Summer 2013: Villa Transfers, Speculation, Suggestions and Rumours

[glasses]

Regarding wages, surely every case is judged on it's merit? If Benteke signs a new contract for example, it will be more than 50k a week, comfortably, but it would be worth it.

Besides, it would likely be a loan if it were to happen and some of the wages would be subsidised by City you would imagine.

Personally, I think we need one more

[Toronto Villa]

They won't all be under 22 and untried in the PL, I'm sure.

No, but they'll all be on sensible wages, which will rule Lescott out.

Which could rule out Lescott. If he demands what he's on at City he'll remain there for the season, rarely play and likely miss the WC. He needs to play this season, and play often and well so I wouldn't rule anything out.

[RussellC]

I'm literally amazed that anyone thinks we'll sign Lescott.  Lambert hasn't yet brought-in a player for whom joining-us is a step-down, either in terms of their career or their salary.

Why people think this will happen now, regardless of who Lescott supported as a kid, is utterly beyond me.

[sid1964]

I agree there is no way we will bid for lescott, we have 4 centre halfs already, not sure we will need  a 5th

Goalkeeper will be the next target, and it will be someone who will push Guzan for his satarting place in the team...same as what Lambert has done to Bennett, with the potential signing of Lunar

[Toronto Villa]

I'm literally amazed that anyone thinks we'll sign Lescott.  Lambert hasn't yet brought-in a player for whom joining-us is a step-down, either in terms of their career or their salary.

Why people think this will happen now, regardless of who Lescott supported as a kid, is utterly beyond me.

I'm not saying we will but I don't agree it is based on stepping down or anything like that. For Lescott he needs to play. In what will be his final ever chance to play in a major tournament he will need to perform well consistently for a team in the PL. It is highly unlikely that Man City will provide him that opportunity. So whether it is us or someone else remains to be seen. Lambert wants players that are motivated to be at the club and want to contribute. If money is more important then irrespective of age he wants nothing to do with that type of person.

[RussellC]

TV - I don't disagree about Lescott's needs to play, but I just don't think that Lambert will go for him regardless. Our transfer-policy is one of of value and longtermism (if that's a word?) these days. The days of making Lescott-type signings is long-gone, IMO.

[RussellC]

I find it incredibly disrespectful when players don't celebrate scoring because of who they're playing against.  You should be happy about scoring and the fans of your current club should see that.  If it's against a team you've just left after you're whole career with them I can just about let it go, but because you were a supporter of them as a kid, no chance, enjoy the moment, show the fans that your current club is the most important thing to you.

I don't disagree with what you at all on this, but it backs-up the point I'm making. Lescott is a professional footballer and his loyalty lies with whoever's paying his wages. the notion that he'd take a huge pay-cut to join the side he supported as a boy is foolhardy.

[RussellC]

Regarding wages, surely every case is judged on it's merit?

I'd imagine so, but there'd also be due consideration to the overall wage-bill (obviously) and dressing-room harmony.

I just cannot see Lescott being anywhere near Lambert's radar, for a number of different reasons.

[paul_e]

I find it incredibly disrespectful when players don't celebrate scoring because of who they're playing against.  You should be happy about scoring and the fans of your current club should see that.  If it's against a team you've just left after you're whole career with them I can just about let it go, but because you were a supporter of them as a kid, no chance, enjoy the moment, show the fans that your current club is the most important thing to you.

I don't disagree with what you at all on this, but it backs-up the point I'm making. Lescott is a professional footballer and his loyalty lies with whoever's paying his wages. the notion that he'd take a huge pay-cut to join the side he supported as a boy is foolhardy.

I agree totally, taking a huge paycut to get game time so he can go to the world cup is the only reason he'd do it.  I just don't like people questioning him being a villa fan because he celebrated scoring against us.

I still think it's too early, when he's only just about a year into the job, to be saying Lambert doesn't sign players like Lescott though, feel free to say "he hasn't yet and there's no suggestion that will change" but to dismiss vast swathes of professional footballers out of hand as the wrong 'type' of player purely because of their age and/or career to date just doesn't sit right.  He wanted Dempsey last year but the logic of this summer would see a link to Dempsey instantly dismissed as nonsense because he's "not the type of player Lambert signs".

