Christian Benteke

[joey55]

If we give into to that then the writings on the wall for all of us also ran clubs. Whats stopping Bale going on strike to force a move to Real Madrid? 

But people involved in football have been telling fans this for years. We need to start listening. Players have the power. Nothing is stopping Bale going on strike. Nothing was stopping Modric. Bale just doesn't want to go and Modric wasn't the type. But there are players out there that prove they will do it. Some clubs are in a more vulnerable position than others. Man City are better placed to handle such a situation than say Fulham.

[joey55]

 

 

 

I think the truth is Villa are in a difficult position and most of the power lies with Benteke and how much he wants to move.

Fair enough, you're entitled to 'think the truth is' that Villa are in a difficult position. I'd like to know how you've come to that belief though. It must be because the player has handed in a transfer request. You seem to assume that weakens Villa's hand. It is my belief that in fact all that does is weaken Benteke's hand. If Lambert and Lerner decide the player has a particular value that must be met (and the club statement suggests they have) and that suitors have a deadline to buy him (see club statement) and that he'll be back in the squad permanently from the 2nd week of August (see club statement) then nothing changes with regards to the player's big long contract and paltry wage. It doesn't actually matter how desperate the player is to move if our chairman and manager will not be moved. The Barry saga shows you Lerner won't be moved and if you doubt Lambert's resolve ... well, then, let's see how that works out.

Basically Benteks and his agents bargaining position is very strong, but no one is discussing this and hence I used the term "false tone."

I'm all for discussing it, but you'll have to educate me on how it's so strong. Ostensibly they have no plausible destination at the moment. Unlike last year when we'd met Genk's valuation, this year he has no concrete deal to push through. We've been as nice as pie to him. We accepted his transfer request and we've set out the conditions by which he will be allowed to leave. And I hate to bring it up but this is a world cup year so if you think he's going to sulk and strike come September then you'll probably be sorely mistaken there too.

 

If Benteke is really determined to leave, he’ll do everything he can to make Villa want to sell. This includes going on strike. This puts Villa in a very precarious position and makes this situation different to those experienced in the past with the likes of Barry and Milner. It happened to us with Berbatov, who in the end simply refused to play.

 

For Villa, the threat of him refusing to play is more significant than is being acknowledged in this thread. Each time it’s mentioned, it’s also pointed out that’s is WC year, so he wont do this. But that suggests you’d be happy to let him strike for the whole season, which is very unlikely to be the case. Even Man City, with all their money, relented and brought Tevez back into the fold with the hope he’s re-ignite their title challenge. If you are in a relegation fight, which most would predict without Benteke you will be, he’d be back in the team in no time. No matter how much pride is at stake, it simply isn’t worth getting relegated over, which would be catastrophic for the club.

 

If you look at the fixture list, Benteke might simply have to refuse to kick a ball until October and by then it might all ready be too late. He and his agent know that either his goals or quality additions to the squad are going to be key to your survival. Lambert knows it, Lerner knows it, all fans know it and Benteke/his agent certainly know it.

 

So come the start of the season, if Benteke is on strike refusing to play and there is a £20 million bid in the offing, don’t you honestly think Lambert will be urging Lerner to accept and Lerner will probably be pleased that his manager is doing this? If Benteke is adamant he wont play, then there does come a point when it’s simply foolish to refuse a half decent offer. Hence Benteke and his agent are in a very powerful situation.

 

However, everyone involved knows this, but it isn’t just Villa who have something to lose by letting this go to the wire. For buying clubs there is s significant advantage in having Benteke in their squad asap. So the buying club have a reason to pay a premium to get the deal done. This is where Villa do have some power, but not to the extent most on here seem to think and why I believe, it’s being leaked by Midlands journalists that a deal can be done at £25 million, rather than figures of £30 million+ being banded around.

