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

[David_Nab]

Good news Lambert is being back ....with no money !!

Paul Lambert continues to enjoy the unqualified support of the Aston Villa owner, Randy Lerner, despite Tuesday night's humiliating semi-final exit from the Capital One Cup at the hands of League Two Bradford City. With Villa also mired in relegation trouble, Bradford's 4-3 aggregate victory over a club 61 places above them on the football ladder has raised questions about Lambert's ability to turn things around. Lerner, however, has no intention of sacking a manager he appointed only seven months ago.

The American spoke to Lambert on the phone after the Bradford match and, although the result represented a huge disappointment, especially as it was viewed as a chance to alter the course of Villa's season, Lerner is behind the manager to the extent that he is prepared to stand by him even if Villa are relegated. Lerner does not believe in knee-jerk reactions and he continues to regard Lambert – Villa's third manager in as many turbulent seasons – as the right person to get the club back on track.

Lerner's backing will not, however, stretch to greater financial support in this transfer window. Lambert, who spent £23m in the summer, has been told that he has limited funds available and there are no plans to revise that approach in the wake of the Bradford result, which brutally exposed the shortcomings – lack of leadership, brittle confidence, inability to defend set pieces and a shortage of genuine Premier League quality – that have been evident throughout a hugely disappointing campaign.

There is certainly no prospect of a marquee signing along the lines of the club-record deal Lerner approved two years ago, when Villa paid Sunderland £24m for Darren Bent to effectively safeguard their Premier League status under Gérard Houllier. Villa remain hopeful that new faces can be brought in but the budget is tight and they have ruled out the possibility of making a splash in the market in the way that their fellow strugglers Newcastle United have.

The most likely transfer deals at Villa Park involve potential departures. Stephen Warnock, the former England international who has slipped so far down the pecking order that he has not kicked a ball under Lambert, has been the subject of inquiries from Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the view to a possible loan.

There has also been interest from overseas in Alan Hutton, another player who has yet to feature this season.

With Premier League survival regarded as the priority for a club where a significant number of the senior players do not have relegation clauses in their contracts, Friday's awkward FA Cup fourth-round tie against Millwall at The Den is regarded as nothing like as important as Tuesday's home game against Newcastle. Alan Pardew's side are 16th in the table, one point and one place above Villa, who have scored only once in their past six Premier League home matches.

A trip to Wembley would have given a group of players who have been knocked from pillar to post over the past six weeks a much-needed confidence boost ahead of the Newcastle match.

Instead, the mood in the dressing room was one of acute embarrassment after Villa were unable to beat a Bradford team, 10th in League Two and assembled at a cost of £7,500, over the course of 180 minutes. "The disappointment in my body, I've never felt this before," Ron Vlaar, the Villa captain, said.

Vlaar was at fault for Bradford's crucial goal in their 2-1 defeat at Villa Park, when James Hanson got above him to nod home a corner from Gary Jones.

Hanson's header meant that all four Bradford goals across the two legs had arrived, either directly or indirectly, from corners, which was an area of weakness in the Villa side that Phil Parkinson, the Bradford manager, said he identified after watching them in the Premier League. "You can't hide away from it, Villa have been vulnerable," Parkinson said.

Lambert accepted that Villa's ability to defend set pieces is a concern. Villa have conceded 15 goals from dead-ball situations in the Premier League this season, which is more than any other top-flight club and represents the continuation of a worrying pattern that has set in over the past few years.

Under Alex McLeish, Villa conceded 25 goals from set pieces last season, which was the poorest record in the league. The season before, during Houllier's brief reign, Villa conceded 27 goals from set pieces.

It is o

ne of numerous problems Lambert needs to address

[Des Little]

We don't need marquee signings. We just need some bloody options!

[PeterWithe]

At least none of the forwards will be moaning about the lack of game time.

[pauliewalnuts]

Honestly, with that attitude, we are fucked. Lerner is utterly, utterly brainless.

[ozzjim]

Honestly, with that attitude, we are fucked. Lerner is utterly, utterly brainless.

It defies belief

[itbrvilla]

I dread too think the state the club will be in this time next year.

[ROBBO]

Still believe there will be players but not anyone who wants 60.000 a week. Lerner looks at top earning players like Ireland who contributes very little and cannot be moved on because nobody else is stupid enough to pay that kind of money, and decides the club is going for younger cheaper players. Look at our top earners and name one who is worth what they're paid? not one of them, so why pay a fortune to someone who may well turn out to be another one to add to the list. I would prefer to go after another Benteke who lets face it no-one had ever heard of.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I am angry. That is all.

[ozzjim]

I Southampton have had their Coutinho offer accepted at 10.2 million.

It all feels like it did in the final season of DOL at the moment, just without some of the good players we had then!

[ROBBO]

I Southampton have had their Coutinho offer accepted at 10.2 million.

It all feels like it did in the final season of DOL at the moment, just without some of the good players we had then!

But what will his wages be?

[LeeB]

I Southampton have had their Coutinho offer accepted at 10.2 million.

It all feels like it did in the final season of DOL at the moment, just without some of the good players we had then!

But what will his wages be?

Affordable for a club with lower gates and who we're in the third tier two years ago.

[aev]

I Southampton have had their Coutinho offer accepted at 10.2 million.

It all feels like it did in the final season of DOL at the moment, just without some of the good players we had then!

But what will his wages be?

And you'd guess the contract will be linked in to Premiership survival.

Affordable for a club with lower gates and who we're in the third tier two years ago.

[Mister E]

I Southampton have had their Coutinho offer accepted at 10.2 million.

It all feels like it did in the final season of DOL at the moment, just without some of the good players we had then!

But what will his wages be?

Affordable for a club with lower gates and who we're in the third tier two years ago.

Define afordable.
Like QPR, S'ton are gambling on future earnings to stay up, in the light of the enhanced payments to the EPL next season.

It's an approach that Lerner - even with his now more cautious approach - should have adopted at the beginning of this month.

[LeeB]

I Southampton have had their Coutinho offer accepted at 10.2 million.

It all feels like it did in the final season of DOL at the moment, just without some of the good players we had then!

But what will his wages be?

Affordable for a club with lower gates and who we're in the third tier two years ago.

Define afordable.
Like QPR, S'ton are gambling on future earnings to stay up, in the light of the enhanced payments to the EPL next season.

It's an approach that Lerner - even with his now more cautious approach - should have adopted at the beginning of this month.

He's young and shit hot, it's exactly the sort of player we should be going balls out to sign.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Sign nobody and we're relegated.

As simple as that.