Summer Transfer Window 2022

[nick76]

14 minutes ago, Pez1974 said:

This would hammer the Turkish league, who always seem to pick up some dross by being the last to shut. 

 

[Teale's 'tache]

  

3 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

The point is Cash, Martinez, Watkins and McGinn are European standard players despite being bought for "mid table or lower". We buy players we think will be good players the standard they reach can vary but just because a player was signed at a specific point doesn't mean they are incapable of being any better than our aspirations for that time

I would add that Sanson has played 25 times in European competition including the 2018 Europa League Final. He has plenty of pedigree, and arrived with a good reputation. We just haven't seen the best of him yet.

[CVByrne]

3 minutes ago, nick76 said:

I think challenging for 8th can be viewed in many ways, if the view that you always mathematically have a chance of getting 8th until the last half a dozen games of the season but you’re never really going to get 8th and 10th/11th was your level most of the season then I agree.

As for Ings, I don’t wholly disagree, but I’m not sure Ings or Watkins works in Gerrard’s system.  I’m definitely not convinced Watkins works in Gerrard’s system and has been struggling for 12 months.

Midfield is where I totally disagree, I think we need that difference maker and I think there are options out there who would be a big upgrade on our midfield.

I think the squad is short of quality in the first XI to get higher than 10th.

I suppose opinions on our midfield really come down to McGinn. Some (basically every non Villa fan and a portion of Villa fans) rate him CL level player and links to Liverpool, United, Spurs are the only ones ever seen in the media not links to clubs below us. So if you rate McGinn highly then with JJ/Luiz in the other 8 spot and Kamara there you'd be happy with our midfield. 

If you rate McGinn lowly then you want him out of the team and an improved player signed to take his place and push him to bench/squad player. The split opinions on our midfield really boils down to McGinn. 

What we can all agree on is that Gerrard rates McGinn very high indeed, heigh enough to make him captain and to constantly praise him. So for people wishing a signing came to push him out of the team it's a highly unlikely event. I think it all hinges on Luiz staying or going and being replaced

[allani]

6 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

Why should they have much of a clue about how we will perform. We know a million times more than they do about Villa. They are just taking last years PL table and saying well Villa came 14th. Nobody looks into the fact we only lost 1 game under Gerrard by more than one goal and we were outstanding in the first half of that Spurs game. We know we've had so many individual errors costing us goals given away so cheaply. If we simply cut out those errors we would have ended higher straight off the bat.

Next, Ings, Bailey and Martinez had poor seasons despite being very talented players. If they improve their performances to the levels they were at the season before last we're in for a performance boost from existing players. 

We tried to play a style of football playing out from the back but we lacked the players in CB and CDM to do it. We just signed two players specifically to solve the no1 issue we had. We've now had a great pre season, no defeats and we've squad depth and touch wood no injuries to any of the first team squad. 

Everything so far is looking good for us. We've every reason to be optimistic about the season and we all know last season was a mess. It's behind us now and we are all looking forward. Signing a new shiny no8 and selling Luiz isn't the silver bullet that gets us to 7th or 8th. 

By the same logic you can say the same thing about our knowledge of what is going on at West Ham, Leicester, Newcastle, Palace or any of the other 19 teams in the division.  Most of my friends are season ticket holders at other clubs and who follow the PL very closely.  Yes they know less about what we are up to - but they almost all think that they are better placed to challenge for Europe this season and maybe break into the top 6 (with the notable exception of my Evertonian friend!).  They point to similar issues from last season - silly runs of form or a spell of too many games in quick succession.

I think they are under-estimating us.  I think we will be better than last season and I'm feeling a bit more confident of finishing in the top 10 than I was a couple of weeks ago.  But I also think we are massively under-estimating the challenge we have to hit Top 7 or 8 form over a full season.  We have some good players but our midfield balance still does not look right.  And let's face it if Kamara gets injured or takes a while to find his feet - our big issue in midfield remains exactly that.

