Summer transfer fund.

[KevinGage]

I'd say roughly £30 mill absolute tops, which is still a pretty substantial sum.

At a guess, I'd say it could break down like this:

Foster-------£8 million
Dann--------£9 million
Adam-------£7 million
N'Zogbia----£8 million

Plus maybe Reo Coker back on a free and a loan or two.

[Nirog72]

I think we'll only spend what we get in income from transfers. Possibly a bit more if the wage bill is deemed under control. I think Lerner did his bankrolling in January and am pretty glad he did. I think we'll get about £25m in without Downing going and obviously quite a lot more if he does. I'd expect us to spend that on players who command lower wages. I'm still excited about possible new faces though, as I am every year.

[Louzie0]

I'm still excited about possible new faces though, as I am every year.

Me too!

[Surrey Villain]

Have we turned down Bradley then?

"ALEX McLeish is prepared to sell Carlos Cuellar to former club Rangers to free up transfer cash for Villa after also deciding against signing Michael Bradley".  Birmingham Mail 23/6/11

[PaulWinch again]

If that's true it's terrible because £3 million should be making that much difference to our budget.

[Phil from the upper holte]

This thread is depressing

[PaulWinch again]

This thread is depressing

Very much so. Hopefully we are well off the mark and Randy will fully back Eck.

[Eigentor]

I think we'll spend little this summer, not because we have a sell-to-buy policy or because Randy has given up or wants to sell, but because the board expect McLeish to try to convert the likes of Beye, Warnock and Ireland into motivated footballers before they bankroll replacements.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

Let's be honest, if Randy forked out £100m it still wouldn't ensure Chumpions League football so what is the point? He could easily fork out £30m but what for? £30m to finish 7th/8th/9th? The money the club would get back in return for his investment isn't going to happen.

McLeish needs to further trim the wage bill, and get rid of the high earning under achievers like Warnock, Beye, and Heskey and then bring in some younger players and then sell them on in the next couple of years to generate funds. I'm not blaming Randy if he chooses not to spend big this summer as it isn't really worth it is it? Not Randy's fault, or particularly Villa's but football in general.

[barrysleftfoot]

   If we just sign under 25s, potentially good players, with sell on value, with a few free transfers, then i would'nt be too disappointed with that.

  How good can Albrighton, Herd, Clark, Hogg, Baker, Licjah, Delph, Delfunso, Gardener be.Might be the time to find out.

[Ad@m]

I'd say roughly £30 mill absolute tops, which is still a pretty substantial sum.

At a guess, I'd say it could break down like this:

Foster-------£8 million
Dann--------£9 million
Adam-------£7 million
N'Zogbia----£8 million

Plus maybe Reo Coker back on a free and a loan or two.

The trouble is if there's £30m to spend that is generally counted as including transfer fee, signing on fee, agent fee, and at least some of the wages.  On that basis the amounts you've said for those players above are nowhere near enough.  £30m is two decent players or four average ones.

[robbo1874]

   If we just sign under 25s, potentially good players, with sell on value, with a few free transfers, then i would'nt be too disappointed with that.

  How good can Albrighton, Herd, Clark, Hogg, Baker, Licjah, Delph, Delfunso, Gardener be.Might be the time to find out.

I'm with you mate, it would be nice to give all the kids a go . The thing is, we'd probably end up getting relegated, unfortunately.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

The board could raise morale at a stroke by attempting to sign Milner and N'Zogbia.
It ain't going to happen though.

Adam is lined up for Liverpool, so we can cross that one off.

I honestly don't think we'll be in for those calibre of players anyway.

[pablopicasso_10]

im glad we are not getting adam...

a bit of a media darling last year who wastes almost as many of those long hoofs into the corner as he completes...

at a club like liverpool or villa, it wont be the successful passes that get highlighted... it will be the wasted ones...

he is slow, crap defensively and apart from being able to take a set piece (so can marc albrighton), i really dont see the fascination...

he is the definition of the term "highlight player"...

[Rip Van We Go Again]

he is slow, crap defensively and apart from being able to take a set piece (so can marc albrighton), i really dont see the fascination...

I think he's an excellent playmaker, great vision.
The question is if he can replicate his Blackpool form playing for a team that are not as expansive as Holloway's lot.
He was caught out of position in a few games for them as he's given free rein to wander about, he won't get the same sort of freedom at Liverpool.