Summer 2010 Transfer Thread: B*llsh*t, Rumours & Wishes

[Mazrim]

Zamora's had another excellent game tonight...

I think he is a realistic target for us

I dont know what to think about him. He's looking ace but he might be one of these players that just finds a home and comfort zone at a particular club and if moved, loses it all and looks like the donkey everybody assumed he was.
We could be singing the Dean Martin song weeks after signing him.

You could say exactly the same thing about Carlton Cole!

You could indeed.

[KevinGage]

 

 If he went now he'd cost minimum £6m. If he scored 10-15 goals in the Premier league you could double it at least. It makes a big difference.

Thats pretty much the point though Maz. I say £2-3 million, you say minimum £6 million. Newcastle probably wouldn't entertain notions of selling him for anything under £10 million, even now.

But: If they have another season of struggle the player himself might force the issue next summer- and they might need to cash in. If he's as good as you believe he is then he might have a whole host of clubs after him. I'd find it hard to believe it will be the likes of Manure, Chelsea et.c. But possibly the usual suspects, such as ourselves, Everton and Tottenham as the most attractive options.

It would then be down to us to effectively sell the club to him, as we have managed to do with other promising youngsters.

The more we save on getting these players when they're young, the more we have to spend on other top players. You cant wait until they're all proven can you? That sounds like a costly business to me. Too costly for us in all likelihood.

For the most part I agree, yes. We are not (yet) dealing at the very top end of the market, so we have to develop our own. Be it through the youth set up or by sourcing talented players at other clubs and developing them further. But we still have to get value for any money we spend, and the type of fee that Carrol is likely to command even now would make it a risky investment.

Taking a punt on players like Victor Moses, James McCarthy and Rodallega for smallish fees as Wigan have done is another route. If just one of those comes off they'll bank a small fortune.  If not, so be it.

I do like the look of that Rodallega, I must admit.

But I'd like MON to be on first name terms with the contacts Steve Bruce had to get Valencia, Palacios and Rodallega for next to nowt even more.

[curiousorange]

The thing about getting these players 'on the cheap' is that we don't, really. We bagged Milner at the second time of asking but even though he was clearly a major player for Newcastle, you couldn't say he was a superstar. We then had to pay anywhere between £10-12 million for him. Ditto Ashley Young, hence the hoo-ha.

If we were to want to buy Carroll, which I don't think we will, a recently promoted Newcastle will easily demand the same price as we paid for Milner. Wigan would not sell Rodallega for less. West Brom would want £8 million for Dorrans, and Crystal Palace, who might be sold by the summer, would want a substantial bit of wedge for Nathaniel Clyne - at least as much as Tottingham paid for Naughton.

Point is, if you want a superstar on the cheap you have to be brave in your decisions to buy unfancied players, not see them doing well in the league below and take a punt. You have to trust that players in Scotland or in League One are good enough to pay a lesser price for, or to scour lesser foreign leagues like Wigan do with their South Americans. But I can't see many of you lot being happy if we bought a striker from League One called John Smith or a Bolivian called Hector Sanchez that we've never heard of because from previous experience, unless they'll obviously be a success in the top division, everyone will say we're lacking ambition to bid for top-class palyers.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Very good points. But this is what the scouts job is all about and its based on an international network of contacts who are there to pinpoint potential young up and coming stars. Does anyone know how good Villa`s scouting system is ???

[curiousorange]

The scouting system could be brilliant but unless they've appeared in a World Cup or been metaphorically arse-kissed on MOTD most Villa fans won't accept unknown players these days.

[*shellac*]

Chamakh's looked good in the champions league from what I've seen.

Think Arsenal have got him for next season anyway.

The new Sylvain Wiltord?

[KONSPIRACY]

Hargreaves will be melted down for glue.

Worth noting that Hargreaves started his return playing 45 minutes for Man Utd reserves tonight

[*shellac*]

Hargreaves will be melted down for glue.

Worth noting that Hargreaves started his return playing 45 minutes for Man Utd reserves tonight

How nice would it be if he stays fit & plays well until the end of the season and hence take over Barry's place in the national team?

[curiousorange]

Hargreaves will be melted down for glue.

Worth noting that Hargreaves started his return playing 45 minutes for Man Utd reserves tonight

How nice would it be if he stays fit & plays well until the end of the season and hence take over Barry's place in the national team?

Not gonna happen unless Barry gets an injury and let's face it, once the season's over, if you're an England fan then you'll want the best and fittest players playing for England, which for me is Barry.

