Summer 2013: Villa Transfers, Speculation, Suggestions and Rumours

[supertom]

Granted that Michy Batshuayi   does look useful!!

Other belgians to add in the mix defenders  Toby Alderweireld at Ajax and  Nicolas Lombaerts  Zenit Saint Petersburg and forward Jelle Vossen     at Racing Genk and Maxime Lestienne for club brugge

Be totally honest now, how many of those players have you actually seen play a full game?

Not a youtube clip, an actual game?

Youtube is what our scouts are using Paulie. I can't see them freezing their bollocks off in Denmark!

Given that it's barely an hour's flight away I would hope that we at least have scouts covering Denmark whose job is to do just that.

They'd only go for the good looking ladies and the bacon...or is that what I'd do?

[eamonn]

Have Swansea let Luke Moore go yet? Maybe he could come back to replace Bent/eke and do what he was born to - become a Villa legend.
Then again, maybe not.

[timeoutbigbar]

Have Swansea let Luke Moore go yet? Maybe he could come back to replace Bent/eke and do what he was born to - become a Villa legend.
Then again, maybe not.

I'm sure Darius is still kicking about somewhere too...

[ozzjim]

A 19 year old version of Benteke for 2.5 million sounds a good plan with an older man coming in too. Swansea are spending a bit of brass aren't they!

[eamonn]

Must admit to being a bit worried about the quality of Swansea, Southampton and Norwich's signings. They're all highly-rated players from Europe, largely more highly-rated than our new lot (Okore excepted). I just hope Lambert isn't afraid of pushing the boat out now and then.

[Irish villain]

Must admit to being a bit worried about the quality of Swansea, Southampton and Norwich's signings. They're all highly-rated players from Europe, largely more highly-rated than our new lot (Okore excepted). I just hope Lambert isn't afraid of pushing the boat out now and then.

Yep. It's probably a longer road back than we realise.

[Matt Collins]

i agree with the posts above. My confidence is wavering slightly of late. Benteke was just so good for us, and even with 2-3 coming in to replace him, I'm struggling to envisage us carrying the same sort of threat. And even if you do manage to bring in 3 players who can collectively carry the same goal threat whilst increasing our creativity, it's hard to see how you get them all in the same side without compromising our defensive shape (such as it is) further.

[Dante Lavelli]

i agree with the posts above. My confidence is wavering slightly of late. Benteke was just so good for us, and even with 2-3 coming in to replace him, I'm struggling to envisage us carrying the same sort of threat. And even if you do manage to bring in 3 players who can collectively carry the same goal threat whilst increasing our creativity, it's hard to see how you get them all in the same side without compromising our defensive shape (such as it is) further.

A good way to improve on last year is to concede less goals.  That's likely to come about from signing something other than a striker.  So replacing his goals is not the only issue here.

[LeeB]

Must admit to being a bit worried about the quality of Swansea, Southampton and Norwich's signings. They're all highly-rated players from Europe, largely more highly-rated than our new lot (Okore excepted). I just hope Lambert isn't afraid of pushing the boat out now and then.

Like that really highly rated centre half Southampton got in January, who didn't get a game and was sent back to his old club last week.

I'm shitting bricks, me.

[Matt Collins]

i agree with the posts above. My confidence is wavering slightly of late. Benteke was just so good for us, and even with 2-3 coming in to replace him, I'm struggling to envisage us carrying the same sort of threat. And even if you do manage to bring in 3 players who can collectively carry the same goal threat whilst increasing our creativity, it's hard to see how you get them all in the same side without compromising our defensive shape (such as it is) further.

A good way to improve on last year is to concede less goals.  That's likely to come about from signing something other than a striker.  So replacing his goals is not the only issue here.

Completely agree. But not sure we'll sign more defenders now. We've bought a left back and centre back and are giving new contracts to baker and Clark. So I think it's al about getting a much (much!) better shape and organisation.

[eamonn]

Must admit to being a bit worried about the quality of Swansea, Southampton and Norwich's signings. They're all highly-rated players from Europe, largely more highly-rated than our new lot (Okore excepted). I just hope Lambert isn't afraid of pushing the boat out now and then.

Like that really highly rated centre half Southampton got in January, who didn't get a game and was sent back to his old club last week.

I'm shitting bricks, me.

