Summer Transfer Thread: Speculation, Lies, Absolute Cr*p and Bosman Rumours

[TaxDodger]

Back to transfer rumours, according to the Mirror, Villa's £40k a week wage cap is stopping us going for Fulhams Andy Johnston. Didn't know about the wage cap and if that's the type of player we are really going for we are doomed.

Who in the hell would give Andy Johnson 40k a week? Oh, it's in the Mirror.

[Tom wintle]

We also need centre backs that don't just hoof the ball.

[N'ZMAV]

I've just read elsewhere that Gary Megson is scouting for us.

 Gary Megson?  It just gets worse.

Jesus wept.  I can't take much more of this.  Gary Megson.

I honestly don't see what is wrong with that.

Megson is an awful manager, yes, but that doesn't mean he can't spot a player, surely?

Exactly. We all think we can spot a player. If we think we can, then surely Gary Megson can?

[brontebilly]

James Nursey ‏ @JamesNursey Close
McLeish has told his #AVFC scouts to line up a new holding midfielder, striker, wide player & left-back so expecting Warnock to go

Who would buy him? I think we are going to find it hard to shift players on this summer.

He's on a good whack, but with only a year left.  So, similar to Dunne, I think a promoted or lower half club maybe interested if we could give them something of a payy off and they'll see it as extending their PL careers, and salaries, for another two to three years.   

If Dunne has a good European championships then there will be interest in him you would think. Glasgow Celtic perhaps. Still though both Dunne and Warnock (is there anyone else out of contract in the summer?) wont get anywhere near their wages elsewhere. would probably make financial sense for them to stay on at Villa for one more season and have one last payday on a Bosman in the summer after.
Beye and Heskey would surely have been let go on frees last summer but there was no chance of them getting anything near their current wage elsewhere and they chose to stay on. Cuellar too was available cheap enough but chose to stay on. Warnock isnt good enough for any side in the EPL. A loan move back to Blackburn in the championship is probably the best he can aim for.

a new manager (I'm refusing to accept that McLeish will be at the helm next season) will have to determine which of our younger players need to hit the road also. The current crop in the first team squad are:

albrighton (22), bannan (22), fonz (21), baker (21), lichaj (23), delph (22), clark (22), herd (23), gardner (19), weimann (20).

A decent vintage but the likes of carruthers and the next youth players are pushing though now. Some arent going to make it at the club unfortunately.

clark, gardner, weimann, herd and I think lichaj have shown enough to be kept on. albrighton, bannan, fonz, delph at this stage of their careers are struggling to make an impact for one of the worst sides in the division. they arent kids anymore and the first 3 remind me so much of peter whittingham at the same age. talent definitely evident but they are so lightweight and not making any kind of consistent impact. delph has had injuries but was shocking at the start of the season when given a chance to be a regular in the side. I think as supporters some of us are in denial about the 'kids'. Sometimes they just need regular football to shine and we need to accept that could be away from Villa Park.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Think most of the youngsters need time to develop in cameo roles not as first team starters. Lichaj, Baker and Wiemann have been exceptional. Think we need amongst other positions a quick winger with composure like Dyer (Swansea) Lennon (Tottenham) this would help with our ball retention and counter attacks. Nzogbia was expected to fill this role but has been terrible. We need to get some real planned structure in our scouting system as we have been dire since before MON ........

[VinnieChase84]

Although if Martinez comes in then we will at least see the Nzogbia that we all thought we were going to have!

[Dave]

the first 3 remind me so much of peter whittingham at the same age. talent definitely evident but they are so lightweight and not making any kind of consistent impact.

Is that not a good argument for persevering with them then?

If Whittingham were to leave Cardiff at the moment it would be for a good deal more than we are likely to be spending on a single player this summer.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

the first 3 remind me so much of peter whittingham at the same age. talent definitely evident but they are so lightweight and not making any kind of consistent impact.

Is that not a good argument for persevering with them then?

If Whittingham were to leave Cardiff at the moment it would be for a good deal more than we are likely to be spending on a single player this summer.

I was thinking about Whittingham in comparison to Albrighton. He has something but is currently very lightweight. If we were to let him go he may well turn into a top player. Very fine line though in his case being a massive Villa fan himself think he is worth keeping ........

[Concrete John]

We certainly shouldn't be thinking about selling Albrighton this summer.

[brontebilly]

the first 3 remind me so much of peter whittingham at the same age. talent definitely evident but they are so lightweight and not making any kind of consistent impact.

Is that not a good argument for persevering with them then?

If Whittingham were to leave Cardiff at the moment it would be for a good deal more than we are likely to be spending on a single player this summer.

not really, it took a few seasons of regular football for whittingham to stand out at championship level. surprised no-one has taken a punt at him to play at a higher level considering that the likes of swp and routledge get regular chances but he wasnt good enough for us at the time he left and only now when we are at a very low ebb would he be good enough now.

sometimes players dont develop until they play week in week out. we cant offer that to the likes of albrighton and bannan right now, what hope is there for them if we actually improve? if they arent good enough at 22, whats next?

MON got bad press for lots of things but bringing through the younger players was one of the main complaints. that was fair enough only in the case of gary cahill which he got badly wrong. craig gardner played intermittently for MON. He can point to that the likes of sidwell were brought in but gardner never impressed me at villa. it took regular football at brum to really improve him. I remember gardner as a one paced plodder with a great attitude. sometimes maybe we just have to let them go and let them prove us wrong elsewhere. for every craig gardner there are numerous others like luke moore who made us a few quid and never made the step up afterwards. Ridgewell too is a solid player but wasnt good enough for us when he left and probably still isnt.

I think its time to realise that the majority of 'kids' arent good enough for a reasonable Villa side.

[Boz]

If this is correct and is AM's level of ambition, we are definitely doomed...

Aston Villa's £40,000-a-week wage cap could price boss Alex McLeish out of a move for Fulham striker Andy Johnson, who is available on a Bosman free transfer at the end of the season.

Mind , it is from the Mirror's inside man, Nursey

[brontebilly]

Think most of the youngsters need time to develop in cameo roles not as first team starters. Lichaj, Baker and Wiemann have been exceptional. Think we need amongst other positions a quick winger with composure like Dyer (Swansea) Lennon (Tottenham) this would help with our ball retention and counter attacks. Nzogbia was expected to fill this role but has been terrible. We need to get some real planned structure in our scouting system as we have been dire since before MON ........

exceptional?

[mr woo]

Although if Martinez comes in then we will at least see the Nzogbia that we all thought we were going to have!

Blimey, if Martinez comes in we could be in real trouble this time next year. Please don't tell me we would sack a manager who led us to the bottom six only to replace him with a manager who is perpetually in the bottom three (bar the last 15 minutes of a 38 game season)

[richard moore]

Think most of the youngsters need time to develop in cameo roles not as first team starters. Lichaj, Baker and Wiemann have been exceptional. Think we need amongst other positions a quick winger with composure like Dyer (Swansea) Lennon (Tottenham) this would help with our ball retention and counter attacks. Nzogbia was expected to fill this role but has been terrible. We need to get some real planned structure in our scouting system as we have been dire since before MON ........

exceptional?

Well yes, indeed. I would say 'show promising signs of being able to perhaps make it at Premier League level but far too early to say for certain'

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Well Lichaj and Wiemann have scored more goals than Heskey who was recently an England international. Other than the one mistake against the premiership champions. Baker was very good and has been recently in other games. So i would consider that they have been exceptional compared to the likes of Albrighton, Bannan and Gabby who have been awful ........