[Concrete John]

Point is, if you want a superstar on the cheap you have to be brave in your decisions to buy unfancied players, not see them doing well in the league below and take a punt. You have to trust that players in Scotland or in League One are good enough to pay a lesser price for, or to scour lesser foreign leagues like Wigan do with their South Americans. But I can't see many of you lot being happy if we bought a striker from League One called John Smith or a Bolivian called Hector Sanchez that we've never heard of because from previous experience, unless they'll obviously be a success in the top division, everyone will say we're lacking ambition to bid for top-class palyers.

My own view, whether I rate the player or not or whether I've ever heard of him or not, is put the shirt on him and see what he does.  

Your point about getting superstars on the cheap is a bit misleading though, as I think that's rarely possible.  If you look at the leading players in our league (those that would make a big difference to us) I'd think Lampard, Gerrard or Fabregas in midfield and Torres, Rooney or Drogba upfront.  With the exception of two (Gerrard and Fabregas) they were all known and established and went for big money, even the £11m Chelski paid for Fat Frank was top dollar at the time.

What I think we need to do is box clever with the next level down, so we can save the spondulees and go in large for the emerging players about to be on this level.  Something like get Joe Cole on a free and Jamie O'Hara for say £5m, which would then leave £20m to get someone like Wagner Love or Hulk from Porto.

[VillaZogmariner]

Well this is what I think will happen in the summer -

OUT

Sidwell (£4m)
Harewood (Free)
Carew (£3m)
Davies (£7m)
Salifou (Free)
Reo-Coker (£5m)
Shorey (£2m)
Guzan (Loan)
Beye (£2m)
Osbourne (Free)
TOTAL IN - £23m

IN

Goalkeeper to challenge Brad Sr (Hart please)
Young Left Back
Young Right Back (Not Luke!)
Defensive Midfielder
Winger
Striker

Total Spend, I'd guess in the £30m region

[VillaZogmariner]

To my earlier post - it would give us a squad (not that MoN uses it much) of -

GK - Friedel, NEW SIGNING, Marshall, Guzan (Out on loan)
RB - Young, Cuellar, NEW SIGNING
LB - Warnock, Bouma, NEW SIGNING
CB - Dunne, Collins, Cuellar, Clark
WI - Young, Downing, NEW SIGNING, Milner, Albrighton
CM - Petrov, NEW SIGNING, Milner, Delph,
ST - Agbonlahor, Heskey, NEW SIGNING, Delfouenso

[Chris Smith]

Well this is what I think will happen in the summer -

OUT

Sidwell (£4m)
Harewood (Free)
Carew (£3m)
Davies (£7m)
Salifou (Free)
Reo-Coker (£5m)
Shorey (£2m)
Guzan (Loan)
Beye (£2m)
Osbourne (Free)
TOTAL IN - £23m

IN

Goalkeeper to challenge Brad Sr (Hart please)
Young Left Back
Young Right Back (Not Luke!)
Defensive Midfielder
Winger
Striker

Total Spend, I'd guess in the £30m region

I can't see 10 players being allowed to leave. Davies will stay as will Guzan and it will be one of Sidwell or NRC. Despite claims to the contrary we do use the squad, but like most teams we don't tend to rotate in league games. All but 3 of that list have featured this season.

[Risso]

Well this is what I think will happen in the summer -

OUT

Sidwell (£4m)
Harewood (Free)
Carew (£3m)
Davies (£7m)
Salifou (Free)
Reo-Coker (£5m)
Shorey (£2m)
Guzan (Loan)
Beye (£2m)
Osbourne (Free)
TOTAL IN - £23m

IN

Goalkeeper to challenge Brad Sr (Hart please)
Young Left Back
Young Right Back (Not Luke!)
Defensive Midfielder
Winger
Striker

Total Spend, I'd guess in the £30m region

I can't see 10 players being allowed to leave. Davies will stay as will Guzan and it will be one of Sidwell or NRC. Despite claims to the contrary we do use the squad, but like most teams we don't tend to rotate in league games. All but 3 of that list have featured this season.

Harewood, Salifou, Osbourne and Shorey are pretty well guaranteed to leave I reckon.  I think it's most likely that NRC and Beye will as well to be honest.  I'd hope to see the back of both Sidwell and Heskey as well, but expect they'll both still be hanging round like a bad smell next season.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

The scouting system could be brilliant but unless they've appeared in a World Cup or been metaphorically arse-kissed on

No one knew who James Collins was before he came to Villa. But in 6 months he is a fans favourite ???