Summer 2013: Villa Transfers, Speculation, Suggestions and Rumours

[JUAN PABLO]

I'm sick of hearing about James Bloody Milner, I really am.

Not the answer.

well said that man .         

[Toronto Villa]

James Milner has become the embodiment of the type of player we are missing. It's so much that I absolutely want him back as much I want to see get someone else to give us what he did. A bit like Okore might be a replacement for Laursen in time. It's the first time since Laursen I have been as excited about a Villa CB. We need a midfielder that has the energy, desire and goalscoring ability that Milner provided. Maybe that player is Delph, or maybe we need someone else. I understand it is a tired conversation, but until we actually get a new player that helps us move on from the past he'll always be referenced in conversation.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think we need creativity and guile rather than energy.

If Delph hadn't stepped up to the plate the last third of a season and handful of games, I'd agree, but he has. This is the first time since he's gone that I've found myself less than eager to have Milner back.

[ozzjim]

Milner alongside Delph in the centre of the park would be brilliant. Our creativity needs to come then from the wide roles, and with Gabby bang in form we need someone a bit more skillful and creative than Weimann on the other side, or visa versa. I think we will be completely overrun in the middle if we try and have a diminutive creative player as one of the 3. They need to be more like Lampard, will score goals and get forward and add an attacker in the box, but still work like a dog and not cause us to lose our shape. It is a really difficult one to solve.

[supertom]

I still think for finding that extra bit of consistency, we need a good creative midfielder and a center half in. Players who will be ready to step in and dominate now rather than in 1-2-3 years time.

We have played generally quite well in the first 3 games. There has been a marked improvement and defensively we're not as bad as last term, but the fact is we've had two games we could rightfully have claimed points and got 0. I'd rather play shit and win than play well and lose.

We'll have games where our attack doesn't quite click. Some games we'll need to grind out. I don't think we have that ability right now. We still lack a Merson type figure in midfield who'll find that special pass, or someone who'll deliver a first rate set piece.

At the back we still lack that strong figurehead who'll keep everyone on the ball. We've had 3 games and conceded 3 fairly sloppy early goals. Vlaar needed to be doing better in those occasions too. He has been fairly good otherwise, but for me, we need someone better. Okore looks very promising but he's still very much one for the future.

I think if we're serious about top 8 and really pushing Everton, Liverpool and basically the best of the rest, then we're two quality signings short. Otherwise I expect a similar level of inconsistency as the tail end of last year. It won't be as bad as over xmas time when we were wretched, but we'll finish bottom half. Unless we have that extra solidity in the middle of our backline and that extra bit of creative spark and guile in midfield, then we won't win more games than we lose. If we want to finish top 8, we'll have to do that.

[sirlordbaltimore]

i can't agree that our creativity needs to come from wide. that's just one option surely?

all good sides need something else through the middle. as fine as the likes of Delph, Westwood, KEA and Sylla are at their jobs. None of them have shown any creativity at all thus far. and lets be honest, it's not something you learn or get better at really, you're born with a footballing brain

[Toronto Villa]

having a player that can work hard but also contribute with goals and assists by joining the attack is as important as a specifically creative player in my opinion. We have three forwards who all create goals. For me adding goals from midfield is more important than having a creative midfield player. I want the other team to worried about where our goals are coming from as opposed to nullifying the supposed creative player in our side. That said, being greedy, can I not have both?

[supertom]

i can't agree that our creativity needs to come from wide. that's just one option surely?

all good sides need something else through the middle. as fine as the likes of Delph, Westwood, KEA and Sylla are at their jobs. None of them have shown any creativity at all thus far. and lets be honest, it's not something you learn or get better at really, you're born with a footballing brain

If we play 3 in CM then one of them needs to either be making runs into the box, and/or be able to pick out that killer pass. There's also the option to have a wide option more akin to Mata, than one of Wiemann/Gabby. He can drift from wide and pick a pass and his movement is dangerous. Andy really works hard but sometimes goes missing in games. I don't think he's entirely suited to his wide position. Certainly, playing at home we're just lacking an element of guile. Whether that comes in one of the wide positions, or from central, is another matter, but we do need it. It's important for us to win more home games, particularly we have to dominate lower half teams on our own turf. We'll struggle to do that as things stand because when we're not attacking on the counter, our front line is predictable against deep lying opposition. In all honesty there's not that much between the way we play now, and our side under O Neill in the first 2-3 seasons.

[olaftab]

I'm sick of hearing about James Bloody Milner, I really am.

Not the answer.

well said that man .         

Yes fuck him I say.

[mr underhill]

I don't think I'd want to go that far but agreed it's about as likely as that mad dentist thinking he can clone John Lennon from one of his teeth. Imagine!

[Monty]

Most creative midfielders also add goals - it's just this new Spanish breed who are weird in this respect (Iniesta and David Silva, for instance, have massively low goal-tallies compared to what you'd expect). Christian Eriksen: he scores and creates because he creates space for everyone to exploit, including himself. He's also extremely hardworking in the Ajax tradition and could also enable Delph to make some forward runs from midfield. He's also going to cost someone like Dortmund something like £20m, so that's out of the question.

[barrysleftfoot]

 Eriksen is out of our range, but the next Eriksen is'nt.A lestienne, Fischer, kind of player is probably more of a risk, but probably half the price atm, and if developed could be as highly priced in a couple of years time as Eriksen is now.

 A few years ago after watching him in the U21 competition, i recommended we go for Ozil, i think he moved just afterwards for about £6m, i think Lestienne, from what i have seen of him, will be as good as Ozil, so for me he is worth a £10m gamble.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I think Victor Moses would be a nice addition for the attacking play

Rumoured to be going on loan for the season to Klanfield.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think Victor Moses would be a nice addition for the attacking play

Rumoured to be going on loan for the season to Klanfield.

Would Chelsea really loan a player to Liverpool?

[eamonn]

I'm sick of hearing about James Bloody Milner, I really am.

Not the answer.

well said that man .         

Yes fuck him I say.

Yep, the constant hankering for "Milly" fcuks me off more than anything else on here.
I'd rather have Delph who will go on to be a better, more complete player in my opinion.