January Transfer Window - 2023

[TRO]

I would like us to sign a centre forward, with the ability to score headed goals.....someone like a young Oliver Giroud or a Edin Dzeko.

so many goals are scored from the air, set pieces and crosses and we seem to be scarce in that area.....and when goals change games, its a good position to fall back on....it adds to the roundedness of the team.

It seems to me many of the top teams are drifting back to the traditional centre forward and I think we should give it serious consideration.

Benzema, Kane, Giroud, Dzeko are just a few, who can change games from the air.....we had our days of Gray and Withe.....I think the fashion is drifting back. albeit slowly.

Edited November 29, 2022 by TRO

[PerryBarrPet]

41 minutes ago, TRO said:

I would like us to sign a centre forward, with the ability to score headed goals.....someone like a young Oliver Giroud or a Edin Dzeko.

so many goals are scored from the air, set pieces and crosses and we seem to be scarce in that area.....and when goals change games, its a good position to fall back on....it adds to the roundedness of the team.

It seems to me many of the top teams are drifting back to the traditional centre forward and I think we should give it serious consideration.

Benzema, Kane, Giroud, Dzeko are just a few, who can change games from the air.....we had our days of Gray and Withe.....I think the fashion is drifting back. albeit slowly.

Headed goals are fine but what I want us to sign is a (or perhaps two) striker who will score 20+ league goals every season - not easy but this is the level we need.

[Delphinho123]

1 hour ago, TheMelvillan said:

I think he is fantastic. gutted about that one

Flash in the pan.

[Delphinho123]

26 minutes ago, PerryBarrPet said:

Headed goals are fine but what I want us to sign is a (or perhaps two) striker who will score 20+ league goals every season - not easy but this is the level we need.

It really isn't and there is very little chance we're signing one, let alone two.

Only two players scored 20+ goals last season - Salah and Son. I bet some of these were penalties too.

What we need is a striker that will get us 12-15 goals but is better on the ball and in the build up phase than Watkins. You then support that striker with goals from wide forwards and attacking midfielders. If Ramsey and Bailey can get around 8-10 goals a season each, there is no need to rely solely on a '20+ league goals every season' kinda guy. 

The game has changed. Goals are more evenly distributed between forward players. We need a front 3/4 who can all score goals. 

[messi11]

Lange call me

[MaVilla]

Just now, Delphinho123 said:

It really isn't and there is very little chance we're signing one, let alone two.

Only two players scored 20+ goals last season - Salah and Son. I bet some of these were penalties too.

What we need is a striker that will get us 12-15 goals but is better on the ball and in the build up phase than Watkins. You then support that striker with goals from wide forwards and attacking midfielders. If Ramsey and Bailey can get around 8-10 goals a season each, there is no need to rely solely on a '20+ league goals every season' kinda guy. 

The game has changed. Goals are more evenly distributed between forward players. We need a front 3/4 who can all score goals. 

this.

we cant expect a 20 goal a season striker, unless all the starts align and some wizardry happens.

Realistically tho, as Delph says, we need a striker who can bag 10/12 - 15 goals, but that player also needs to be a well rounded player, fast, strong, good on the ball etc to help the wider play of the team.

Imo, wrongly or rightly, we have:

Ings - very good finisher, works fairly hard, good on the ball technically, good passer, but not a hold up type and pretty slow over any kind of distance.

Watkins - Excellent work rate, poor finisher overall, hold up play is passable, reasonably pacey but has the control and technique of a banjo.

 

I know it would cost, and probably unrealistic, but we need a player who is good in the key areas (finishing, pace, passing, technique, strength, hold up etc), would rather someone who is 7/10 in all those areas, than a 9/10 in one and 4 or 5/10 in the others.

 

[messi11]

I'd be over the moon with Thuram for a cut price
Thoughts?

[TRO]

1 hour ago, PerryBarrPet said:

Headed goals are fine but what I want us to sign is a (or perhaps two) striker who will score 20+ league goals every season - not easy but this is the level we need.

I endorse your enthusiasm for such....but they are few and far between.

score 20 goals and you are liable to finish in the top 5 in all top European leagues.

only Mo Salah and Son exceeded 20 goals last season,in the prem, on 23.

My point was, scoring with your head opens up, many more opportunities than JUST with your feet....its another dynamic,for the team and  another string to your bow.

 

 

Edited November 29, 2022 by TRO

[PerryBarrPet]

2 minutes ago, TRO said:

I endorse your enthusiasm for such....but they are few and far between.

score 20 goals and you are liable to finish in the top 5 in all top European leagues.

only Mo Salah and Son exceeded 20 goals last season, on 23.

My point was, scoring with your head opens up, many more opportunities than JUST with your feet....its another dynamic, another string to your bow.

 

 

Very true - my point is that we need out and out goal scorer/finishers. Goals are certainly spread across teams but top teams need top goal scorers - anybody think Erling Haaland won’t score 20 goals in the league this season. I know he’s a top player in a top team but this is where our owners ( and Unai) are aiming. So I do not accept the negative “too difficult” vibe. 

[TRO]

15 minutes ago, messi11 said:

I'd be over the moon with Thuram for a cut price
Thoughts?

His previous seasons, wasn't so convincing.

I haven't seen him play, but his record is not consistent.

