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

[Drummond]

Delph was one of those players that was viewed as the next big thing. he got injured, played for Leeds and then got injured when he signed for us. There is undoubted potential in there but for some reason it just hasn't clicked for him yet. let's hope lambert sorts him out.

[The Situation]

Not a fan of Delph at all to be honest.  Why we paid £8m for a division 3 youngster I'll never know, especially when we had lots of youngsters of our own at the time.

We paid £6 million for him.

A few other good teams were looking at Delph too. He was seen a young top prospect, won young player of the year and obviously seen as a player who can make the upgrade.

None of our midfielders who came through the academy and have made it to the first team are not as good as Delph. Gardner and Bannan are not capable to be starting players right now.

[Mazrim]

I still have high hopes for Delph. I understand the criticism, some of which I think is harsh, yet I reckon there's a very good player there somewhere. Has to stay injury free and get some games though.

I'd start him tonight.

[Merv]

We've done far worst deals than Delph for £6m. When we signed him, the kid had skill to burn - great footwork, vision, a wicked strike on him. We beat Man City to him. He should have developed gradually in a midfield alongside Milner, Petrov, Downing, Young, NRC. Instead, after a promising start he got a serious injury, and followed that up with another the next season. He's never really been able to get going.

Bannan's lauded for his ability but Delph's just as skilful, maybe more so. He's got a steelier side to his game though, and is more disciplined than Barry. If he can stay free of injury for a season, I think we'll see a very good player. He does need support though, hence this extra midfield player who should come in.

[Risso]

He just doesn't look very good at any one aspect of the game.  He came from Leeds with a reputation as an attacking midfielder, but his role for us seems to have been running round like a headless chicken making rash challenges.  Playing him as a defensive midfielder is never going to work in my opinion.

[JUAN PABLO]

i would definitely throw myself of a bridge if we ended up with Downing and NRC again

I'll hold your hand at the same time . Ones a massive wanker and one thinks hes better than he really is.

[hartman_1982]

We've done far worst deals than Delph for £6m. When we signed him, the kid had skill to burn - great footwork, vision, a wicked strike on him. We beat Man City to him. He should have developed gradually in a midfield alongside Milner, Petrov, Downing, Young, NRC. Instead, after a promising start he got a serious injury, and followed that up with another the next season. He's never really been able to get going.

Bannan's lauded for his ability but Delph's just as skilful, maybe more so. He's got a steelier side to his game though, and is more disciplined than Barry. If he can stay free of injury for a season, I think we'll see a very good player. He does need support though, hence this extra midfield player who should come in.

This.

[Dante Lavelli]

The centre of midfield is a real conundrum, we have plenty of bodies but are really lacking in quality or at least known quality.
In addition I cannot think of a realistic signing that could happen in the next few days that would justify restricting the playing time of Bannan, Herd, Delph and Gardner's (when he is fit again).

Ideally we would get a Milner or De Jong type player in and send a couple of the youngsters out on season long loans but that seems highly unlikely. 

That Toulalan was highly regarded a few years ago and might be available with Malaga’s financial problems.

[Concrete John]

He just doesn't look very good at any one aspect of the game.  He came from Leeds with a reputation as an attacking midfielder, but his role for us seems to have been running round like a headless chicken making rash challenges.  Playing him as a defensive midfielder is never going to work in my opinion.

It has been a mistake playing him as a DCM.  We're only ever going to see the best of him if he's allowed to play his kore natural game, which is more attacking.

If we're playing a narrow midfield, I'd like to see him tried on the left of a diamond.

[Merv]

Agree with that. Because he's willing to make a challenge, he's been used in that defensive role, which is wrong, IMO. His talent is his passing, vision, creating. We need to get that out of him.

I'd be looking to set up either KEA-Herd with Delph in front in a midfield triangle, or KEA with Delph and Ireland slightly further ahead in an, um, other shaped triangle. Until we sign a new midfield powerhouse to sit alongside KEA, that is.

Take some of the defensive weight of Delph, let him get forward, make a pass.

[barrysleftfoot]

  We need an N'Zonzi kind of player, but i'm not sure he's worth £10m, said it before, if we have that kind of money, buy Capoue.

 

[Seb_AVFC]

Can't blame them for trying to push the price up...As soon as anyone wants to buy in the last week of the window the silly money starts getting quoted....wouldn't say it was dead...the player seems to want out if he's on strike..

I thought that he was ill rather than on strike

Is he? Just going on what others have said on here, so no idea.
At least we are being active, although would have hope it would have been before now. Let's hope a fee can be sorted...

From da Beeb

Kismet played down claims that his player, who scored 16 goals last season, has gone on strike after learning Genk had turned down Villa's offer.
He said that Benteke is ill but is expecting to feature in Genk's Europa League match with Lucerne on Thursday night.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19397066

Listening to his agent, I think that its fated that Benteke will end up at Villa

His agent is a tw*t though. Always forces moves for his players improperly.

[Monty]

I don't think that we need to play a specified 'tackler' in the midfield with Delph, precisely because he is a great example of how the game has moved on: he is very tenacious, strong (perhaps too strong) in the tackle, but has great ability in the ball, and this type of all-round player has superceded the NRCs and even Makeleles of this world, because they're able to press the ball high up the pitch as well as in their own half AND do something with the ball when they get it.

Something people often say about NRC types is "sure he's not the best on the ball, but he can just give it short to someone who is." Well, this modern game goes at the speed of lightning, and you lose time, space and momentum by having a specialist tackler wait for a better player to get near them and take responsibility. It just allows the opposition to reorganise and you end up facing organised walls of players. I'd rather have three ball players who work hard than a tackler and a passer - and that's easier than it sounds.

[RussellC]

I thought Delph was starting to play really well when he had a run in the side under Houllier/GMac. In fact, in the game at the Emirates I thought he had the better of Wilshere for the entirety of the game. And, for those of you who haven't heard, Wilshere is the saviour of English football.

[Clampy]

I still think that the biggest problem on Saturday was not having anyone out wide. Other than CNZ's good run in the first half, it was a pretty easy game for their full backs. It's strange that he's not playing wingers because in the away game down at Norwich last season, they had a lad called Elliott Bennett (i think it was him) who played out wide and looked quite good.