Transfer budget for next season

[Concrete John]

But keep Bent, sign Dost as the big man option and have Gabby and Weimann too and I'm happy.

Weimann aside, that'd be three of our biggest earners/most sellable assets competing for 1 position.  Add Weimann back into the equation and then we're also in danger of hampering the development of a future star.

Not good squad/funds management for me, so I'd say run with the three and only look at the likes of Dost if Gabby or Bent leaves.

[N'ZMAV]

I can't see anyone paying us £24mil+. And in 2 years time he'll be older and with less on his deal. So, if we look for a profit, it'll be this summer or never.

[Vanilla]

It makes no sense to me that Randy would, after cutting off large investment in the squad and selling all our better players, suddenly decide to start investing in the playing squad again. That would be completely stupid and nonsensical.

Have to agree with that. It would make no sense to suddenly start having grand plans again. If the wage structure is paramount then the transfer fee-to-salary ratio would preclude any large purchases i.e. a big name signing = a big salary.

Or if we did make a large purchase it would, like the Bent signing, incur cutbacks and enforced sales in subsequent transfer windows.

[Concrete John]

It makes no sense to me that Randy would, after cutting off large investment in the squad and selling all our better players, suddenly decide to start investing in the playing squad again. That would be completely stupid and nonsensical.

Have to agree with that. It would make no sense to suddenly start having grand plans again. If the wage structure is paramount then the transfer fee-to-salary ratio would preclude any large purchases i.e. a big name signing = a big salary.

Or if we did make a large purchase it would, like the Bent signing, incur cutbacks and enforced sales in subsequent transfer windows.

Not necessarily.

Randy has seen that investemnt in good young players can yield good rewards, both in terms of results and sell on value.  What he has also seen is paying high wages to older players leaves you stuck with them.  If we target two young players at £10m each, who between them earn Heskey's £60k a week, it makes financial aswell as footballing sense, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him sanction such deals. 

[Risso]

The main thing that suggests lack of spending this summer is the huge deficit in the accounts to May 2011.  There were net current liabilities of £64m, which means that our creditors in the following 12 months exceeded the money due from debtors by that amount.  Even allowing for the sales of Young and Downing which brought in £35m, we still spent £18m on new players, so had a transfer surplus of £17m, which would have reduced the deficit to £47m.  Randy had to stick another £10m into the club in December, which I assume was just to keep things ticking over.  I think anybody expecting a net spend of anything in the summer, let alone £20m is going to be disappointed.

[Mazrim]

A fair few things have happened since May 2011. Plus, Randy can refinance Villa to suit himself if he has the inclination.
I'm not saying expect lavish investment, but he can if he chooses to.

[Chris Harte]

I think the net spend will be sod all.

[Risso]

It makes no sense to me that Randy would, after cutting off large investment in the squad and selling all our better players, suddenly decide to start investing in the playing squad again. That would be completely stupid and nonsensical.

Have to agree with that. It would make no sense to suddenly start having grand plans again. If the wage structure is paramount then the transfer fee-to-salary ratio would preclude any large purchases i.e. a big name signing = a big salary.

Or if we did make a large purchase it would, like the Bent signing, incur cutbacks and enforced sales in subsequent transfer windows.

Not necessarily.

Randy has seen that investemnt in good young players can yield good rewards, both in terms of results and sell on value.  What he has also seen is paying high wages to older players leaves you stuck with them.  If we target two young players at £10m each, who between them earn Heskey's £60k a week, it makes financial aswell as footballing sense, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him sanction such deals. 

It makes sense when you put it like that, in the context of Young and Downing, but then we've also spent money on other young players like Davies and Delph and got our fingers burnt.  It also depends on McLeish spotting good young talent and persuading them to join Aston Villa.

[Shoody]

Hoping for a big turn around of players this year, but our net spend will be low. very low.

Can see:
Dunne, Collins, Ireland, Warnock, Heskey (free), Cuellar (free), Guzan (free), Nzogbia (if Eck stays), One of Gabby or Bent, Delfouneso leaving.

Who we bring in will be worrying though.

[pauliewalnuts]

It makes sense when you put it like that, in the context of Young and Downing, but then we've also spent money on other young players like Davies and Delph and got our fingers burnt.  It also depends on McLeish spotting good young talent and persuading them to join Aston Villa.

Davies was a terrible signing, but I can't help think "what might have been" re Delph, had he not been so totally fucked by injuries.

The one area I'd like us to look at is investing in young players who are also cheap - Delph was always going to be up against it with an £8m transfer fee to justify.

[Villanation]

Hoping for a big turn around of players this year, but our net spend will be low. very low.

Can see:
Dunne, Collins, Ireland, Warnock, Heskey (free), Cuellar (free), Guzan (free), Nzogbia (if Eck stays), One of Gabby or Bent, Delfouneso leaving.

Who we bring in will be worrying though.

Not being doom and gloom on this but I do think Bent will be of I also think we will see Gabby depart the club, I hope not, but I can just see it happening, I think Ireland will go, Heskey will be released, and of course poor old Stan the man, Dunne and others, actually when you carry on like this you wonder who will be left.

[JJ-AV]

I had to keep comparing us to them, but Newcastle had a massive turn over this season-

Out: Forster, Enrique, Smith, Barton, Nolan, Routledge, Ranger

In: Elliot, Santon, Cabaye, Marveux, Obertan, Ba, Cisse

Replaced every one of them, spent about £10m net and reduced their wage bill massively to compensate.

That's without counting Carroll from the January previous.

It shows you can improve quality on a little budget and lower the wage bill.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

If we end up with mostly Bosman's we have to consider the majority of them end up on an even tidier salary than normal as no transfer  fee is involved, the days of us paying 40k a week are long gone so we'll end up with shit players who've run their contracts out at clubs like Rangers, Ipswich and Derby

[N'ZMAV]

I had to keep comparing us to them, but Newcastle had a massive turn over this season-

Out: Forster, Enrique, Smith, Barton, Nolan, Routledge, Ranger

In: Elliot, Santon, Cabaye, Marveux, Obertan, Ba, Cisse

Replaced every one of them, spent about £10m net and reduced their wage bill massively to compensate.

That's without counting Carroll from the January previous.

It shows you can improve quality on a little budget and lower the wage bill.

It can be done.

Scouting networks are pivitol in this, and it's something I would have trusted Houllier with. MON was hopeless with his network, not sure about McLeish's either...

[TheMalandro]

I had to keep comparing us to them, but Newcastle had a massive turn over this season-

Out: Forster, Enrique, Smith, Barton, Nolan, Routledge, Ranger

In: Elliot, Santon, Cabaye, Marveux, Obertan, Ba, Cisse

Replaced every one of them, spent about £10m net and reduced their wage bill massively to compensate.

That's without counting Carroll from the January previous.

It shows you can improve quality on a little budget and lower the wage bill.

It can be done.

Scouting networks are pivitol in this, and it's something I would have trusted Houllier with. MON was hopeless with his network, not sure about McLeish's either...

Mcleish discovered Van Persie remember