Summer 2013: Villa Transfers, Speculation, Suggestions and Rumours

[ozzjim]

The thing with Shawcross, and many others that have been mentioned, is that Lambert will look at him, the fee and the wages and think "I can get just as good from abroad at half the price."

And he'd be right.

The jury is very much out on Vlaar.

eamonn I think me and you and a small minority are the only people who can see this. Most people just keep saying Vlaar will get better. Guzan made two fantastic saves but the only real mistake was when Vlaar came out the defence and got lost, leaving the defence totally exposed. I  hope PL is quietly lining up a powerful young CB good in the air and ready for a challenge. Okore will be very good but we still need aerial dominance and positioning. Baker is getting there but injury prone. Clark had a good game Saturday but generally inconsistent .......

I'm with you in particular pieces of play Vlaar made saturday. however i also think he takes on alot of responbility as both A . Captain and B a senior pro. Also the midfield were nt trusted so he came and stepped in high up the field.
I hope he continues as like his spirit and attitude

VK I agree he has a presence as a senior player and he does have a good spirit. But a CB needs to be dominant in the air and be positionally aware of his defenders and any potential threat. He has to make these decisions instinctively. Vlaar has been caught many times ball watching. failing to win crucial challenges in the air and being out of position at vital moments. He is 27 and is not going to get better imao. If PL brings in one of his well scouted choices at CB I think we would be better off rather than leaving it until Vlaar loses all credibility. This is not being harsh on him just a reality. Remember when we were on the verge of relegation. Vlaar said he might have to consider his future with Villa as it is world cup year, that's football ...

I think we all see the errors in his game from week to week, but the big issue when you have such an inexperienced side, is that the 1 player who is a genuine leader is almost impossible to leave out as his influence on the others makes up for his own shortcomings. Look at the way he rallied Baker after the own goal against Reading last season, or pushed us back on against Sunderland after Rose scored etc. Without him coming back from injury when he did last season I think we could well have been going to Wigan needing to win to survive, his impact was so vital. The flip side of that is that he was awful against Bradford costing us poor goals, and has continuously flattered to deceived as a defender.

I see Spurs are now close to signing a Romanian centre back too. They have really spent well to replace the outgoing Bale. Think they will be right in the title race, which is a horrible thought. They have used the money to change from being a 1 man team to just looking very strong in almost all positions, which is what 90 million for 1 player lets you do. I love the way Lambert has rebuilt us, but it would be nice to think he has the license to go and get another couple of players in the Benteke range of price and quality.

[RussellC]

I don't think Vlaar's that bad. I just don't think he's that great either. I do however, think he's still improving and think by Christmas we'll see a better player.

I think we were all expecting a Laursen / Mellberg quality player when he signed, instead we got a Collins / Dunne standard one, only a few years younger and with a better attitude.

I give him a lot of leeway as he came into a back 4 that had little or no Premiership experience last season and was given a lot of responsibility, which can't have been easy. After a full pre-season and with a more settled defence, I fully expect him to concentrate more on his own game now and hopefully we'll then see the improvement.

Worth remembering that he didn't play at Stamford Bridge last season, so let's see how he does tonight...

[Tuco Salamanca]

I give Vlaar till Christmas. The only saving grace is we are better, much, with him than without.

That's quite a saving grace.

[Concrete John]

Vlaar was still the pick of our CBs last season, which granted does't say a lot.  There are parts of his game he needs to improve, like judging the flight of a ball in the air - how often does he get caught underneath crosses?

Despite Saturday's win, I still think Lambert's Villa is a work in progress.  Our approach is to buy in bulk at low prices and see how many prove good enough.  That inevitably means some will fall by the wayside as we progress.  If one of them turns out to be Vlaar, then fair enough, but it's far too soon to judge.  If we are still having the same issues with him, and the defense as a whole, next summer then's the time to cut our losses.   

[pauliewalnuts]

Talking of the defence, interesting to see Baker injured again - am I imagining it or is he a bit injury prone?

[RussellC]

"Made of Paper Mache" would be more accurate.

[Clampy]

Talking of the defence, interesting to see Baker injured again - am I imagining it or is he a bit injury prone?

Yes he is. He's hobbled out of quite a few games now.

[Smirker]

Any news on Kiyotake?

Was hoping with Bent gone we might bring another player in.

[Concrete John]

The thing with Shawcross, and many others that have been mentioned, is that Lambert will look at him, the fee and the wages and think "I can get just as good from abroad at half the price."

And he'd be right.

I hope we don't get too obsessed with buying solely from abroad. Impossible to prove but I do feel that the 'foundations' of any squad are weaker if there is not a strong identity.

I agree - you need to look everywhere for your players and that includes the Premier League.

As it stands, 5 of our starting line up on Saturday were British, plus Guzan and Weimann, who have been here long enough to have that 'identity'.  SO It's not really an issue for us.

[eastie]

Any news on Kiyotake?

Was hoping with Bent gone we might bring another player in.

Faulkner seemed to dismiss his rumour last week in his online chat.
Nothing happening there .

[PaulWinch again]

Vlaar definitely has a positive influence on the side, we're a far more confident and structured side with him in it.

[pauliewalnuts]

Any news on Kiyotake?

Currently locked in a cellar in the Lake District.

[eastie]

Vlaar definitely has a positive influence on the side, we're a far more confident and structured side with him in it.

I agree we are better with him in the side but for a Dutch international i hoped he would prove better than he has done so far , lets hope last season was his bedding in period and he proves his best form this season .

[Des Little]

Any news on Kiyotake?

Was hoping with Bent gone we might bring another player in.

Just read an article saying we are looking at Ajax's Viktor Fischer.  Whether that's true or not I don't know but he's highly rated and scores goals from midfield.

[RussellC]

The worrying / annoying thing with Baker's injuries is that he's never out for too long, which makes me think he's just got a very low pain threshold. A bit like Heskey.