Confirmed Transfers Summer 2013

[John]

Thanks very much for the update HH.

[SikhInTrinity]

Yep it can only be speculation until someone confirms whether he has been backed on all his targets or not and therefore i'd be more than a little interested in what HH would have to say about it?

 

PL has been given a budget, he has looked at players within this budget and done a tremendous job in finding these players and bringing them in. Agree he may have had targets like Kiyo that are out of our price range but that does not mean he hasn't been backed. A manager will have a belief on a players worth, his knowledge on a players value is paramount. He managed to persuade PF and PL to shell out 7million on an unknown quantity by many last year. Lets also not forget AVFC are a business, unless you've been asleep during the time the financials have been released, we have been making massive losses. We cannot go and buy 3 or 4 players for 10-15million yet. As we turn around the fortunes on the pitch, we need to turn it where we become a self sufficient business not making multi-million £ losses.. PL has mentioned many times this is not a quick fix, this club will take time to rebuild. You also stated that the Bent money would not be re-invested, but the signing of Kozac proves it didn't go into Lerners pocket.

[Folski]

Reasonably happy with this window. We haven't really enhanced our first-XI and we haven't spent money on any special players, but we have kept Benteke and that was the most important bit.

 

Without him we would have done similar to last season, with him we can do much better.

 

Saying that, we will never know what would have happened if Benteke had left. That would have given us 25M and money to spend, maybe it would have been spent on Kozak?

 

It's hard to get excited though, the difference between the top teams and the rest is at an all-time high. It is impossible for any team to contest for top 4. Everton and Newcastle have been up there in recent seasons, we as well a few years ago and all of the teams had hopes of finishing 4 even though everyone knew it wouldn't happen. Now it is impossible in every single way.... Bummer...

 

I completely disagree with this, I think the gap between the top 4 and the rest hasn't be closer in 15 years. Firstly we've already beaten Arsenal, were robbed against Chelsea. Factor in United have just got bate off the field by Liverpool, City beaten by Cardiff, it's not as far as you think, consistency will be the key.

[Pez1974]

i think to an extent we are always going to have a bomb squad which will cost us money, currently we have Given, Hutton, Stevens, NZogbia, Ireland, Bent and Delfouneso, imo, being loaned out doesnt count until theyre completely off the books

 

but when these are gone, whos next? if we buy better players, then those who we currently rate as good will be surplus to requirements, we could see el ahmadi, in there, maybe bowery, herd or albrighton, who knows, we just dont until new players arrive every window

 

I don't think this would be the case Andy.

The crux of the 'Bomb Squad' was a load of players who are not doing the job earning a massively disproportionate amount of wages. As much as Enda Stevens was included, he is not really a fully paid member of the bomb squad as I suspect his wages would be less than £10k pw.

It is the combination of Ireland, Bent, Hutton and Given - plus Dunne and Warnock last season - who resulted in the creation of this mob (for different reasons).

 

Moving forward, we will not have a player (let alone 5 or 6) contributing nothing on £50k+ a week.

It is the massive wages that mean we can't shift them, and despite Bannan earning some £20k per week apparently, that has not meant we couldn't shift him eventually.

[supermon]

I just hope Lambert sticks around with us, there won't be many manager who will be able to do what he has done with limited funds.  If we are to follow the Dortmund way then we need to reinvest money from the big sales that are made, if Benteke is sold next year, it has to be reinvested into the squad.  I can understand some people's concern about the lack of funds, I just hope it's not a trend that will continue

[villabromsgrove]

I'm happy with this summers transfer dealings. Imo we have a first choice core of seven players at the moment, that gives more than enough motivation to the other eighteen first team squad players to bust a gut in training to impress PL. We have sufficient options to cover regular injuries and will still be able to cope as we improve our league position (again imo).

[Morpheus]

 

Yep it can only be speculation until someone confirms whether he has been backed on all his targets or not and therefore i'd be more than a little interested in what HH would have to say about it?