[allani]

46 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

I suppose opinions on our midfield really come down to McGinn. Some (basically every non Villa fan and a portion of Villa fans) rate him CL level player and links to Liverpool, United, Spurs are the only ones ever seen in the media not links to clubs below us. So if you rate McGinn highly then with JJ/Luiz in the other 8 spot and Kamara there you'd be happy with our midfield. 

If you rate McGinn lowly then you want him out of the team and an improved player signed to take his place and push him to bench/squad player. The split opinions on our midfield really boils down to McGinn. 

What we can all agree on is that Gerrard rates McGinn very high indeed, heigh enough to make him captain and to constantly praise him. So for people wishing a signing came to push him out of the team it's a highly unlikely event. I think it all hinges on Luiz staying or going and being replaced

Are you really trying to say that you believe that 99% of PL fans would put McGinn in the starting XI for Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal???!!!  For me the new CM isn't even competing with McGinn anyway.  I think we need someone to play alongside Kamara so that we can control the midfield and let McGinn / JJ do their thing slightly further forward within the 3 - with more focus on supporting the front 3 than supporting the back 4.  McGinn's eventual replacement is JJ and I hope that this year they play a similar number of minutes.  A McGinn going full tilt for 60 minutes a match is a big step up from a McGinn who missed less than 300 minutes across a whole season.

Edited August 3, 2022 by allani

[Sulberto21]

2 hours ago, joshharris12 said:

Looking like our window is done 

Did you use safestyle windows??

[allani]

27 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

I suppose opinions on our midfield really come down to McGinn. Some (basically every non Villa fan and a portion of Villa fans) rate him CL level player and links to Liverpool, United, Spurs are the only ones ever seen in the media not links to clubs below us. So if you rate McGinn highly then with JJ/Luiz in the other 8 spot and Kamara there you'd be happy with our midfield. 

If you rate McGinn lowly then you want him out of the team and an improved player signed to take his place and push him to bench/squad player. The split opinions on our midfield really boils down to McGinn. 

What we can all agree on is that Gerrard rates McGinn very high indeed, heigh enough to make him captain and to constantly praise him. So for people wishing a signing came to push him out of the team it's a highly unlikely event. I think it all hinges on Luiz staying or going and being replaced

PS - What I do agree with you on with this post (and to be fair I agree with a fair amount of your other posts!) is that we seem to be divided into two main camps - one camp who think that we have a squad good enough to challenge for Europe and that if we don't then that is probably the fault of the unproven manager and one camp who thinks that we have some good players but not necessarily a balanced team and that the manager will have done pretty well if he gets us into the top half.  Obviously nothing is 100% one way or the other and there is some fuzzy stuff around that simplification of thousands of different individual perspectives.

At the end of the day I would love it, absolutely love it if everything clicks and we finish 7th or 8th this season and in 10 months time you can come back here and say "told you so"!!!  I'm not trying to be a kill-joy or to try and wind people up by being deliberately provocative.  This is the best team / squad we have had for a long, long time and I do think we have strengthened whilst (so far at least) maybe other teams around us haven't.  But for me I just haven't seen anything that makes me think that Kamara, Luiz and McGinn (almost certainly our starting 3 this weekend) will be able to consistently provide the platform we need to play the way that should get the best out of the rest of the team.  I think Sanson could be on a similar level to Luiz and McGinn and if one of them gets injured he's not far off (if he can stay fit and healthy).  But I don't think he provides the balance we need either. 

I think we are close, I really do.  But I think so much depends on getting control of the midfield and I just don't think we are quite there.  But being in the situation where we are 1 player away from potentially having Luiz, Sanson, JJ and Tim on the bench is incredible.  That would give us real strength in depth and real options to react to different match situations / different opponents.

Plus I have been Mr Super Optimistic so many times leading up to the first match of the season only to then have reality **** on me from a great height!!