 

If Benteke really wants to go, a deal at a lower price will almost certainly be available in the last week of the window. People can say things like “you don’t know Lerner” etc, but the reality is Lerner hasn’t been in a position like this before, so no one knows how he’ll react. In the past he’s always done what it best for Villa and is a business man after all, so in this case, the chances are very high that he and Lambert will conclude to sell is the best for Villa. They simply can’t afford to not have either their star striker of decent replacements, as the threat of relegation is too real. This simply wasn’t the case with Barry. I know most of you will reject that, but I think it’s very likely and am sure the vast majority of non Villa fans would agree.

 

So, if he had somewhere lined up, I think Benteke can and will leave if he really wants to. However, I doubt many clubs would want to buy him that way, as it puts them at a disadvantage concerning their own planning. I doubt Benteke wants to do it that way. I also doubt Villa want to do it that way. So something in between will most likely happen, which is why I believe this £25 million price tag is being leaked. 

 

As I have alluded to before many pages ago in this thread:

 

1. He has no legitimate grievance for which to strike. He cannot simply say 'I don't want to play for Villa anymore and I want to dishonour the 4 year contract that I willingly signed last year'.

 

2. Villa can afford to leave him on the sidelines for the whole season if they so wish, he is only on £20,000 per week.

 

3. It IS World Cup year next year and no matter what you say to the contrary he will want to be in contention for a starting place and therefore he needs to play regularly and well.

 

1.) Teves did it.

2.) But can you afford to lose his goals and not have the money from his transfer to find replacements? That is how Lambert will view it. That's just the reality of the situation.

3.) I'm not sure he does need t play regularly and well to keep his place in the current Belgium squad when you look at alternatives for the central striking role. But he doesn't have to miss the whole season. Tevez didn't.

[PaulC]

 

I do not understand how Benteke and his agent's bargaining position is very strong

 

He has 3 years left on his contract at 20k a week

 

Lambert is not someone to be **** with ask Darren Bent and his 60 - 80k pw salary

 

it wansn't so difficult to bank bent because he had Benteke but if he's gonna bank Benteke and bent is gone who will step up and start making the difference between relegation or staying up? 

 

 

Very true, lets hope Lambert has a contingency plan because no way can we go into the season with what we have minus Benteke and Bent.

[Condimentalist]

I would accept that if Benteke actually went on strike then that would make the situation a lot more difficult for us, but as it stands there's no reason to believe that that's going to happen. He's due back at training on Thursday so it'll be interesting to see how things proceed from there. It's a dangerous game for him to play though. As I've said before, I don't think he's actually unhappy at Villa, I just think he's chancing his arm and seeing what comes back. If the fee isn't met then he stays.

[Butterfingers]

If Benteke WERE to spit hs dummy out & strike,it would last no longer than a few weeks.

 

Given that most on here accept that we won't pay big money for a replacement,its not unrealistic to think we could bring in a replacement anyway.

 

I agree with some of the Spurs fans actualy-I think this deal is all wrapped up at their end & the only thing left to agree on is the fee.This will test Villas resolve when the offer is only a couple of million shy with the clock ticking to get a replacement in & settled.

[NoelVilla]

That raises a question. Some years back a hockey player in the NHL went on strike(Alexei Yashin i think) and sat out the whole season. Don't remember his reason, money probably, but anyhow. NHL ruled that since he hadn't played he had as many years left on his contract as when he went on strike.

 

How would that play out in football? Has it happened?

[LondonLax]

 

 

 

 

Benteke signs for the Heat!

 

Christain Benteke today signed for the Miami Heat. In his first inerview Benteke stated that "I cannot wait to get started for the Miami Heat and show the fans in London how good I am at soccer".............

 

 

Full Kit rocket polisher! 

 

Yeah and the cool hand gesture to go along with it...

 

 

Are we really getting that sad?

 

 

You have never heard of the "Full Kit W*nker" meme?

Edited July 15, 2013 by LondonLax

[JLohn]

 

For Villa, the threat of him refusing to play is more significant than is being acknowledged in this thread. Each time it’s mentioned, it’s also pointed out that’s is WC year, so he wont do this. But that suggests you’d be happy to let him strike for the whole season, which is very unlikely to be the case. Even Man City, with all their money, relented and brought Tevez back into the fold with the hope he’s re-ignite their title challenge. If you are in a relegation fight, which most would predict without Benteke you will be, he’d be back in the team in no time. No matter how much pride is at stake, it simply isn’t worth getting relegated over, which would be catastrophic for the club.