 

PL has been given a budget, he has looked at players within this budget and done a tremendous job in finding these players and bringing them in. Agree he may have had targets like Kiyo that are out of our price range but that does not mean he hasn't been backed. A manager will have a belief on a players worth, his knowledge on a players value is paramount. He managed to persuade PF and PL to shell out 7million on an unknown quantity by many last year. Lets also not forget AVFC are a business, unless you've been asleep during the time the financials have been released, we have been making massive losses. We cannot go and buy 3 or 4 players for 10-15million yet. As we turn around the fortunes on the pitch, we need to turn it where we become a self sufficient business not making multi-million £ losses.. PL has mentioned many times this is not a quick fix, this club will take time to rebuild. You also stated that the Bent money would not be re-invested, but the signing of Kozac proves it didn't go into Lerners pocket.

 

We paid 5m for Benteke not 7m.

 

No-one has said that we're in a position to buy '3-4 players for 10m-15m.' What i'm saying is that Lambert targeted an AM at 10m-12m and he wasn't backed on that. One player at that price over two windows which wouldn't have bankrupted the club and a total expenditure over two windows of 13m-14m to rebuild the team which considering other teams expenditure is pretty poor investment even if we are making losses.

 

You quite rightly raised the question of us being run as a sustainable business eventually without losses. While no-one wants our club to turn into a Leeds it is however very difficult to compete in the Premiership without running into considerable debt and there are very few club owners out there specifically in the Premiership who will make money out of football.

 

I think we should therefore use the term sustainable debt if we as a club want to be a top six club again. We have already reduced wages by players leaving and players sold and the investment in the team has dropped considerably over the past two windows.

 

When does that cost cutting stop? It was widely thought that when we reduced wages by certain players leaving we would get increased investment again. Its probably still a window too soon to see if that comes to fruition but i do feel there is an ulterior motive to the cost cutting in that Lerner may well be preparing us for a sale in 2-3 years time?

 

Concerning Bent. Unless you've been asleep, Bent hasn't been sold.

Edited September 4, 2013 by Morpheus

[Ulver]

If people claim Lambert doesn't want to buy expensive players as it's not his style, what are they going to say next summer when we sell Benteke for 40m + and spend 5m on a replacement ?

 

I have to say as a supporter, I wont be happy seeing that extra huge wedge of money going into the coffers and not being reinvested in the first team

 

I pay to watch Aston Villa on the pitch, not the balance sheet

[Ulver]

 

If people claim Lambert doesn't want to buy expensive players as it's not his style, what are they going to say next summer when we sell Benteke for 40m + and spend 5m on a replacement ?

 

I have to say as a supporter, I wont be happy seeing that extra huge wedge of money going into the coffers and not being reinvested in the first team

 

I pay to watch Aston Villa on the pitch, not the balance sheet

I don't think anyone is suggesting Lambert doesn't want to buy expensive players. Anyone who suggests any different is talking rubbish. But if it isn't available right now then it isn't there and you just have to get on with it! Maybe it will be further down the line but why don't you just be happy at you have a better team and a better squad than you did before he arrived!

 

 

But it is available!

 

The people ITK have been telling us for years it's not the transfer fees that are the problem, it's the wages ...

 

Oddly, now the wage bill is way down things still don't seem to have changed

[Ulver]

Maybe it will be further down the line but why don't you just be happy at you have a better team and a better squad than you did before he arrived!

 

 

I'm relatively happy we have a half decent side. But the way some folks talk you wouldn't believe we just avoided relegation last season

 

The only cost cutting Villa haven't been doing over the last few years appears to be the cost of my ticket, that hasn't gone down with the wage bill and decline in status. Maybe that'll fall in line if they keep the cost cutting measures in place, but i doubt it somehow

[Eames]

 

 

If people claim Lambert doesn't want to buy expensive players as it's not his style, what are they going to say next summer when we sell Benteke for 40m + and spend 5m on a replacement ?

