Summer 2013: Villa Transfers, Speculation, Suggestions and Rumours

[john e]

Sell N'Zogbia. We need to raise funds to boost our transfer budget. Zoggy is likely to have a few takers, where as say Ireland will be incredibly difficult to get rid of.

For the wages he's on, CNZ doesn't do nearly enough. He's been okay since the turn of the year, though pretty average in the last few weeks again, but he doesn't fit into the side well enough. We look disjointed when he plays. If we dropped Gabby or Wiemann, there'd be a place for him, but they're playing far better.

Sell while we can. For the fee we'd get and wages saved, Lambert could bring in two more players.

I think N'zog's been pretty much a big waste of money, he's had a couple of decent games at most and then a few bits of cameo in others but still flatters to deceive,
just when you think he's turned the corner and started to look good he just goes back into his averageness and back to being useless again

i'd sell him at the first chance, he opitomises everything about our big spending past, he's not good enough for us and never has been

[eastie]

I can see a big name leaving a big club out of favour moving to Villa Park this summer to put himself in the window for World Cup.

Anyone in mind, Michael?

[glasses]

Sell N'Zogbia. We need to raise funds to boost our transfer budget. Zoggy is likely to have a few takers, where as say Ireland will be incredibly difficult to get rid of.

For the wages he's on, CNZ doesn't do nearly enough. He's been okay since the turn of the year, though pretty average in the last few weeks again, but he doesn't fit into the side well enough. We look disjointed when he plays. If we dropped Gabby or Wiemann, there'd be a place for him, but they're playing far better.

Sell while we can. For the fee we'd get and wages saved, Lambert could bring in two more players.

I think N'zog's been pretty much a big waste of money, he's had a couple of decent games at most and then a few bits of cameo in others but still flatters to deceive,
just when you think he's turned the corner and started to look good he just goes back into his averageness and back to being useless again

i'd sell him at the first chance, he opitomises everything about our big spending past, he's not good enough for us and never has been

I agree, John. He has been a waste of money and won't live up to the price tag. He has had games where he has looked a threat, but far too infrequently. I'd sell while we can and replace with the proceeds


After reading the last few pages, him and Ireland bear a striking resemblance to Collymore and Curcic IMO. In the sense that they were the players that many fans wanted at the time. N'Zogbia was seen by many as an improvement on Young, a view which I thought was bollocks but still. Ireland was seen as a good makeweight in the deal for Milner. I'd throw Sidwell into that too from recent times. Barry looked like he was off, and Sidwell wasn't being utilised at Chelsea after having a stormer of a season for Reading the year before. At the time of signing all three, there weren't as many doubters like there was with Heskey and Harewood say.

I do wonder how many signings we have made over the years have been swayed by popular fan opinions? Bent was constantly mentioned in the fantasy transfer type threads, and his signing seemed to come out of the blue at a time when everything seemed to be going wrong, and questions were starting to be asked.

That theory gets bombed though with the McLeish incident!

[Fuse]

I can see a big name leaving a big club out of favour moving to Villa Park this summer to put himself in the window for World Cup.

Do you mean someone who is out of favour at a Big Club will move to Villa this summer?

Hope it isn't Lescott who i think is past his sell-by-date. Ashley Young?

[tomd2103]

Sell N'Zogbia. We need to raise funds to boost our transfer budget. Zoggy is likely to have a few takers, where as say Ireland will be incredibly difficult to get rid of.

For the wages he's on, CNZ doesn't do nearly enough. He's been okay since the turn of the year, though pretty average in the last few weeks again, but he doesn't fit into the side well enough. We look disjointed when he plays. If we dropped Gabby or Wiemann, there'd be a place for him, but they're playing far better.

Sell while we can. For the fee we'd get and wages saved, Lambert could bring in two more players.

I think N'zog's been pretty much a big waste of money, he's had a couple of decent games at most and then a few bits of cameo in others but still flatters to deceive,
just when you think he's turned the corner and started to look good he just goes back into his averageness and back to being useless again

i'd sell him at the first chance, he opitomises everything about our big spending past, he's not good enough for us and never has been

Doesn't work hard enough for me and even when he had a few decent games in the attacking midfield position this season, he didn't really offer too much off the ball.  I've always got the impression with him that he would be best in attacking wide position on the right, but that he doesn't want to play there and puts even less effort in when he is shifted out wide. 

