Summer 2013: Villa Transfers, Speculation, Suggestions and Rumours

[dekko]

£5m for a player with a proven goalscoring record like bent has is not enough considering what we paid , he is worth more than that , if someone wants a goalscorer they will come back with an improved bid.

I agree that he's worth more than that, but considering he's barely played all year I'd be amazed if we got more than 8 million.

That said, even if he went on a free, he's repaid his fee several times over as his goals kept us up in 10/11, and probably 11/12 as well.

[tomd2103]

I did. I looked forward to every game I went to. I've probably got to go back to 95/96 for the last time I enjoyed a season as much. I felt connected to the team, it felt like MY Aston Villa. That counts for more than just results to me.

And what we are doing so far since the season ended just reinforces that feeling.

Our league position and the threat of relegation meant that a lot of nerves were around at games last season.  It was still enjoyable though, as you were never really sure what you were going to see at each game and the dark clouds which seemed to have been hanging over Villa Park for the past few seasons were lifted.   

[Concrete John]

Lescott is 31 in 2 months and on a reported 90K a week.

And we weren't lucky last season.

That's not particularly old for a centre back.
And I've seen defences as bad as ours relegate teams before.

It is when factoring in a new contract for a footballer.

So? There was still no luck in us staying up. We stayed up because we deserved to.

And we all saw what throwing buckets of cash at experienced premiership players did for QPR.

Was that becuase they were experienced or just the wrong players?  Man Utd threw bucket loads of cash at experienced PL striker Robin Van Persie and it won them the title.

I think we need to balance things a little more with a couple of experienced players.  And I think Lambert wanted to do that last season until injury and form meant the likes of Gabby, Bent, Ireland and Dunne did not feature as much as he might have expected.

However, if we continue with youth only I'm patient enough to wait and see this side develop together.   

Van Persie was the best striker in the country, it was buying guaranteed goals, he also finished the best striker again in England last season
you cant compare him to Lescott who is not anywhere near the best CH in the country, and was made to look like a big lump of lard in the last game of the season by a average Norwich city player,
your not guaranteeing anything with Lescott, just a hope that he continues to do OK and not degenerate into the latest Villa millstone on massive wages, 

I don't think we will be signing Lescott he doesn't fit the Villa profile,

We may not sign Lescott, in fact I'd class it as very unlikely, but you're being terribly unfair to him there as a player.

[barrysleftfoot]

 For us to improve next season we need to buy better players, not players who might be better.I'm all for buying Okura, and the Danish kid, but we need to be buying players like Belhanda, or McCarthy, plus one or two others for us not to have to go through what we have had to the last 3 or 4 seasons.

 The basic philosophy i agree with, but replace the high earning, non-committed with high earning, highly committed.Iif we buy young players, who in 2/3/4 years want to play for Ure/Barca whatever, like Benteke, then i'm happy with that.

[RussellC]

Says it all that none of the Twitter 'ITKs' had a sniff of this until both clubs had officially announced it. And that includes he likes of Kendrick and Mashiter.

[eastie]

Okore on the bench for tonight's World Cup tie which they are losing to Armenia at the moment , helenius not in in the 22.

[Percy McCarthy]

One of the most encouraging things for me was the bottle of the team. After Black January I thought that they'd be a bunch of nervous wrecks til the end of the seaon. When we were all on about 23/24 points, who'd have put money on us beating Reading and QPR in consecutive games? Let alone coming from behind in both games?

Testament to PL's management I think, that he somehow stopped them from crumbling from the intense pressure they were under. Huge credit to the lads as well of course.

And I like to think we did our bit too.

Sorry, didn't mean this post to turn into a love-in.

[ozzjim]

For us to improve next season we need to buy better players, not players who might be better.I'm all for buying Okura, and the Danish kid, but we need to be buying players like Belhanda, or McCarthy, plus one or two others for us not to have to go through what we have had to the last 3 or 4 seasons.

 The basic philosophy i agree with, but replace the high earning, non-committed with high earning, highly committed.Iif we buy young players, who in 2/3/4 years want to play for Ure/Barca whatever, like Benteke, then i'm happy with that.

I don't entirely agree. I think holding onto the players that develop into the 15-30 million pound footballers together, for a period of time is the important bit, while still buying people who can grow into that bracket. We had none that would fetch more than 10 million last summer because they were not that good. Arguable that we now have 3-4 in that bracket just about. Not letting them walk away is just as important as buying finished articles. Belhanda looks interesting for sure, but for this summer, that may be beyond us. With 6-7 players to bring the squad up needed, it is going to be similar to last summer.

[damon loves JT]

One of the most encouraging things for me was the bottle of the team. After Black January I thought that they'd be a bunch of nervous wrecks til the end of the seaon. When we were all on about 23/24 points, who'd have put money on us beating Reading and QPR in consecutive games? Let alone coming from behind in both games?

Testament to PL's management I think, that he somehow stopped them from crumbling from the intense pressure they were under. Huge credit to the lads as well of course.

And I like to think we did our bit too.

Sorry, didn't mean this post to turn into a love-in.

If I ever win an Oscar, I want you to write my acceptance speech.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Okore has come on for the 2nd Half....

[PeterWithesShin]

Okore has come on for the 2nd Half....

We're thinking of signing a woman?

[Percy McCarthy]

One of the most encouraging things for me was the bottle of the team. After Black January I thought that they'd be a bunch of nervous wrecks til the end of the seaon. When we were all on about 23/24 points, who'd have put money on us beating Reading and QPR in consecutive games? Let alone coming from behind in both games?

Testament to PL's management I think, that he somehow stopped them from crumbling from the intense pressure they were under. Huge credit to the lads as well of course.

And I like to think we did our bit too.

Sorry, didn't mean this post to turn into a love-in.

If I ever win an Oscar, I want you to write my acceptance speech.

Just recite one of my limericks about you from the 'Who's Who' thread.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

0-3 Armenia ....

[Percy McCarthy]

Okore has come on for the 2nd Half....

We're thinking of signing a woman?

She must be good, if only for three weeks in every month.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Okore has come on for the 2nd Half....

We're thinking of signing a woman?

Will still probably be an improvement on last seasons defence !!!