 

I have to say as a supporter, I wont be happy seeing that extra huge wedge of money going into the coffers and not being reinvested in the first team

 

I pay to watch Aston Villa on the pitch, not the balance sheet

I don't think anyone is suggesting Lambert doesn't want to buy expensive players. Anyone who suggests any different is talking rubbish. But if it isn't available right now then it isn't there and you just have to get on with it! Maybe it will be further down the line but why don't you just be happy at you have a better team and a better squad than you did before he arrived!

 

 

But it is available!

 

The people ITK have been telling us for years it's not the transfer fees that are the problem, it's the wages ...

 

Oddly, now the wage bill is way down things still don't seem to have changed

 

Surely you can see the two things go hand in hand?! 

 

Any player commanding a price of 10m and above is going to expect a weekly wage that we are simply not prepared/able to afford. 

 

The wage bill is way down.... as it should be....but that isn't an excuse nor a reason to go and jack it back up again is it? 

 

The "plan" I assume at Villa is sensible sustainable growth - whacking £x per week on the wage bill to pacify an element of the supporters, no matter how small is not the way to achieve that. 

[Morpheus]

 

 

Yep it can only be speculation until someone confirms whether he has been backed on all his targets or not and therefore i'd be more than a little interested in what HH would have to say about it?

 

PL has been given a budget, he has looked at players within this budget and done a tremendous job in finding these players and bringing them in. Agree he may have had targets like Kiyo that are out of our price range but that does not mean he hasn't been backed. A manager will have a belief on a players worth, his knowledge on a players value is paramount. He managed to persuade PF and PL to shell out 7million on an unknown quantity by many last year. Lets also not forget AVFC are a business, unless you've been asleep during the time the financials have been released, we have been making massive losses. We cannot go and buy 3 or 4 players for 10-15million yet. As we turn around the fortunes on the pitch, we need to turn it where we become a self sufficient business not making multi-million £ losses.. PL has mentioned many times this is not a quick fix, this club will take time to rebuild. You also stated that the Bent money would not be re-invested, but the signing of Kozac proves it didn't go into Lerners pocket.

 

 

I think this is a great post. If you are asking me if the manager had targets who were outwith the budget available then yes. Would he sometimes prefer to sign the finished article rather than sign potential. yes. Does he perhaps find it frustrating sometimes when he spots a player who he feels would do a really good job but the money required isn't there. Yip, a little bit. And does it annoy him even more when they move to a rival club in England. Yes. But he also appreciates where the club is at this moment in time, the problems that overspending has created in the past and it is obviously a long-term project to completely turn this club around. Instead of becoming a top eight club in two years it might take four. And you would hope by the time the club are no longer paying anything towards Ireland's wages, get rid of Bent completely, get Given, Nzogbia and Hutton off the wage bill then it might just free up wages and transfer fees for the one or two finished articles which would make all the difference. But I suppose progress is the name of the game and what a job Paul Faulkner has did this summer as well. He deserves a great deal of praise. It's a slow burner, it will take time to get where everyone wants to be and maybe a little too long for some, but the club continues to head in the right direction. There will be results and periods when it will be frustrating this season but as long as you remember this is a long-term project and not a short-term fix then the target to once again be a leading club in the country and a return to European football should hopefully help you accept the plans in place.

 

ps. Morpheous - Get a good night out this weekend and cheer yourself up! It's a good time to be a Villa fan!!!! :P

 

Thanks for the confirmation and em, the advice HH.

 

Yes i'm actually one of those fans who will be grouped into 'a little too long for some' club and i'll explain why in a few words. 'When was the last time we had any success?'

 

Think about that for a moment and then think about how long have AVFC been referred to as being in a re-building process? When will we not be in a re-building process? When we become a sustainable business? Is there such a thing in football other than the dreaded agent. If you want a sustainable business particularly in the Premiership then start a business as a groundsman or something like that.

 

Most clubs in the Premiership are in massive debt to achieve success. You cannot achieve sustainable success in the Premiership without putting the club into debt and to think otherwise is to believe in some wise tale.

 

I'm not advocating a Leeds but what i am saying is that with more investment than our present manager is being given (14m over two windows) we would get there much quicker without bankrupting the club.   

[villan_007]

HH

 

Are we in a position to buy in the jan window if PL wants to?