 

 

 

 

See, you're confusing a player going on strike and refusing to play, and a club refusing to play a player. 

 

If Benteke stays I am sure Lambert will play him, because as you say he would make the difference. The only thing stopping Benteke playing is Benteke himself, and he isn't going to refuse to play come September if he is still at Villa (which I don't think he will be).

[Butterfingers]

 

 

For Villa, the threat of him refusing to play is more significant than is being acknowledged in this thread. Each time it’s mentioned, it’s also pointed out that’s is WC year, so he wont do this. But that suggests you’d be happy to let him strike for the whole season, which is very unlikely to be the case. Even Man City, with all their money, relented and brought Tevez back into the fold with the hope he’s re-ignite their title challenge. If you are in a relegation fight, which most would predict without Benteke you will be, he’d be back in the team in no time. No matter how much pride is at stake, it simply isn’t worth getting relegated over, which would be catastrophic for the club.

 

 

 

 

See, you're confusing a player going on strike and refusing to play, and a club refusing to play a player. 

 

If Benteke stays I am sure Lambert will play him, because as you say he would make the difference. The only thing stopping Benteke playing is Benteke himself, and he isn't going to refuse to play come September if he is still at Villa (which I don't think he will be).

 

 

He's also contradicting himself-If relegation would be catascrophic,he should understand the reluctance to sell

 

Villa don't want to sell so have set a price & a timescale.Ideally,they don't want either to be met.

 

What is for sure is that these deluded Spurs fans need to wake up & smell the coffee.There will be no "performance related" add ons.Straight cash within the next 2 weeks or no deal-Comprehendo?

[villabromsgrove]

Joey, despite repeatedly telling us that we don't speak for the club, you now tell us exactly what Lambert's thoughts are (even though he hasn't aired his views). That's a bit rich coming from a completely uninformed outsider.

[pacbuddies]

 

 

 

 

I think the truth is Villa are in a difficult position and most of the power lies with Benteke and how much he wants to move.

Fair enough, you're entitled to 'think the truth is' that Villa are in a difficult position. I'd like to know how you've come to that belief though. It must be because the player has handed in a transfer request. You seem to assume that weakens Villa's hand. It is my belief that in fact all that does is weaken Benteke's hand. If Lambert and Lerner decide the player has a particular value that must be met (and the club statement suggests they have) and that suitors have a deadline to buy him (see club statement) and that he'll be back in the squad permanently from the 2nd week of August (see club statement) then nothing changes with regards to the player's big long contract and paltry wage. It doesn't actually matter how desperate the player is to move if our chairman and manager will not be moved. The Barry saga shows you Lerner won't be moved and if you doubt Lambert's resolve ... well, then, let's see how that works out.

Basically Benteks and his agents bargaining position is very strong, but no one is discussing this and hence I used the term "false tone."

I'm all for discussing it, but you'll have to educate me on how it's so strong. Ostensibly they have no plausible destination at the moment. Unlike last year when we'd met Genk's valuation, this year he has no concrete deal to push through. We've been as nice as pie to him. We accepted his transfer request and we've set out the conditions by which he will be allowed to leave. And I hate to bring it up but this is a world cup year so if you think he's going to sulk and strike come September then you'll probably be sorely mistaken there too.

 

If Benteke is really determined to leave, he’ll do everything he can to make Villa want to sell. This includes going on strike. This puts Villa in a very precarious position and makes this situation different to those experienced in the past with the likes of Barry and Milner. It happened to us with Berbatov, who in the end simply refused to play.

