Bosmans

[JUAN PABLO]

Hoillett is going to be top class, but he wouldn't come to us.

You don't ask, you don't get!

There will undoubtedly be many takers, but the higher up the food chain he goes, the less likely he is to get regular first team football. 

Didnt put James Milner off ;(

[Shoody]

I can see him going to Newcastle or Spurs.

Everton will get Drenthe on a free at the end of the season, already has him for this season and think Moyes will work his usual magic and get him to stay at the end of it. I could even see Everton getting both Hoillet and Drenthe on free's.

Unfortunately I can see Spurs getting Craig Gordon, Gary Cahill and Junior Hoillet all for free this summer, which will be fucking cracking business.

[JUAN PABLO]

Wenger will get rid of Arseshaving and bring in Holilet .  Be a good signing for Arse . 

[KevinGage]

Disagree. Fulham finished one place behind us last season, are based in the capitol, play a decent style of football and are in Europe still (if he moves in January).

We on the other hand are on the way down (the league), aren't in London, play awful football and arent good attacking (not a good option for an attacking player) and have little hope of offering European football at all for the forseeable future. (unless he speaks to Faulkner and is drunk at the time).

Now im not saying we are poor compared to Fulham but I can see the advantages for a young (non-British) player who had probably barely heard of either club before moving here.

The London factor gets overplayed.   Would anyone opt for Palace or Brentford over us just to be close to the shops there?  If they did, we'd do well to give someone so galactically stupid the swerve. 

Villa fans more than most can put the boot into their own club, but neutrals/ potential new players might just as easily look at the set up, the stadium, the recent history and the players we have on the books and think -actually- that's not a bad move at all. Certainly from a Blackburn Rovers or similar.  We might be an even more attractive option with a different manager, but that's an argument for another thread.

And not many people would have suggested Newcastle were a more attractive option than us in the summer.  By the end of the season the thing might have gone full circle again.

[Dave Clark Five]

There were many a Shareholders AGM where we heard about the Bosnich ruling. I'll say no more than that.

[curiousorange]

I would give my eye-teeth for Villa to sign Ivica Olic.

[KevinGage]

All players out of contract have to film themselves crossdressing before they seal a big money move?

Might have given us more bargaining power with Barry and Young had we been able to enforce that one.

[Legion]

Very detailed OP, but perhaps this should now be merged with the transfer speculation, hearsay and utter bollocks thread?

[Dante Lavelli]

This is what annoys me... I was banging on about Hoillet in the last window.  This wasn't based on any scouting or actually watching the player (other than TV), just knowing what his contract situation was compare to potential talent.  The sort of thing you'd imagine that any club would know...

Six months later he is hot property and out of our reach.

Surely a club the size of villa should be able to spot and "tap up" players of Hoillet's ilk?

[Clampy]

I would give my eye-teeth for Villa to sign Ivica Olic.

He may be the wrong side of 30 (i think) but what a cracking player and he runs non-stop. He'd be great alongside Bent.

[KevinGage]

Was v.impressed with him when he was part of the Hamburg side that did us over there.

[Mister E]

I would give my eye-teeth for Villa to sign Ivica Olic.

He may be the wrong side of 30 (i think) but what a cracking player and he runs non-stop. He'd be great alongside Bent.

Hear, hear.

[Aston Manor]

Hoillett? Interesting.

His agent has no doubt been hawking him around a lot of other clubs. He'll know where he'll be going and I'm pretty sure the rest of us will in January when his new club will be announced ahead of the summer move or in the summer itself. I'd like it to be us but I'm not sure we'd be a more attractive switch than Fulham, Stoke, or Newcastle.

Are you mental?   (winky effort)

I don't ever recall a period in my life when Fulham or Stoke have been regarded as more attractive options than us.

If Hoillet is as good as he thinks he is, he'll have a better calibre of club coming in for him and looking to exploit his contract situation than that pair.

Newcastle could be an option though, or the likes of Everton or Spurs.

My point is that we are no more of an attraction. We have publicly stated that we are trying to clear our wage bill and that inevitably means better players going. Hoilett will be looking to go somewhere with better career prospects. Why would that be us? Until last night, Fulham and Stoke were/are in Europe and Newcastle are looking for a European spot this season. We are looking to tread water.

[KevinGage]

I guess that depends on how much kudos you attach to the Europa League.

If he's purely interested in that, B-lose would have been a more attractive option than the likes of Everton, Newcastle and ourselves this season.

Rather than a Stoke or Fulham, he might actually be a bit weird and want to play for a big club in a big stadium.

[Concrete John]

My point is that we are no more of an attraction. We have publicly stated that we are trying to clear our wage bill and that inevitably means better players going. Hoilett will be looking to go somewhere with better career prospects. Why would that be us? Until last night, Fulham and Stoke were/are in Europe and Newcastle are looking for a European spot this season. We are looking to tread water.

Couple of points:-
1.  The wages thing is more about shedding those that aren't contributing enough for their wages, such as Beye, Heskey, etc.  Players we've sold such as Young and Downing have helped this, but the main reason they left was because they wanted to go.
2.  Even during this, we've handed out some big contracts to what we view as the right players, such as Bent, Ireland and N'Zogbia.  I'd bet Given is on a fair wedge also.
3.  Career prospects wise, we can point at up and coming players like him we've signed and then gotten into the England squad and secured moves to the CL clubs.  That argument may have less veracity as the record goes back to MON's time, but it's still there.
4.  After 38 games, I'd expect there to be very little difference in league position between us, Newcastle, Stoke and Fulham.  Actually, maybe Fulham will be a bit lower, but I think we'll see the other two and us between 7th and 10th.