January Transfer Window 2024

[TRO]

14 hours ago, lexicon said:

 

The issue there is our play style dictates that we need technical players as a pre-requisite. When you combine strong physical types with the technical side of things, the price goes up quickly, unfortunately. 

I think our style of play needs a balance....and when Kamara is out, we lose that balance, thats why one is not enough, and Dendoncker is not the answer, he is a stop gap, sadly.

We have deployed Dougie and McGinn in that central role, on and off for some time, and it took some time to get Boubacar.....we need another quality central mid for the squad.

Those central midfield roles dictate our ambitions, and particularly away from home, dictate our strength of play...our whole game derives from it.

I hope Unai strengthens there in Jan, along with a right back.

 

Edited December 29, 2023 by TRO

[eholm]

10 minutes ago, RicRic said:

Id probably be lets say surprised if we didn’t  at least sign one but two might feel like a treat.. either way we will be smart and these last couple matches will have highlighted more missing components which we need to get over the line.

Cash is a excellent player but we have outgrew him in our trajectory so hes not exactly playing terrible he isn’t at the level we are currently at so a new right-back is key for us and allows konsa and pau to pair up again. 
 

I think Emery sticks with Ramsey/Zaniolo well even Tielemans who has played well in that area but he may look for a player across the front line to add to watkins and duran. 

 

 

My thoughts exactly. I'm not sure how we are placed from a squad registration situation. Have we got any 'places' left for anymore senior players?

[lexicon]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

Thats what we did, on Sunday, with technical players...we lost the ball at an alarming rate, and showed little urgency.....these elements of a game are a pre-requisite.

You can still sign central midfielders with aggression and muscle, and with technical ability....Rodri, Rice, Bentancur, are such players.

Those players have us 3rd in the league. There's nothing really wrong with our style and we were short-staffed against Man Utd. 

As for the players you listed: everyone wants players like that, who wouldn't? Do you think that we'd have a chance of signing Rodri or Rice? Even before they went to their respective current clubs? Bentancur was an opportunity missed, granted, but they are scarce and, as a result, very expensive and difficult to find.

 

[TRO]

3 hours ago, Sulberto21 said:

We do need technical players in every position. It’s the style of football that our manager demands. No point winning the ball and then giving it back to the other team.

Nigel reo coker. 

Petrov once said to me....when Nigels not playing, my job is harder. You may not like, rate, or value Nigel, but he did a job.

When Kamara is not playing, Dougies job is much harder.....The trick is identifying, what these guys do and appreciating it.....and there is many players of that type out there with varying degrees of quality.

The job (CDM) may not be always pretty, but its essential...and we need more than one good one, for the squad.

A football team, needs variety....you simply cannot have every player, with the same qualities and expect to win things.

Edited December 29, 2023 by TRO

[lexicon]

1 minute ago, TRO said:

Petrov once said to me....when Nigels not playing, my job is harder. You may not like, rate, or value Nigel, but he did a job.

When Kamara is not playing, Dougies job is much harder.....The trick is identifying, what these guys do and appreciating it.....and there is many players of that type out there with varying degrees of quality.

The job (CDM) may not be always pretty, but its essential...and we need more than one good one, for the squad.

A football team, needs variety....you simply cannot have every player, with the same qualities and expect to win things.

That tactical style was worse than the one we have now and having players who can only do one job was part of that issue. Besides, imagine how much better NRC would've been if he was good on the ball and could pick out passes.

All this discussion is basically immaterial anyway because you've/we've arrived at names like Rodri and Rice. Every team needs and wants players like that, but if they weren't excellent on the ball they'd just be another player not good enough for us. 

[TRO]

3 minutes ago, lexicon said:

Those players have us 3rd in the league. There's nothing really wrong with our style and we were short-staffed against Man Utd. 

As for the players you listed: everyone wants players like that, who wouldn't? Do you think that we'd have a chance of signing Rodri or Rice? Even before they went to their respective current clubs? Bentancur was an opportunity missed, granted, but they are scarce and, as a result, very expensive and difficult to find.

 

And staying there is still to be determined....hence the debate.

but we are in the Transfer window thread....happy to discuss, in the appropriate thread.

[TRO]

37 minutes ago, lexicon said:

That tactical style was worse than the one we have now and having players who can only do one job was part of that issue. Besides, imagine how much better NRC would've been if he was good on the ball and could pick out passes.

All this discussion is basically immaterial anyway because you've/we've arrived at names like Rodri and Rice. Every team needs and wants players like that, but if they weren't excellent on the ball they'd just be another player not good enough for us. 

If he could do that at the time, he would have been at Liverpool....I don't think Bremner, was known for his silky passes, or his ball control, but was in a team that won the top prize...its horses for courses.

Every team in the Prem has one...I just picked those names for reference to the point....not to be taken as literally as you have taken them....having said that, if we want to be at the top table, thats the quality, we need to aim for.

Every team wants a Son or a Salah, which is unlikely, (but not impossible) so do we all just give up?

World football, is a pretty wide open space, and I would be surprised, if there are not some, players of pretty good quality out there to do a job for us.....thats why we employ, top class recruitment teams and analysts to scour the networks.

A slight down grade from Rice of Rodri, would still strengthen our team, from Dendoncker...that was the specific point....we simply cannot rely soley on Kamara in such a key and demanding role for us, in all competitions.

Where players are hard to find, is players good at everything, like Bellingham.....There are limited players in the Prem, giving us a hard time, like at Sheff Utd or Luton or Forest...so don't be too dismissive of them as just journeymen.

I believe we can find players, with not too much financial clout required to fix, some of our problems, and strengthen the overall.

