Transfer speculation 2016/17

Sandie wrote:A meh link here: http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/07/18/report-aston-villa-in-talks-over-ex-leeds-united-loan-star-liam/page/1/

He did do well for Brighton in the Championship a few years ago and Leeds last season but he's been a flop at Sunderland. Still it's only the Sun (regurgitated by HITC).

I think we have only one more vacancy in our midfield, and that would be for an experienced and creative midfielder with a proven track record. Otherwise we should go with what we've got.

I've said before but I would target Jeff Hendrick for that vacancy.

*ESSAY WARNING*
Just a few thoughts re. where we're at/ transfers:

This time in 3 weeks we'll already know the results of the first Championship weekend, and we're looking like we're a long way from getting a complete squad together and a clear first 11 which wont just give the Championship a go, but WILL get promoted.

If I saw another huge club like Villa go down, immediately gaining a new wealthy owner, as a neutral fan I would expect to see them get automatic promotion, possibly even dominating the league (in the way Newcastle did 09/10)… but if we're going to turn ourselves into that kind of force we have an awful lot of work to do in less than 3 weeks. Our competitors are basically ready if you look at the strong Championship teams from last year + Newcastle & Norwich.

I'm looking at our opening game as the deadline for two reasons:

1) Coming in the top two places at the end of the season means getting a huge points tally.. we've seen year after year the third place team narrowly missing out by just a few points.. any missed points from the opening games could cost us.. the playoffs are a lottery so we need to make sure we're that clear class above the kinds of teams who are in and around the playoffs (e.g. Brighton, Derby, Sheff Weds etc.) .. who knows, that first match could even decide who finishes higher at the end of the season between us and Sheff Weds.

2) It's crucial to get the right start to bring confidence back and make everyone from the players to the fans believe that we can win again.. if we start off with a confused starting 11 where we're still giving certain weak players from last season a chance because we're thinking we might get away with using them in the Championship, or even 'giving them a final chance' before the transfer window closes then we could start with that same losing mentality.. and that negativity breeds. (I'm referring to players like Hutton, Westwood and Clark here, who have hardly ever been on a winning team.. I can see that it might be tempting for RDM to 'try' them and see how they do, rather than simply watching just about any game from the previous seasons to see how costly and ineffective they can be).
Just look at the last 4 or 5 seasons under Lerner where he's delayed our transfer activity until far later than our competitors and we've started off badly and clearly less prepared than others. We need to get off to a flying start like Leicester did last season.

So far..
We've signed an experienced centre back with Championship experience in Elphick.. his leadership skills will be really valuable but at the same time he's taken Okore's position on the pitch, who probably has the most potential out of all of our defenders, and a full season at his age now may well have made him flourish.. Elphick- probably not the position we needed, but overall, a positive signing.

Tshibola- potential, great to see hight in the middle again which for some reason has been ignored by Villa for the past decade.. probably a direct replacement for Gueye (outsiders might see this as a step back).. however I think will be a good addition, without being proven, or guaranteed to reach his potential immediately.

Gollini- who knows? Pure potential.. if another team bought a 21 yr old keeper I would expect him to be their back up for a few years.. if it means Guzan moves on, it could be a risk going into such a crucial season.

So far, making these signings wouldn't be a surprise even if we still had Lerner running things. I think Dr. Tony wants to spend, I think he's the kind of guy who wants to please the fans very quickly.. in order to get two or three proven quality signings in now (which we'll need for promotion) requires us to become ruthless in pushing out the weaker/ fringe players ASAP (the negotiation processes for Sinclair and Sanchez appear to be extremely slow which is a bit worrying considering how much we need to trim the squad). Until we have the spare squad places, we can't make the additions.. and ideally we need those new faces in within the next week or so for us to be ready and prepared for the season. I'd hate to see us having to play catch up. Baring in mind Newcastle and Norwich finished with far higher points last season, have we really done anywhere near enough so far to make sure we finish above both of them?

It's not so much impatience.. it's more about learning from previous seasons. There's a huge difference between surviving in a league and dominating a league.. I feel like it's time to start acting as a club who WILL dominate the league. We still have a chance at becoming a fashionable club again with a top reputation, the kind of club players want to join (think back to Lerner's first couple of seasons when players were excited to come in and join Villa because the potential appeared limitless at the time).. if we approach this season in a messy, half-hearted fashion without signalling major intent to return to the Premier League as a real force, we'll lose that status as an exciting club and could soon be forgotten about, just another Fulham.. while the likes of Watford and Middlesborough are luring players we could only dream about by this time next year. In an age where clubs are turning down £30m bids for Troy Deeney and newly promoted clubs like Bournemouth are splashing £15m on a completely unproven Jordon Ibe, we can't sit back, take it easy and hope for the best + a big slice of luck and some good tactics, or we'll be cut adrift. This is our chance. Promotion this year means everything. The next two weeks for Villa just might be our most pivotal in our club's history.