[Zatman]

i dont think Lambert doesnt want to spend big money. I think he doesnt want to overspend on players that arent worth it like previous managers

[Ulver]

 

 

 

If people claim Lambert doesn't want to buy expensive players as it's not his style, what are they going to say next summer when we sell Benteke for 40m + and spend 5m on a replacement ?

 

I have to say as a supporter, I wont be happy seeing that extra huge wedge of money going into the coffers and not being reinvested in the first team

 

I pay to watch Aston Villa on the pitch, not the balance sheet

I don't think anyone is suggesting Lambert doesn't want to buy expensive players. Anyone who suggests any different is talking rubbish. But if it isn't available right now then it isn't there and you just have to get on with it! Maybe it will be further down the line but why don't you just be happy at you have a better team and a better squad than you did before he arrived!

 

 

But it is available!

 

The people ITK have been telling us for years it's not the transfer fees that are the problem, it's the wages ...

 

Oddly, now the wage bill is way down things still don't seem to have changed

 

Surely you can see the two things go hand in hand?! 

 

Any player commanding a price of 10m and above is going to expect a weekly wage that we are simply not prepared/able to afford. 

 

The wage bill is way down.... as it should be....but that isn't an excuse nor a reason to go and jack it back up again is it? 

 

The "plan" I assume at Villa is sensible sustainable growth - whacking £x per week on the wage bill to pacify an element of the supporters, no matter how small is not the way to achieve that. 

 

 

 

so what you're saying is we'll never spend big on a player again because (obviously) the best players expect to be paid well ?

 

if that's the case then fair enough. come out and say 'our sole intention now is to remain a bottom half side'. at least nobody could question their motives then

 

a club of the stature of Aston Villa deserves more than that IMHO. you don't have to agree. it's a free world

i dont think Lambert doesnt want to spend big money. I think he doesnt want to overspend on players that arent worth it like previous managers

 

then he should buy players that are worth it like previous managers

[SikhInTrinity]

 

We paid 5m for Benteke not 7m.

 

No-one has said that we're in a position to buy '3-4 players for 10m-15m.' What i'm saying is that Lambert targeted an AM at 10m-12m and he wasn't backed on that. One player at that price over two windows which wouldn't have bankrupted the club and a total expenditure over two windows of 13m-14m to rebuild the team which considering other teams expenditure is pretty poor investment even if we are making losses.

 

You quite rightly raised the question of us being run as a sustainable business eventually without losses. While no-one wants our club to turn into a Leeds it is however very difficult to compete in the Premiership without running into considerable debt and there are very few club owners out there specifically in the Premiership who will make money out of football.

 

I think we should therefore use the term sustainable debt if we as a club want to be a top six club again. We have already reduced wages by players leaving and players sold and the investment in the team has dropped considerably over the past two windows.

 

When does that cost cutting stop? It was widely thought that when we reduced wages by certain players leaving we would get increased investment again. Its probably still a window too soon to see if that comes to fruition but i do feel there is an ulterior motive to the cost cutting in that Lerner may well be preparing us for a sale in 2-3 years time?

 

Concerning Bent. Unless you've been asleep, Bent hasn't been sold.

 

 

Benteke was purchased for 7Million according to most reports but didn't know you had a contacts with the top brass of VP to know we only paid 5million.

 

We have invested money into the playing staff it may not be the amounts you want to see us invest but money has been spent, we have purchased 7 players, we have also increased the wages of our key players this summer which seems to be forgetten in our spend.

 

As for Bent, we received a loan fee of 2million made a saving 3million wages a year, so that money has been re-invested back into the squad.

[SikhInTrinity]

i dont think Lambert doesnt want to spend big money. I think he doesnt want to overspend on players that arent worth it like previous managers

 

then he should buy players that are worth it like previous managers

 

 

Can you tell me those players that are worth it? Would love to know.

[villan_007]

 

 

 

 

If people claim Lambert doesn't want to buy expensive players as it's not his style, what are they going to say next summer when we sell Benteke for 40m + and spend 5m on a replacement ?