[Rolta]

58 minutes ago, allani said:

Not at all.  Man Utd was probably his best performance.  But he ended it with no goals, no assists for us and an assist for them.  If that is his best performance then I struggle to see why people seem convinced that he is the answer to the problem.  He might be.  He might come good, very good.  But from all his performances so far that is a pretty huge jump.  It can happen - JJ proved that last year.

It's been said a lot, but he hasn't had a chance, and when he has, including and outside of that Man U game, he has looked good enough and worthy of the speculation that he might have something good to offer. The fact he didn't get an assist in that game, or got an assist for them, isn't really evidence of anything. 

[allani]

Just now, Rolta said:

It's been said a lot, but he hasn't had a chance, and when he has, including and outside of that Man U game, he has looked good enough and worthy of the speculation that he might have something good to offer. The fact he didn't get an assist in that game, or got an assist for them, isn't really evidence of anything. 

The trouble is that two managers have given him chances and then left him out of the next match so he's clearly not done enough to persuade them (so far).  Sometimes that has been down to injury / fitness but I really can't say that in any of his games to date he has looked like an obvious upgrade on McGinn or Luiz.  Probably a similar level - which is not a bad thing in that it has been a long time since we have been able to make subs who haven't lessened the quality of the team on the bench.  I definitely wouldn't be looking to sell Sanson.  But I just don't think he's the upgrade that takes us from a decent mid-table team to challenging to be "best of the rest".  And I do kind of feel that with all the other improvements we have made this summer we are only 1 or 2 players away from doing that.

[IrishVilla10]

4 minutes ago, Rolta said:

It's been said a lot, but he hasn't had a chance, and when he has, including and outside of that Man U game, he has looked good enough and worthy of the speculation that he might have something good to offer. The fact he didn't get an assist in that game, or got an assist for them, isn't really evidence of anything. 

This has been the most frustrating thing about Sanson he always looks like a tidy player any time he comes on and hasn’t had a proper run of games to show what he can do. He looks like he can progress with the ball on the ground and play a good passing game. He’s obviously not favourite though so should be moved on, it’s just not worked out 

[Peter Griffin]

32 minutes ago, allani said:

The trouble is that two managers have given him chances and then left him out of the next match so he's clearly not done enough to persuade them (so far).  Sometimes that has been down to injury / fitness but I really can't say that in any of his games to date he has looked like an obvious upgrade on McGinn or Luiz.  Probably a similar level - which is not a bad thing in that it has been a long time since we have been able to make subs who haven't lessened the quality of the team on the bench.  I definitely wouldn't be looking to sell Sanson.  But I just don't think he's the upgrade that takes us from a decent mid-table team to challenging to be "best of the rest".  And I do kind of feel that with all the other improvements we have made this summer we are only 1 or 2 players away from doing that.

I am not trying to pin you to name players as that is daft, Lange and co must do that.  But what type of players would u see as the missing link. I would like Sangare or similar. I don't think we need another striker now that Archer has been confirmed as 1st team

[paul514]

1 hour ago, Sulberto21 said:

Did you use safestyle windows??

Should use my guy Dave, much cheaper and better.

 

[paul514]

1 hour ago, CVByrne said:

I suppose opinions on our midfield really come down to McGinn. Some (basically every non Villa fan and a portion of Villa fans) rate him CL level player and links to Liverpool, United, Spurs are the only ones ever seen in the media not links to clubs below us. So if you rate McGinn highly then with JJ/Luiz in the other 8 spot and Kamara there you'd be happy with our midfield. 

If you rate McGinn lowly then you want him out of the team and an improved player signed to take his place and push him to bench/squad player. The split opinions on our midfield really boils down to McGinn. 

What we can all agree on is that Gerrard rates McGinn very high indeed, heigh enough to make him captain and to constantly praise him. So for people wishing a signing came to push him out of the team it's a highly unlikely event. I think it all hinges on Luiz staying or going and being replaced

I think McGinn is a good player but I would have sold him for good money this summer IF there was interest, he isn't that hard to upgrade,  he is getting older so his large value would drop in the next year or two.