I'm sure there would be a buyer either in this country or in France, so I would be another looking to move him on in the summer.

[eamonn]

as much as i would love some of these players coming back or to the Villa, they are tired old names trotted out every transfer window,
we just aren't there any more, like my ex wife once said to me, we have 'moved on'

just look at the last window, when fellow strugglers were signing Sisoko and Samba we were bringing in  an absolute unknown from France who even most of them hadn't heard of,
 no one could understand it, meltdown on the transfer thread, until maybe Monday night when Syla the unknown played a major part in our relegation battle, and we now all think he might well turn out to be a good player for us

I just think this is now Lambert and his backroom staffs mindset, I think he loves the fact we are the youngest team in the prem, he loves the togetherness of the squad, he loves the fact they will give their all on the pitch, and the big earners are all lined up on the side lines for now, ready to be shunted away

that's why I don't think we will be going down well trodden paths for a while, its a brand new policy and its different from anything that has gone before, that's my take on it anyway,
 obviously if we sign a couple of 30+ year olds I will have read it wrong but I think it will be more of the same from Lambert, and it gets my vote

You are spot on John re Sylla. On the face of it, 2m on a 22 year old destroyer who has looked like he is taking a bit of time to settle and has plenty of potential, but as I have now said a few times, it has shocked me that in his 8 apps, we have won 5, drawn 2 and only lost to Liverpool. That is a pretty damned good return on spending 2m on an unknown from the French 2nd division. We have indeed, moved on.

Still like Lescott though in our back 4. More likely to end up with Chester if Hull mess things up.

It'll also be interesting to find out how much of the 2012 deals were down to the necessity of needing so many players with relatively little money, whilst also still addressing the wage bill issue.  Lambert wasn't really in a position to get an established PL player for circa £10m and £60k a week, but he might be this summer.

You sure? We had a bid accepted for Clint Dempsey. Presumably we were happy to pony up the wages too but he was holding out for Liverpool and when they didn't go higher, Spurs.

[cheltenhamlion]

I got a nudge in the last window that the cash for transfers was there but the wages were still the issue. No such excuses in the summer surely.

I don't think Lambert is averse to experienced players, just looked at his lot and took a golden gamble.

It might just pay off.

[Dave]

I'm guessing it's safe to say that we'll be paying wages more in tune with our turnover, unlike previous years. As we'll have a lot more money coming in (assuming we stay up of course) then wages will probably go up in line with that.

Problem is, the same will be true across the league meaning everyone else will also have to pay higher wages as well.

[N'ZMAV]

I'd be raiding Wigan for Figueroa, McManaman and McCarthy if they go down. All could really add something to our squad.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I can see a big name leaving a big club out of favour moving to Villa Park this summer to put himself in the window for World Cup.

Gerard Pique?

[mr woo]

I agree N'Zogbia can join Dunne, Ireland, Hutton and Bent on the outward bound list.

Yep I agree, and you can add Given to that list too. 60k a week for the most underused position in any football squad is frankly ludicrous.

[paulcomben]

You guys. You keep naming prospects we have all heard of. Lambert and Lerner will not sign a single one of them.

[Clampy]

I got a nudge in the last window that the cash for transfers was there but the wages were still the issue.

I think you're right.

[mr woo]

Thinking about it, should Bent go and leave us a striker short, I reckon we should be looking for the one thing we're lacking from our strike force - craft.

I couldn't say if he's a one season wonder or not,  but the man who seems to have it in spades is Michu from Swansea.

Would he come here? For Darren Bents wages, I reckon he'd find it hard to say no.

Mind you Lamberts probably spotted a potential equivalent in the Serbian 4th division, and he's available for 50k and the minimum wage.

[kipeye]

I can see a big name leaving a big club out of favour moving to Villa Park this summer to put himself in the window for World Cup.

Gerard Pique?

Lampard?