 

For Villa, the threat of him refusing to play is more significant than is being acknowledged in this thread. Each time it’s mentioned, it’s also pointed out that’s is WC year, so he wont do this. But that suggests you’d be happy to let him strike for the whole season, which is very unlikely to be the case. Even Man City, with all their money, relented and brought Tevez back into the fold with the hope he’s re-ignite their title challenge. If you are in a relegation fight, which most would predict without Benteke you will be, he’d be back in the team in no time. No matter how much pride is at stake, it simply isn’t worth getting relegated over, which would be catastrophic for the club.

 

If you look at the fixture list, Benteke might simply have to refuse to kick a ball until October and by then it might all ready be too late. He and his agent know that either his goals or quality additions to the squad are going to be key to your survival. Lambert knows it, Lerner knows it, all fans know it and Benteke/his agent certainly know it.

 

So come the start of the season, if Benteke is on strike refusing to play and there is a £20 million bid in the offing, don’t you honestly think Lambert will be urging Lerner to accept and Lerner will probably be pleased that his manager is doing this? If Benteke is adamant he wont play, then there does come a point when it’s simply foolish to refuse a half decent offer. Hence Benteke and his agent are in a very powerful situation.

 

However, everyone involved knows this, but it isn’t just Villa who have something to lose by letting this go to the wire. For buying clubs there is s significant advantage in having Benteke in their squad asap. So the buying club have a reason to pay a premium to get the deal done. This is where Villa do have some power, but not to the extent most on here seem to think and why I believe, it’s being leaked by Midlands journalists that a deal can be done at £25 million, rather than figures of £30 million+ being banded around.

 

If Benteke really wants to go, a deal at a lower price will almost certainly be available in the last week of the window. People can say things like “you don’t know Lerner” etc, but the reality is Lerner hasn’t been in a position like this before, so no one knows how he’ll react. In the past he’s always done what it best for Villa and is a business man after all, so in this case, the chances are very high that he and Lambert will conclude to sell is the best for Villa. They simply can’t afford to not have either their star striker of decent replacements, as the threat of relegation is too real. This simply wasn’t the case with Barry. I know most of you will reject that, but I think it’s very likely and am sure the vast majority of non Villa fans would agree.

 

So, if he had somewhere lined up, I think Benteke can and will leave if he really wants to. However, I doubt many clubs would want to buy him that way, as it puts them at a disadvantage concerning their own planning. I doubt Benteke wants to do it that way. I also doubt Villa want to do it that way. So something in between will most likely happen, which is why I believe this £25 million price tag is being leaked. 

 

As I have alluded to before many pages ago in this thread:

 

1. He has no legitimate grievance for which to strike. He cannot simply say 'I don't want to play for Villa anymore and I want to dishonour the 4 year contract that I willingly signed last year'.

 

2. Villa can afford to leave him on the sidelines for the whole season if they so wish, he is only on £20,000 per week.

 

3. It IS World Cup year next year and no matter what you say to the contrary he will want to be in contention for a starting place and therefore he needs to play regularly and well.

 

1.) Teves did it.

2.) But can you afford to lose his goals and not have the money from his transfer to find replacements? That is how Lambert will view it. That's just the reality of the situation.

3.) I'm not sure he does need t play regularly and well to keep his place in the current Belgium squad when you look at alternatives for the central striking role. But he doesn't have to miss the whole season. Tevez didn't.

 

1. Teves did it but did it get him his move? No, he continued to play for Man City.

 

2. No side can 'afford' to lose goals but he isn't the only player in the world that knows how to score and based on the expenditure level that Villa are currently at then a replacement won't cost the earth (Benteke didn't).

 

3. If he doesn't play regularly and well then Lukaku will step into his shoes so it is in Benteke's best interest not to be sidelined.

Edited July 15, 2013 by pacbuddies

[Nigel]

The problem here for Villa is more to do with the bigger picture than simply Benteke himself.  If we sell our prized asset now, after our previous years outgoings, where does that leave the image of our club?

 

We have to make a stand at some point to try and show that we mean to regain our upward momentum;  This could be seen as a great place to start as we hold a lot of the cards.

 

If he is not gone by the deadline set I can see the situation where we will dig our heals in, and he will stay for the next 12 months.