[Villaphan04]

1 hour ago, PerryBarrPet said:

Headed goals are fine but what I want us to sign is a (or perhaps two) striker who will score 20+ league goals every season - not easy but this is the level we need.

there's barely enough 20+ goal strikers for teams competing at the very top of the League and in Europe. I think that frankly that's unrealistic. The game has also changed where goals are spread out quite more evenly now as @Delphinho123said. 

I also made a post this summer with showing the clear shortage of top-quality strikers in the league atm. Outside of City & Spurs with Haaland & Kane, almost every team in the league is looking for this mythical 20 goal striker

Quote

Outside of the elite of the elite strikers, there's just a shortage of good to great strikers out there. Outside of Tottenham, every PL team could use an upgrade at the position (and even then, they signed Richarlson for 50m).

• Arsenal signed Gabby Jesus
• We could upgrade Ings/Watkins
• Brentford could be needing a Tony replacement, and signed KLP
• Bournemouth are testing out the old Dom Solanke PL experiment again
• Brighton are apparently using their striker who was the Belgian league golden boot winner last year
• Chelsea loaned Lukaku back and don't really have a replacement
• Crystal Palace have a collection of strikers who are useful but aren't a starting 9 PL quality day on day
• Everton - lost Richarlson and DCL gets injured a lot. 
• Fulham - relying on Mitrovic yet again after 5 pl goals last time around
• Leeds - Bamford needs to be healthy, and yet he's not top PL quality
• Leicester - probably have the best group of strikers in the PL outside of Spurs, but Vardy is getting older and more injury prone
• Liverpool & Man City both spent big on a "elite" striker this summer
• Manchester United, who knows what happens with Ronaldo but they clearly have almost no depth up top after the events of the past year. 
• Newcastle linked with Werner
• Nottingham Forest -- can't say with any confidence 
• Southampton -- signed Sekou, young player with potential but unproven again
• West Ham- big money on Scamacca, only one prolific season in his career so far. 
• Wolves-- no clue what they are doing with Jimenez looking a shadow of his former self after the nasty injury. Not convinced at all by Hwang Hee-chan

 

I am not saying I don't want an upgrade on Ings/Watkins, but just setting the discourse for how empty the market is for those top-level strikers at the moment. 

 

[TRO]

1 minute ago, PerryBarrPet said:

Very true - my point is that we need out and out goal scorer/finishers. Goals are certainly spread across teams but top teams need top goal scorers - anybody think Erling Haaland won’t score 20 goals in the league this season. I know he’s a top player in a top team but this is where our owners ( and Unai) are aiming. So I do not accept the negative “too difficult” vibe. 

I like your style...."shoot for the moon"and even if you miss, you'll land among the stars".....I agree.

 

 

 

[PerryBarrPet]

5 minutes ago, Villaphan04 said:

there's barely enough 20+ goal strikers for teams competing at the very top of the League and in Europe. I think that frankly that's unrealistic. The game has also changed where goals are spread out quite more evenly now as @Delphinho123said. 

I also made a post this summer with showing the clear shortage of top-quality strikers in the league atm. Outside of City & Spurs with Haaland & Kane, almost every team in the league is looking for this mythical 20 goal striker

 

Of course the market for top quality players is tight but does this mean our owners will not strive for the top? I certainly hope not. By the way - bit pedantic really - but if two cases exist in fact then the case cannot be mythical.

[PerryBarrPet]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

I like your style...."shoot for the moon"and even if you miss, you'll land among the stars".....I agree.

 

 

 

This is why our owners have been successful in their business lives. I think many Villa fans became so accustomed to the Ellis “satisficing” model that they think real ambition is not for us!

Edited November 29, 2022 by PerryBarrPet
Spelling correction.

[burchy]

18 minutes ago, TRO said:

His previous seasons, wasn't so convincing.

I haven't seen him play, but his record is not consistent.

He has been used out wide previously, only really played Cf/St this season and is smashing it

[Oaks]

10 hours ago, PerryBarrPet said:

Headed goals are fine but what I want us to sign is a (or perhaps two) striker who will score 20+ league goals every season - not easy but this is the level we need.

11 players have managed this in the last 8 years. We have one player at the club who is one of them. Just saying.

[Vive_La_Villa]

5 minutes ago, Oaks said:

11 players have managed this in the last 8 years. We have one player at the club who is one of them. Just saying.

Also 4 in 3 since Gerrard left. We have a top striker at the club. Need to get the best out of him. 

[Oaks]

8 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Also 4 in 3 since Gerrard left. We have a top striker at the club. Need to get the best out of him. 

*Strikers

[Indigo]

I watched quite a bit of Mochengladbach previously and was a huge fan of Thuram, when Villa were a bit further back in the process and Mochengladbach were qualifying for the CL he was the kind of player I was unrealistically hoping we'd sign. Seems a bit more possible now given he dropped off quite a bit last season and a lot of the interest from bigger sides seemed to cool.

He's tearing it up this season however since he's been used as a striker and has a lot of the physical elements that would make you less worried about a player settling into the Premier League (ie is around 6'4", strong and fast). His contract situation makes things interesting as well, has Kamara vibes to it.

[rbcuk]

1 hour ago, messi11 said:

I'd be over the moon with Thuram for a cut price
Thoughts?

Would love him here, esp if the rumoured price is correct around the £8mil, would be a bargain