An interesting analysis, Mr Natterjack, thanks for taking the time to put it together. I do agree to a point. I think considering the excitement around the takeover our business has been a little low key thus far. We've got a solid pro and two players with potential. I'm happy enough but we also need players that can smash the Championship right now and then develop in the PL. Getting out of the Championship is not going to be easy, in fact I remember saying pre-takeover that we probably needed to rebuild over more than one season.

"It's going to be tough .... The Championship is probably harder than the Premier League .... We'll be fighting a load of Premier League teams etc. etc."

Ironically I chose to read this interview in the 'Himalayan Times'.

I sense that our management is starting to get the excuses in early. I also sense that we are drifting back into the kind of attitude that condemned us to relegation, namely we are allowing our current 'assets' to dictate the shape of our coming season.

We need our management to be firmly pulling the cart from the front, instead we appear to be pushing the cart from behind and the cart is overloaded with last seasons failures.

Our new signings must not be made dependent on who leaves, they must be signed because they have the experience and ability to get us out of the Championship League! RDM should know by now which players will drag his squad down .... if he doesn't then he's ignoring the videos of last season and going with his gut (ego?). Even if we can't sell the malcontents and shirkers, they must be ruthlessly removed from the squad to avoid it remaining as a cosy boy's club like it was last season.

What input is Steve Clarke having on the composition of our defence? Hutton was given the captain's armband against Worcester, which implies that he will once again get the opportunity to stuff our defensive capabilities by leaving us with a three man defence.

We have a list of players who did more than their fair share to get us relegated. Whether it was dissension, refusal to train properly, lack of discipline, lack of effort or just repeated stupid 'goal conceding' errors. These players should have no part in the new Villa squad.

We have a new owner, new management, but so far we seem to lack the new ruthless streak that is essential if we are to turn last season's woeful squad into promotion winners.

Do RDM/SC/KB and KW, fully understand why and how we got relegated last season? I know that they've only been in charge for a few weeks, but the rhetoric coming out of Villa Park at the moment would suggest that the fans are way ahead of the management in their understanding of the source of our problems, and the remedy.

Harsh words maybe, but "second chances" and "waiting to see who leaves" will stuff up this season's campaign!

Very good posts, I totally agree that we can't aford to go into the season on a hope that some of the ineffectual players will come good, and lets face it that was most of the squad last season. There is such a big dismattling job to do that I think the manager and his team just need to make those big decisons now, even if they have some doubt at this stage as they havent seen enough of them. The need for a defined squad in which players are playing in positions that A, they are familar with and B, that they are proven to be effective in, is critical. We have to go an get a numebr of insurance policy types of players who are proven to be effective and have the right attitude. To free up the spaces, there needs to be a cull. The list of around 9 players needs to be drwan up and they need to be offered out to agents at a knocked down rate. VB your point about them being assets is probably close to the mark, we need to forget about business to degree and for one season, the most important coming up, we need to solely focus on getting promoted. I hope the list has been put together already and we are in advanced stages of moving players on, from the sounds coming out from DM this may not be the case and it would look like we are taking the softly softly approach. Lets cross our fingers the next month will define Villas short to mid term future, lets hope taht business is left to one side and we are aggresive in our attitude to getting rid of players who are tainted and not fit for purpose.

villabromsgrove wrote:Our new signings must not be made dependent on who leaves, they must be signed because they have the experience and ability to get us out of the Championship League! RDM should know by now which players will drag his squad down .... if he doesn't then he's ignoring the videos of last season and going with his gut (ego?). Even if we can't sell the malcontents and shirkers, they must be ruthlessly removed from the squad to avoid it remaining as a cosy boy's club like it was last season.

We have a list of players who did more than their fair share to get us relegated. Whether it was dissension, refusal to train properly, lack of discipline, lack of effort or just repeated stupid 'goal conceding' errors. These players should have no part in the new Villa squad.

We have a new owner, new management, but so far we seem to lack the new ruthless streak that is essential if we are to turn last season's woeful squad into promotion winners.

Do RDM/SC/KB and KW, fully understand why and how we got relegated last season? I know that they've only been in charge for a few weeks, but the rhetoric coming out of Villa Park at the moment would suggest that the fans are way ahead of the management in their understanding of the source of our problems, and the remedy.

Harsh words maybe, but "second chances" and "waiting to see who leaves" will stuff up this season's campaign!