[RussellC]

The Demspey bid was different though, for 3 reasons.

Firstly it was made on transfer deadline day (and appeared to catch Lambert by surprise when it was accepted) and there's one school-of-thought that it was used to push Genk into accepting our bid for Benteke.

Secondly, moving from Fulham to Villa will always be an upwards career move. I cannot believe, either, that it would have involved a drop-in-wages fro Dempsey.

Thirdly, it was a position that we needed a player for. We currently have 4 centre-backs in our squad, 2 of which Lambert has bought himself.

I'm not dismissing Lescott as "the wrong type of player", I'm completely and utterly dismissing buying Lescott as "the wrong type of transfer deal."

It won't happen.

[paul_e]

The Demspey bid was different though, for 3 reasons.

Firstly it was made on transfer deadline day (and appeared to catch Lambert by surprise when it was accepted) and there's one school-of-thought that it was used to push Genk into accepting our bid for Benteke.

Secondly, moving from Fulham to Villa will always be an upwards career move. I cannot believe, either, that it would have involved a drop-in-wages fro Dempsey.

Thirdly, it was a position that we needed a player for. We currently have 4 centre-backs in our squad, 2 of which Lambert has bought himself.

I'm not dismissing Lescott as "the wrong type of player", I'm completely and utterly dismissing buying Lescott as "the wrong type of transfer deal."

It won't happen.

but surely a drop in wages to come is more in line with the perceived 'lambert style signing' than coming for more money as an established player.

I don't disagree on the third point regarding need for a central defender, and I don't think we will sign him, but that's because I think Lambert believes Okore, Baker and Clark are good enough and getting experienced enough that we don't need another.  I think the references to age, wages, career history are based on massive assumptions, of which Dempsey dismisses a majority with very little effort on my part.

The first point is almost purely speculation and adds nothing of any value, there are too many 'what-ifs' around the whole concept - the main one being what if he'd agreed to come to us, would we have sent him packing because we got Benteke?  What would that do the reputations of both Villa and Lambert?

y underlying point wasn't against you though, just a general warning about people becoming over keen to dismiss rumours based on their perception of Lamberts 'methods'.  I just think it's far too soon in his career for him to have a 'modus operandi' that fans can latch onto so tightly.

[RussellC]

I just think it's far too soon in his career for him to have a 'modus operandi' that fans can latch onto so tightly.

I don't think it's just PL's 'modus operandi' though, I think it's the club's. They clearly (and wrongly) thought that TSM would be a manager who could find value-for-money in the transfer-market and now have (hopefully) found it with Lambert.

In fact I don't think a 'modus operandi' in the transfer market has been as evident at Villa since Graham Taylor's first stint.

Look at what happened in January. We were in the most precarious position we've been in for many years and brought-in a midfielder from the French 2nd division and and a loan-signing from the MLS, despite all of us crying-out for them to get an experienced centre-back. Making a bid for Clint Dempsey last summer does absolutely nothing to persuade me that we're likely to make signings such as Joleon Lescott this summer.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Breaking holiday news/ITK exclusive:- Derrick Williams is apparently in Ibiza, as he sucked the girl at work's friend's toe.

She recognised his picture from my Villa calendar.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Despite the general happiness on here at the moment having brought in three new players, I think there's going to be a reality check later in the summer when we start to see how other teams are strengthening with quality. Right now only Jores looks like he will walk into our side. The other two are for now, just squad strengtheners.

There's an awful lot of faith being put in a group that had the third worst defensive record (the other two were relegated) and only managed to score 47 goals over 38 games, despite having a strike force of Benteke, Gabby and Weimann. Whilst I admire Lambert and the board's loyalty to the current squad, it shouldn't mean we don't continuously look to bring in improvements.

I'm guessing come the end of August, we'll see most clubs will have spent more. We can only pray we've spent more wisely.

[Malandro]

Despite the general happiness on here at the moment having brought in three new players, I think there's going to be a reality check later in the summer

especially with the likely departure, in my eyes, of Benteke