 

I have to say as a supporter, I wont be happy seeing that extra huge wedge of money going into the coffers and not being reinvested in the first team

 

I pay to watch Aston Villa on the pitch, not the balance sheet

I don't think anyone is suggesting Lambert doesn't want to buy expensive players. Anyone who suggests any different is talking rubbish. But if it isn't available right now then it isn't there and you just have to get on with it! Maybe it will be further down the line but why don't you just be happy at you have a better team and a better squad than you did before he arrived!

 

 

But it is available!

 

The people ITK have been telling us for years it's not the transfer fees that are the problem, it's the wages ...

 

Oddly, now the wage bill is way down things still don't seem to have changed

 

Surely you can see the two things go hand in hand?! 

 

Any player commanding a price of 10m and above is going to expect a weekly wage that we are simply not prepared/able to afford. 

 

The wage bill is way down.... as it should be....but that isn't an excuse nor a reason to go and jack it back up again is it? 

 

The "plan" I assume at Villa is sensible sustainable growth - whacking £x per week on the wage bill to pacify an element of the supporters, no matter how small is not the way to achieve that. 

 

 

 

so what you're saying is we'll never spend big on a player again because (obviously) the best players expect to be paid well ?

 

if that's the case then fair enough. come out and say 'our sole intention now is to remain a bottom half side'. at least nobody could question their motives then

 

a club of the stature of Aston Villa deserves more than that IMHO. you don't have to agree. it's a free world

i dont think Lambert doesnt want to spend big money. I think he doesnt want to overspend on players that arent worth it like previous managers

 

then he should buy players that are worth it like previous managers

 

 

I dont see why you find it so difficult to grasp. Of course our intentions aren't to be a bottom half club, it's to get back to where we belong but doing it in a sensible, sustainable fashion. Unfortunatley this is going to take time.

 

We made a huge mistake in our approach to get into the top four and it's somethnig we have being trying to rectify ever since. We are very lucky - we've been through hell and back and some how managed to stay in the league, when other clubs have faded away never to return.

 

IMO we have come out the otherside of the tunnel now, with a fresh approach, a new squad that will only get better and a manager that can take us even further.

 

If you are only happy when we are buying 10mill+ players then you're going to be unhappy for a season or two i'm afraid.

[mjmooney]

 

so what you're saying is we'll never spend big on a player again because (obviously) the best players expect to be paid well ?

 

if that's the case then fair enough. come out and say 'our sole intention now is to remain a bottom half side'. at least nobody could question their motives then

 

a club of the stature of Aston Villa deserves more than that IMHO. you don't have to agree. it's a free world

 

That assumes that it is actually impossible to break into the top four without having players that ( a ) expect high wages, and ( b ) command huge transfer fees.

 

Now, I accept that ( a ) is a given. Once you start to be successful, and the 'big' clubs come calling, you can only hang onto the good players if you can pay them handsomely (and offer them the likelihood of winning silverware). We've seen that with Benteke.

 

But I'm not convinced that ( b ) is so obvious. With the right combination of academy and scouting, it MAY be possible to get a 'conveyor belt' of talent going. This is clearly the model that Lambert is adopting.

 

If the bottom falls out of the crazy 'spend, spend, spend' culture - which we keep being told it must - then clubs like ours have the right business model in place to take advantage.

 

Buy low, sell high, but pay appropriate wages. And build a club culture that makes players want to stay. Some will be purely mercenary and Bale out at the first opportunity, but not all will.

 

I think it's an approach worth trying, and I don't believe that it necessarily condemns us to being a 'bottom half' club.

Edited September 4, 2013 by mjmooney

[Ulver]

 

i dont think Lambert doesnt want to spend big money. I think he doesnt want to overspend on players that arent worth it like previous managers

 

then he should buy players that are worth it like previous managers

 

 

Can you tell me those players that are worth it? Would love to know.

 

 

 

Of course, off the top of my head

 

Young

Downing

Milner

Friedel

Laursen

Mellberg

Carew

Petrov

Bent

 

all proved very worthwhile