Spot on. The problem with waiting to see who leaves is that some of last season's let downs aren't exactly going to be easy to move on. Clubs won't want them and they won't want to leave. We've got a supposedly wealthy owner, a man who's prepared to back the manager to the tune of a £50million budget. Why can't we bring in new players now before we get rid of the malcontents? If we wait to get rid of unwanted players we will probably be waiting until the end of their contracts before we can bring in replacements. In the meantime, we'd be trapped in the Championship. It's also a poor negotiating tactic as clubs who are daft enough to want these players will know we're under pressure to sell before we buy (why? Xia's meant to have the money?) and wait until the last minute to offer a knock down price. Of course, we'd be under the same pressure if we bought replacements but at least the important thing (the Aston Villa first team squad) would be strong enough to challenge for promotion.

Still, it's early days yet. Still a couple of weeks to make signings before the season and I continue to be hopeful that the whole thing about not judging anybody on last season is just a bluff to whoever is daft enough to be interested in one of the duffers.

What input is Steve Clarke having on the composition of our defence? Hutton was given the captain's armband against Worcester, which implies that he will once again get the opportunity to stuff our defensive capabilities by leaving us with a three man defence.

Whilst I'd like to see a better right back than Hutton come in (he's too poor going forward), isn't that problem as much to do with our lazy midfield? My limited understanding of tactics is that, when a full back goes forward the defensive midfielder ought to drop back and fill the hole. However, in spite of Gana, Westwood and Sanchez supposedly all being defensive midfielders of a sort I've very rarely seen them do that (even with all three on the pitch). If we signed any right back our lazy defensive midfielders would cost us like that. I'm hopeful that Tish is made of better stuff.

I blamed Hutton week after week for vacating his position and giving goals away, but you make a good point Sandie about the defensive midfielders failing to slot in and cover him when he goes forward. If Hutton wasn't so awful at crossing maybe proper defensive coaching would make a difference. He's a quick muscular athlete, but he's weak at both extremes of the pitch. Gunter would do a better job imo.

I think we've got some mixed opinions on Guzan here so this will be an interesting rumour to discuss: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/07/19/aston-villa-to-give-brad-guzan-a-free-transfer-to-speed-up-middl/

Considering our new keeper's lack of experience, is getting rid of Guzan such a priority? We must be pretty desperate to be rid of him if we're deciding to go without a fee. It makes me wonder if any other players will be getting the free transfer treatment due to our need to open up space in the squad.

I would like to see Guzan given the opportunity to play regularly behind a 'Steve Clarke' organised defence. The poor guy has never had a decent back line to build his confidence. I'm sure Gollini will become a good keeper, but I'm equally sure that the Championship is not the ideal place for a 21 year old to learn his trade in a "promotion" season.

It looks as though Guzan is unwanted though, so we shall get the chance to see how Gollini copes.

I agree that having Golini as our main keeper is a gamble. We still have Bunn but he's not a great deal better than the 2016 model Guzan. Of course, trying to bring back the Guzan of a few years ago is as fraught with potential problems as depending on a 21 year old keeper with no prior experience of English football.

In other, unwanted player linked to a move to the North East news: http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/football/sunderland-afc/sunderland-linked-with-a-fresh-raid-on-aston-villa-for-january-target-1-8023414

I'd be happy to give him a lift there.

Sandie wrote:I agree that having Golini as our main keeper is a gamble. We still have Bunn but he's not a great deal better than the 2016 model Guzan. Of course, trying to bring back the Guzan of a few years ago is as fraught with potential problems as depending on a 21 year old keeper with no prior experience of English football.

In other, unwanted player linked to a move to the North East news: http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/football/sunderland-afc/sunderland-linked-with-a-fresh-raid-on-aston-villa-for-january-target-1-8023414

I'd be happy to give him a lift there.

If big Sam get's the England job as looks likely, that deal will probably not happen.

When Dr T became our new owner, there was excitement about the future. Promises of a large transfer budget, and getting rid of the malcontents what ever it took, looked like a new dawn.

There have been some wishy washy comments lately by RDM about not knowing how many players he might need, because he has to wait and see who leaves .... that was never part of the new way forward .... it's classic 'Lernerism".

Now Dr T has added cause for concern by saying in a Tweet today "we have learned from experience that splashing money and adding players cannot guarantee the success" .... another classic bit of Lernerism!


If what RDM and Dr T are both saying is "we have some damn good players that we can make into a successful first team and none of them that we want to keep will be allowed to leave, only the ones that we consider surplus to requirements", then I'll accept that. However, they need to come out and say this loudly and clearly, because the fan communication is being handled in a very amateurish manner .... yet again!

I share your concerns. As it stands, I see a team still in need of several reinforcements still lumbered with a number of players who should have no future. We will not get out of the Championship in our current form.

I'm not keen on the Ravel Morrison rumours. His goals and assists stats are very poor, so I can't think what his contribution to the team would be. He's also a high maintenance player and a possibly disruptive influence, which is something we definitely don't need to add to the Villa first team.