They don't all work out true but Laudrup's hit-rate at Swansea of plundering talent from Spain has been spot-on so far and he's brought in another taxi-load from there. They or Saints don't think twice about stumping up £12m for the best strikers in Holland and Scotland while Norwich land a couple of lads who have in the recent past been linked with much stronger clubs. The extra tv money now on the table is obviously taking effect.

Meanwhile, laudable though it is, we're still tinkering about in the bargain basement. Lambert's track record thus far with low-cost signings is impressive but it's still a relatively small amount of players to measure in terms of hit/shit rate. Generally speaking, spending more on players is more likely to mean that they are equipped to do better, more quickly than cheaper ones.
Anyway, in Lambert we have to trust. So here's hoping Helenius goes on to outscore Bony and Van Wolfswilly.

[MoetVillan]

Spending "more on players" is more likely to mean they are equipped better?  I think the "English player price skew" spoils this stat.  Compare players at Wigan to Stoke over the past few years, or Villa to (hate to say it) Spurs pre Lambert... 

[paul_e]

Must admit to being a bit worried about the quality of Swansea, Southampton and Norwich's signings. They're all highly-rated players from Europe, largely more highly-rated than our new lot (Okore excepted). I just hope Lambert isn't afraid of pushing the boat out now and then.

Like that really highly rated centre half Southampton got in January, who didn't get a game and was sent back to his old club last week.

I'm shitting bricks, me.

They don't all work out true but Laudrup's hit-rate at Swansea of plundering talent from Spain has been spot-on so far and he's brought in another taxi-load from there. They or Saints don't think twice about stumping up £12m for the best strikers in Holland and Scotland while Norwich land a couple of lads who have in the recent past been linked with much stronger clubs. The extra tv money now on the table is obviously taking effect.

Meanwhile, laudable though it is, we're still tinkering about in the bargain basement. Lambert's track record thus far with low-cost signings is impressive but it's still a relatively small amount of players to measure in terms of hit/shit rate. Generally speaking, spending more on players is more likely to mean that they are equipped to do better, more quickly than cheaper ones.
Anyway, in Lambert we have to trust. So here's hoping Helenius goes on to outscore Bony and Van Wolfswilly.

I don't really get the thinking here - Laudrup gets talked up for the success of his 1 season of purchases from Spain, but you state that 1 season of signings isn't enough to judge Lambert on?

As for spending more money...

If we signed a player for 8m who was near the top of the scoring charts in his league and won the player of the season award would you expect him to come in and be exciting?  If so we got him for £7m less than that, does that stop it being a good signing?

As I've said before, there is a clear pattern to the signings we've made, they all work hard and have good technique, a young squad with the attitude to work for success and the technical base to work from is a very strong starting point.

If Benteke goes we'll need to replace him and I still want another, more attacking, midfielder and a backup at right back but otherwise I'm pretty happy with the squad right now.  My choice for the midfielder role has changed, We've not bought locally in this window and I think we should change that by going for Will Hughes at Derby.  If the kid at leeds is as good as suggested he'd be great as competition at right back.  Both are fairly highly rated so you'd be looking at 10-15m for the pair but that leaves the same again to go looking for a striker.

[JUAN PABLO]

I still think Chelski could come in , If Spurzz bid and then they gazump ( is that a word ?)  it. 

especially with Mourinho trying to get Drogba back which failed.

[eamonn]

I don't really get the thinking here - Laudrup gets talked up for the success of his 1 season of purchases from Spain, but you state that 1 season of signings isn't enough to judge Lambert on?

Laudrup used to manage in Spain so had an advantage in knowing who would be likely to succeed over here.

As for spending more money...

If we signed a player for 8m who was near the top of the scoring charts in his league and won the player of the season award would you expect him to come in and be exciting?  If so we got him for £7m less than that, does that stop it being a good signing?

As I've said before, there is a clear pattern to the signings we've made, they all work hard and have good technique, a young squad with the attitude to work for success and the technical base to work from is a very strong starting point.

As I said, in general terms you pay more money for more proven players. Therefore I would expect an £8m signing i.e. Benteke to do a lot better (though, obviously not as well as he did do) in an opening season than Helenius. Of course that doesn't mean Helenius is a bad signing, just that expectations, from me anyway, won't be particularly high. Though, admittedly, logic from transfer fees isn't always the best guide. I'm still struggling  to see why the Dane Cardiff have signed was far more expensive than Helenius.
And I fully agree with your second paragraph.