have to be £50m+ and on over £100k a week initially. Once you get a good player in that keeps improving then you raise their wages accordingly as their value rises.

Whilst I've been critical of Dean, this is exactly the right sort of attitude. Wise spending really is what is going to propel us up the table and into Europe. That means clever scouting and being able to sell the club to top players (the new performance centre is very impressive and will be a pull for the club I believe). And as much as I love VP, I think the next step is improving the stadium by expanding it and we'll be able to do that if we keep improving as demand will fuel supply. 

 

We want to be a club that talks big and delivers. If the owners match what they say then we clearly have an exciting future ahead of us, but it will take continous investment and ambition to achieve this. We're certainly moving in the right direction.

[TRO]

11 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

Just wanted to point out that we do actually have several good players that will have dips and upturns in form - it happens and isn’t uncommon in younger players. We can’t just dispense of every player and need to allow time for our better ones to improve and adapt. We need to have a base to build on and garner team unity and spirit.

Traore gets plenty of criticism but he hasn’t even been with us for one season and has contributed quite a lot, a very entertaining and exciting player too. Technically gifted and skilled. He could become an exceptional player, we shouldn’t write him off too soon. With time and coaching he will become more disciplined and consistent.

Whereas the likes of El Ghazi and Trezeguet have been with us for a lot longer and it is obvious that they are inferior players and lacking a lot - backups at best and would be worth moving on to boost the transfer kitty and help us upgrade the team/squad.

Nakamba also is very limited and doesn’t possess the physical presence that a top quality DM really needs. Tidy and can make a tackle but he doesn’t possess much beyond that.

Engels never gets a game for whatever reason so may as well get rid and bring in a better option.

Luiz clearly has quality and was essential for us at the backend of last season, worth staying patient with.

Watkins and Cash have been brilliant and are only going to get better, Watkins deserves to be our CF for the foreseeable future and we need to provide him with better service and support.

Martinez is magnificent.

Targett & Konsa have both demonstrated just how drastically players can improve with time and coaching too.

We don’t need an overhaul but definitely need more quality in certain areas.

An obvious statement, but also, players perform better when they have more quality around them. When the team is not performing well it’s harder for individual to excel.

Just look at how Jack lifts the level of every player when he plays.

your points are valid...but jam tomorrow, is a judgment...its sometimes comes good and sometimes doesn't.

our squad is small by comparison to some in the Premier League, we shouldn't be too precious about exiting players, too quickly....unless firm assessments have been concluded.

I still think, we expect offensive players to be responsible for defending too much......quality in the middle of the park, would allow them to do what they do best.

I still think Jack-Ollie -Bert is a formidable front 3 with aback up.

Its the middle that needs focused Attention and some variation of player.

[TRO]

4 minutes ago, VillaFaninLondon said:

Whilst I've been critical of Dean, this is exactly the right sort of attitude. Wise spending really is what is going to propel us up the table and into Europe. That means clever scouting and being able to sell the club to top players (the new performance centre is very impressive and will be a pull for the club I believe). And as much as I love VP, I think the next step is improving the stadium by expanding it and we'll be able to do that if we keep improving as demand will fuel supply. 

 

We want to be a club that talks big and delivers. If the owners match what they say then we clearly have an exciting future ahead of us, but it will take continous investment and ambition to achieve this. We're certainly moving in the right direction.

I think we need one marquee signing and I think it has to be a midfield General......I think we need to do a Man city, with Robinho.

We need to make a statement....even if its just 1

[VillaFaninLondon]

17 minutes ago, TRO said:

I think the crucial bit is.....signing the right players to have the maxim impact on the team.

I am personally convinced that a good strong leader in the middle with pace and power will ignite this team.....They would play the forwards in and protect the back four......The Engine (room) needs a turbo.

I don't think a particular strategy is needed good players are usually a result of good blending and creating that crucial balance.

What we have right now, is a team with great passages of play, but no glue or cohesion to galvanise it all in to a team.....A Gareth Barry, would be great.

However, I do think when they have identified the missing link, a Marquee signing this time might be key.

I'm with you on the DM, we definitely lack an imposing midfielder in front of that back four.

 

Having said that, I think we need more pace and creativity further forward too so we'll need 2-3 players at least to solve our midfield issues imo.

[Jas10]

6 minutes ago, TRO said:

your points are valid...but jam tomorrow, is a judgment...its sometimes comes good and sometimes doesn't.

our squad is small by comparison to some in the Premier League, we shouldn't be too precious about exiting players, too quickly....unless firm assessments have been concluded.