[Condimentalist]

 

 

 

For Villa, the threat of him refusing to play is more significant than is being acknowledged in this thread. Each time it’s mentioned, it’s also pointed out that’s is WC year, so he wont do this. But that suggests you’d be happy to let him strike for the whole season, which is very unlikely to be the case. Even Man City, with all their money, relented and brought Tevez back into the fold with the hope he’s re-ignite their title challenge. If you are in a relegation fight, which most would predict without Benteke you will be, he’d be back in the team in no time. No matter how much pride is at stake, it simply isn’t worth getting relegated over, which would be catastrophic for the club.

 

 

 

 

See, you're confusing a player going on strike and refusing to play, and a club refusing to play a player. 

 

If Benteke stays I am sure Lambert will play him, because as you say he would make the difference. The only thing stopping Benteke playing is Benteke himself, and he isn't going to refuse to play come September if he is still at Villa (which I don't think he will be)

 

TBF we should have at least one add-on; a sell-on fee - on top of the £25m. At that stage it starts to look like a better deal for all parties.

[Bunnski]

 

 

 

 

Benteke signs for the Heat!

 

Christain Benteke today signed for the Miami Heat. In his first inerview Benteke stated that "I cannot wait to get started for the Miami Heat and show the fans in London how good I am at soccer".............

 

 

Full Kit rocket polisher! 

 

Yeah and the cool hand gesture to go along with it...

 

 

Are we really getting that sad?

 

Hes taking the piss out of the club and the fans so am just having a bit of fun taking the piss out of him. 

[villa-revolution]

Welcome to THFC Talk Folks.

 

The rules are simple.

 

Everybody kiss the arse of joey55...............................Not

 

Allowing opposing fans to post on this thread is an insult to Villa fans & I really don't care if I get banned for saying it.

 

Especially when that poster promised not to post here ever again.

 

I am not the least bit interested in Spurs or the opinions of their fans, if I was I would log into one of their forums.

 

This is Villa Talk FFS!

[Butterfingers]

Does anyone think we could completely change our No 9 position & style if Benteke leaves?

With the passing football that is encouraged & indeed flourishes when confidence is high,I wonder if we may see a break from the traditional "big man" up front.

We play with 2 attack minded wide players (who have both played as out & out strikers) & seem to be signing or getting linked with players who can shoot from distance.Teams like Arsenal & Utd often play without the traditional "big man" & I'm not convinced its essential with the way our build up play develops.

[LondonLax]

Lambert has always seems to play with a big striker up front. I think he would look to replace Benteke with a physical presence if he leaves. 

[theboyangel]

Does anyone think we could completely change our No 9 position & style if Benteke leaves?

With the passing football that is encouraged & indeed flourishes when confidence is high,I wonder if we may see a break from the traditional "big man" up front.

We play with 2 attack minded wide players (who have both played as out & out strikers) & seem to be signing or getting linked with players who can shoot from distance.Teams like Arsenal & Utd often play without the traditional "big man" & I'm not convinced its essential with the way our build up play develops.

 

Before pre-season is out I'd like to see us try the following formation

 

.....Delph.Westwood

 

Gabby.Helenius.Tonev

 

..........Weimann

[pacbuddies]

 

Does anyone think we could completely change our No 9 position & style if Benteke leaves?

With the passing football that is encouraged & indeed flourishes when confidence is high,I wonder if we may see a break from the traditional "big man" up front.

We play with 2 attack minded wide players (who have both played as out & out strikers) & seem to be signing or getting linked with players who can shoot from distance.Teams like Arsenal & Utd often play without the traditional "big man" & I'm not convinced its essential with the way our build up play develops.

 

Before pre-season is out I'd like to see us try the following formation

 

.....Delph.Westwood

 

Gabby.Helenius.Tonev

 

..........Weimann

 

With only 6 players in the team we are quite likely to get tonked! 

[Voinjama]

Just out of interest, if Benteke had not of played for the club last season, but we had Bent in the team instead, do you think we would of still stayed up?