Our technical players have got us to 3rd, they need some help to stay there...else they will be negated by teams who target them...they need some form of protection.

I believe Unai, will find such players, moving forward, to upgrade our peripheral players.

Edited December 29, 2023 by TRO

[Zatman]

One loss and the lets sign some cloggers brigade returns, quiet when beating City and Arsenal

Nigel Reo Coker style players

[Woody1000]

I think there has to be some acceptance from us as a fanbase that we’re not going to have real quality players as backups, not just yet anyway. Their wages are too high, and it’s difficult to keep them happy when they’re not playing. How many good players are happy to be on the bench and not earning big money either?

[RicRic]

59 minutes ago, eholm said:

My thoughts exactly. I'm not sure how we are placed from a squad registration situation. Have we got any 'places' left for anymore senior players?

Im not the best expert in ffp and squad capacity numbers but doesn’t appear we are too restricted but not sure

[nick76]

3 minutes ago, RicRic said:

1 hour ago, eholm said:

My thoughts exactly. I'm not sure how we are placed from a squad registration situation. Have we got any 'places' left for anymore senior players?

Im not the best expert in ffp and squad capacity numbers but doesn’t appear we are too restricted but not sure

I’m sure somebody did an analysis recently and we had 3 spaces from memory and they listed all the players and how they would be categorised.

[Zatman]

1 hour ago, eholm said:

My thoughts exactly. I'm not sure how we are placed from a squad registration situation. Have we got any 'places' left for anymore senior players?

Think we registered 23 players including Mings and Buendia

Some managers prefer working with smaller squads

[Sulberto21]

17 minutes ago, Zatman said:

One loss and the lets sign some cloggers brigade returns, quiet when beating City and Arsenal

Nigel Reo Coker style players

Exactly!

If players can’t pass the effing ball thankfully we won’t be buying them. 

NRC would chase back 50 yards win the ball then misplace the ten yard pass with no pressure on him.  

im all for robust players coming in but des bremner would be dropped asap if his passing didn’t improve. 

 It’s why I don’t mind seeing Dani Parejo coming in (no links) I think his positioning and ability to control games is what we need when Dougie, McGinn and Boubs need a break. 

[Zhan_Zhuang]

I think it's obvious Villa need depth at RB but I think Cash is still very much part of the squad.

Now this might sound mad and will not happen due to our Monchi model but i'd really like us to sign a really experienced player in the twilight of his years who can offer us something different in the box. I'm thinking of a Cavani-esque signing, just for the remainder of the season. 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

9 minutes ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

I think it's obvious Villa need depth at RB but I think Cash is still very much part of the squad.

Now this might sound mad and will not happen due to our Monchi model but i'd really like us to sign a really experienced player in the twilight of his years who can offer us something different in the box. I'm thinking of a Cavani-esque signing, just for the remainder of the season. 

Just to push us over the CL line this season i'm inclined to agree.

Surely there must be someone who wouldn't cost stupid money or wages, who can be an upper echelon Kevin Phillips, Defoe, Robbie Fowler, Robbie Keane, Prime Ings type etc?

What are proper men like Grant Holt up to these days?

[Zhan_Zhuang]

19 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Just to push us over the CL line this season i'm inclined to agree.

Surely there must be someone who wouldn't cost stupid money or wages, who can be an upper echelon Kevin Phillips, Defoe, Robbie Fowler, Robbie Keane, Prime Ings type etc?

What are proper men like Grant Holt up to these days?

I just looked up Radamel Falcao, still going in La Liga and still useful at 37 years of age...

Now I'm not saying let's sign him but a player of that stature in his final years, some experience of winning titles, trophies etc. 

[paul514]

1 hour ago, lexicon said:

Those players have us 3rd in the league. There's nothing really wrong with our style and we were short-staffed against Man Utd. 

As for the players you listed: everyone wants players like that, who wouldn't? Do you think that we'd have a chance of signing Rodri or Rice? Even before they went to their respective current clubs? Bentancur was an opportunity missed, granted, but they are scarce and, as a result, very expensive and difficult to find.

 

I can name a lot more than Rodri and Rice lol

[eholm]

3 minutes ago, Zatman said:

Think we registered 23 players including Mings and Buendia

Some managers prefer working with smaller squads

Thanks for that...at least it means we won't have any senior players unregistered if we do bring anymore in. 

[DJBOB]

Funny because we had Nakamba and he was immediately shipped out under Unai. 
 
We will probably be targeting players like we were linked to in the summer - multi-positional players like Acuna, Ferran Torres, Asensio, Molina. Unai likes players that can play 2/3 positions exception for his CB/CM/ST
 

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Sulberto21 said:

Exactly!

If players can’t pass the effing ball thankfully we won’t be buying them. 

NRC would chase back 50 yards win the ball then misplace the ten yard pass with no pressure on him.  

im all for robust players coming in but des bremner would be dropped asap if his passing didn’t improve. 

 It’s why I don’t mind seeing Dani Parejo coming in (no links) I think his positioning and ability to control games is what we need when Dougie, McGinn and Boubs need a break. 

Hyperbole.

Of course, we want players who can pass the ball....but other elements are required too.....to suggest otherwise, is simply not reading, whats being said.

being alive, and aware of passes, coming at you, is pretty nifty too.....check Fernandes on Luiz in the centre circle, leading to, one of their goals

passing the ball is a huge element in the game.....but spreading the horizons to look at other important elements, brings balance to the play....and fortunately for us, Unai will be looking a bit further, than just passing.( as important as that is)

Edited December 29, 2023 by TRO