I still think, we expect offensive players to be responsible for defending too much......quality in the middle of the park, would allow them to do what they do best.

I still think Jack-Ollie -Bert is a formidable front 3 with aback up.

Its the middle that needs focused Attention and some variation of player.

I don’t disagree, the need for a tall, strong DM has also been continually expressed here recently.

We have plenty of box to box midfielders already and won’t just get rid of them. It will be interesting to see how Sanson performs next season.

I agree that we have a small squad and poor bench too. But Smith has also stated that we can’t afford to stockpile players. Need to get the balance right and enhance the quality.

There are indeed some players that we shouldn't hesitate to move on, given the opportunity, but there are also others worth sticking with and allowing for their development and progress. We need to supplement them with genuine quality and see if that brings the best out of them.

We have seen them perform exceptionally at times this season and that is sometimes forgotten when we have a lull. We miss Jack desperately still and don’t possess enough quality to make up for his absence or to aid him.

What we lack in aerial ability and physical prowess, we try to make up for with pressing and aggression at times (particularly McGinn & Watkins) but it’s not enough and not a consistent theme for us. Takes a lot of energy too, I believe we were also hit hard by Covid and it really disrupted us. We were flying beforehand.

 

[VillaFaninLondon]

19 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

I think Sanson is the start of that as he fits the profile of what Leicester would look at, mid 20s, experienced in european football in decent league etc.

It's important even if he dosen't work out in the long run we just don't get scared and use that example as to why we should never sign a French player again for example. We have more chance in long run of making top 4 eventually by signing 4-5 with Sanson's profile than just signing whoever has had a good season for Brentford imo although of course a mixture of the two is welcome and where we are at the club.

Personally I'd love a summer transfer window again like 2015. Not so much domestic but we signed some really good players from France that summer as they've pretty much all gone on to show in the last 5 years. And difference between us now and then is complete night and day so it's the right moment.

Johnny Evans is a little different as he was 30 when he signed for Leicester. Saw about Ward Prowse above at 26 being dismissed (although I know that's more due to the inflated fee we've had to pay for that type, would be same for Zaha) but again the odd player in 30-32 bracket shouldn't just be discounted either, we all saw the impact Cavani had yesterday after all.

Think Leicester generally had the miracle title win to thank for decent european players being interested, I doubt many would've considered joining them without that so us actually winning something in near future would be massive in tempting some bigger named players.

I reckon if we can have another strong start next season we could go really strong next January as I imagine there's still a bit of scepticism among higher profile targets about actually joining us as things stand.

Age is just a number, I really like the fact we have a young team because it means the majority of them will get better over the years but if the right player is available that is older than our usual profile then they would be very welcome. Even if just to come off the bench and make an impact. 

 

I still think decent European players would be interested, we beat Liverpool 7-2 this season, we played some awesome football earlier on in the season and players will look at that too when they consider a move. We're also ambitious and I'm sure the owners would be more than happy to pull out their 5 year plan to sell the project to potential signings who want to be sure the club matches their ambition.

[TRO]

17 minutes ago, VillaFaninLondon said:

I'm with you on the DM, we definitely lack an imposing midfielder in front of that back four.

 

Having said that, I think we need more pace and creativity further forward too so we'll need 2-3 players at least to solve our midfield issues imo.

I agree.

but I wouldn't necessarily sell McGinn and Luiz.....just create more competition for places.

I think Luiz just needs to work on his game, in specific ways.

[TRO]

19 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

I don’t disagree, the need for a tall, strong DM has also been continually expressed here recently.

We have plenty of box to box midfielders already and won’t just get rid of them. It will be interesting to see how Sanson performs next season.

I agree that we have a small squad and poor bench too. But Smith has also stated that we can’t afford to stockpile players. Need to get the balance right and enhance the quality.

There are indeed some players that we shouldn't hesitate to move on, given the opportunity, but there are also others worth sticking with and allowing for their development and progress. We need to supplement them with genuine quality and see if that brings the best out of them.

We have seen them perform exceptionally at times this season and that is sometimes forgotten when we have a lull. We miss Jack desperately still and don’t possess enough quality to make up for his absence or to aid him.

What we lack in aerial ability and physical prowess, we try to make up for with pressing and aggression at times (particularly McGinn & Watkins) but it’s not enough and not a consistent theme for us. Takes a lot of energy too, I believe we were also hit hard by Covid and it really disrupted us. We were flying beforehand.

 

Graeme Souness made a good point over the weekend abou top players in any squad, mentoring the younger players.....He said managers are so busy, they can't be everywhere.

young players look up to the seniors and we need a few top experienced players for them to learn from......Jack is one, obviously.