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

[Ross]

30k a week in the Premier League?  Explains why we won't be signing any existing PL players which are desperately needed.

A worrying thought: if this is the policy in the Premier League, imagine what it would be like if we were relegated.  I would imagine at least 50% of the squad would be moved on, which would almost certainly kill any promotion prospects for a few seasons. 

[PaulWinch again]

I don't believe the £30K thing to be honest, maybe the average wage of the squad but not the limit.

[Dante Lavelli]

Based on 30 players @ 30k/week = 47m.  Okay that ignores a swathe of other employees but I'd expect the first team squad to be the largest proportion of the total.  Our last accounts revealed wages were about 80m.

I'd actually suggest it is a decent target as long as it is the average across the whole squad.

[Shrek]

My pal told me today that Bent to Liverpool with Downing coming back was a done deal. I hope he's wrong.

Some man at the Spurs game told me, we will not pay anybody more than 30k a week no matter what. He reckons he knows some financial director at Villa.

Probably bullshit, but if its true, it's very worrying.

I'd imagine Given, Bent and Ireland are all on more than £30k a week so it's probably nonsense.

Yes of course they are, but, any new signings will not be paid more and it seems they are actively trying to sell anybody who earns more.

Can't see it, top players want top wages and if they imposed a 30k wage bracket we would not be able to attract the sort of quality needed - there must always be exceptions if the right player is available.

Did we sign a top player in the summer? Nope and that's why we are struggling. So it doesn't seem that far from the truth.

[ozzjim]

A wage bill target in terms of cash over a year will have been set I am sure, but I very much doubt it is 30k a week for any one player. It will be flexible to fit inside a cash envelope, I imagine around £50 million.

I see Dunne to New York Red Bulls is gathering a bit o speculation that it will go through in January. Makes 2 central defenders a must for me, Vlaar and Baker are injury prone and Clark will get suspensions, so to be solid and make the 3-5-2 work you have to have a set of proper good central defenders and a pair of good holding players. Get those positions sorted and we will be ok IMO

[saunders_heroes]

My pal told me today that Bent to Liverpool with Downing coming back was a done deal. I hope he's wrong.

Some man at the Spurs game told me, we will not pay anybody more than 30k a week no matter what. He reckons he knows some financial director at Villa.

Probably bullshit, but if its true, it's very worrying.

I'd imagine Given, Bent and Ireland are all on more than £30k a week so it's probably nonsense.

Yes, and they'll soon be out the door because of it.
Time to wake up and smell the coffee. Lerner's cutbacks will cost us our PL status.

[Clampy]

I'm still not sure about this £30k limit. If for the sake of argument Clint Dempsey had turned down Spurs and joined us in the summer, i think we would offered him more than £30k a week.

[OzVilla]

My pal told me today that Bent to Liverpool with Downing coming back was a done deal. I hope he's wrong.

Some man at the Spurs game told me, we will not pay anybody more than 30k a week no matter what. He reckons he knows some financial director at Villa.

Probably bullshit, but if its true, it's very worrying.

I'd imagine Given, Bent and Ireland are all on more than £30k a week so it's probably nonsense.

Yes, and they'll soon be out the door because of it.
Time to wake up and smell the coffee. Lerner's cutbacks will cost us our PL status.

I'd say we need Given, Bent and Ireland off the books asap. None of them have given us anything this season.

[ozzjim]

My pal told me today that Bent to Liverpool with Downing coming back was a done deal. I hope he's wrong.

Some man at the Spurs game told me, we will not pay anybody more than 30k a week no matter what. He reckons he knows some financial director at Villa.

Probably bullshit, but if its true, it's very worrying.

I'd imagine Given, Bent and Ireland are all on more than £30k a week so it's probably nonsense.

Yes, and they'll soon be out the door because of it.
Time to wake up and smell the coffee. Lerner's cutbacks will cost us our PL status.

I'd say we need Given, Bent and Ireland off the books asap. None of them have given us anything this season.

Bent, Given, Dunne and Ireland are probably near on 250k a week between them. I am fairly sure we could get 6 players in their wage bracket that would all contribute significantly more to the first team at the moment.

[Shrek]

I'm still not sure about this £30k limit. If for the sake of argument Clint Dempsey had turned down Spurs and joined us in the summer, i think we would offered him more than £30k a week.

I think Ozzjim has it, it's probably 30k a week average. But the fact we still have Ireland, Warnock, Dunne, Given, Hutton and Bent means there is no room for anybody else to earn more than 30k.

If we survive this year we will be in a very healthy position, but it's a big IF.

[ozzjim]

I'm still not sure about this £30k limit. If for the sake of argument Clint Dempsey had turned down Spurs and joined us in the summer, i think we would offered him more than £30k a week.

I think Ozzjim has it, it's probably 30k a week average. But the fact we still have Ireland, Warnock, Dunne, Given, Hutton and Bent means there is no room for anybody else to earn more than 30k.

If we survive this year we will be in a very healthy position, but it's a big IF.

I think that for all the stick he is taking too, and some of it very rightly if we don't spend in January, Lerner has showed that he will back the manager with fees and it is wages that are the big issue. We are in the lap of the gods with injuries at the moment, I think we would have won yesterday had Baker and Westwood been fully fit to start personally, and Weimann went into the game injured.

[achilles]

My pal told me today that Bent to Liverpool with Downing coming back was a done deal. I hope he's wrong.

Some man at the Spurs game told me, we will not pay anybody more than 30k a week no matter what. He reckons he knows some financial director at Villa.

Probably bullshit, but if its true, it's very worrying.

I'd imagine Given, Bent and Ireland are all on more than £30k a week so it's probably nonsense.

We have moved on (backwards) since then, so it makes sense!

[barrysleftfoot]

 RL has always stated that he is quite prepared to pay top wages for the right players.Apparently we offered "our Ashley" £100k per week.
  The problem is Dunne, at 32, is on over £50k per week, Given, 36, on £65k per week, who gave these older players such lucrative contracts?

 I applaud the current policy to be honest, i'm sick of players like N'Zog, and Ireland, mercenaries who go for the top dollar, and then give 80% if that, every game.I'm sick of players like Dunne, Beye, Heskey, Given, who come for one last pay day, the best days  behind them, with no ambition, or fight.

 But we do need "hungry" players, and i think if RL has confidence in Pl, which i think he has, and PL identifies someone who will cost big money, and big wages, but fits in to his philosophy, then i think he will back him.

 Olsson from the Boggies would be my first signing, followed by Sissokho or Capoue.Big angry aggressive bastards who will be up for the fight, and have a will to win.

 Just seen the goals again....Clark really is a liability is'nt he?

[Irish villain]

My best guess is that Bent will join either Fulham, QPR (despite Arry) or West Ham.  A London club basically.

What we sell him for is what we'll be spending.

Hope i'm wrong.

Great, he will be boosting one of our new rivals. I'd nearly keep him on the bench. At least somebody else wouldn't be benefiting from him. Yet.

[Clampy]

I would'nt even be thinking of selling Bent, we might need his goals again to help keep us out of trouble. Selling him to a team below us would be almost as stupid as it was employing McLeish.