Gerrard isn't going to replace him so it is a moot point for this year but personally I would be signing another CDM.

First we need competition for Kamara but honestly I have very little faith in Gerrard and expect him to be gone in under 18 months. 4-2-3-1 suits us much better and that would require another CDM anyway.

I have tipped them before but Sangare and Koopmeiners ideally.

 

[Xela]

2 hours ago, Peter Griffin said:

I always believe the window should slam shut before the 1st game, its crazy that it doesn't. But remember the good old days when the transfer window was open 365 days a year and bigger clubs could see a form player and just waltz in and take him. To me its a bit like smoking in restaurants and bars, its hard to believe it used to be allowed. This window is also impact a little more as the season is starting that bit early due to the WC

Different times then though. People weren't obsessed with the transfer market. Now, its got its own industry with Sky Spurts and all the rumour websites, and in some fans eyes, winning the transfer window trumps everything else. 

[Peter Griffin]

5 minutes ago, paul514 said:

I think McGinn is a good player but I would have sold him for good money this summer IF there was interest, he isn't that hard to upgrade,  he is getting older so his large value would drop in the next year or two.

Gerrard isn't going to replace him so it is a moot point for this year but personally I would be signing another CDM.

First we need competition for Kamara but honestly I have very little faith in Gerrard and expect him to be gone in under 18 months. 4-2-3-1 suits us much better and that would require another CDM anyway.

I have tipped them before but Sangare and Koopmeiners ideally.

 

I don''t think Gerrard will go in the 18 month timeframe. If he is not up to the job he will be gone at the WC break imo. If he lasts for the next 18 months then I am thinking he will be doing a lot right and wont be sacked and will be here for a few years

[Xela]

3 hours ago, CarryOnVilla said:

“LoOks LiKe We’RE dOne”

is always one of the most pointless statements to say on here. 

Yep. As if anyone knows. 

[Peter Griffin]

1 minute ago, Xela said:

Different times then though. People weren't obsessed with the transfer market. Now, its got its own industry with Sky Spurts and all the rumour websites, and in some fans eyes, winning the transfer window trumps everything else. 

Very true. The obsession with the transfer window is quite strong. We haven't spent enough / got enough players / net spend is too low etc, the transfer window is a sport in its own right 

[MWARLEY2]

10 minutes ago, Peter Griffin said:

Very true. The obsession with the transfer window is quite strong. We haven't spent enough / got enough players / net spend is too low etc, the transfer window is a sport in its own right 

Yes this is true. We are always held up by many as one of the transfer window winners but results do not follow. The covid season is the only one where we saw the influence our transfers had on results. 

[Monkeypuzzle]

I see lots of people talking about Douglas Luiz or Sanson needing to move on before a new player can come in. I find that very strange as surely Nakamba is bottom of the pile when it comes to our midfield six? McGinn, Ramsey, Luiz, Kamara and Sanson are all surely rated higher? Any new incoming midfielder I simply see as a Nakamba replacement. Worst case scenario if we sign a defensive minded midfielder who can go straight into the starting lineup once settled is that Nakamba doesn't make the squad for this season as we continue to look for somewhere to move him on. People sound very hopeful that Luiz is going to sign a new contract too.

[eholm]

2 hours ago, allani said:

The thing is we signed Sanson to get us into mid-table.  I don't know why we now think that he is good enough to get us into the European fight.  He hardly set the world alight when he did play.  His best performance was probably against Man Utd and he undid most of his good work in that match by gifting them a goal with a ridiculous pass.  Even if he had got the pass right - he'd still have been putting our defence under unnecessary pressure when there were better options available.  I think he is just too similar to our other midfield options and doesn't give us the balance or the control that we need.  A

This 100%.

BALANCE, BALANCE, BALANCE.

We havent had it in midfield since returning to the PL. Nothing will drastically improve/change until we achieve that balance no matter how we rearrange our current no.8 incumbents......definition of insanity 'n all that.