Libor Kozák (confirmed post #190)

[RussellC]

I've seen nothing at all from Bowery to suggest he’d even make much of an impact n the Championship. He seems to have no weaknesses as a player, but no really strengths either.  He was pretty much anonymous in all of the pre-season games he featured in, when that was his chance to really get himself noticed. Come to think of it, you never hear of him making much of an impact when he plays for the U21s either.

[eastie]

I would take it that if we are spending 7 mil now, it is giving us time to bed him in before Benteke is off in Jan.

Cant see him being sold until at least after the World Cup finals next summer .

[frank black]

I would take it that we are building a squad for the long term and that Benteke will be a Villa player come February.

Normally I would agree, but the like for like type and the fee make me suspicious. We need that money spent elsewhere IMO. It's good forward planning because if we tried to replace Benteke with a great wedge of cash in our back pocket, we all know what would happen.

[Holy Trinity]

Kozac seems to be a decent goal scorer when he starts he only started 5 out oh his 19 league apps and played on average 38 mins a game. He was the europa league top scorer last season with 10/11 games he isnt a replacement foe benteke at all I dont think. Benteke is going to get kicked alot this year and if hes out for a month we only have helanius. 5 million is nothing these days and his reported salery is only 300k a year in italy so not a massive problem if he fails to fit in. All things consideres cardiff are about to pay 4 million for odemwinge! Im glad we are shopping abroad. I also dont think this guy is our only planned signing I think an attacking midfielder will still arrive.  Maybe even that other lad from inter.

[hartman_1982]

He was also linked with AC Milan earlier in the summer.

[Ad@m]

I thought we'd done with strikers who didn't score when Ivanhoe left.  Very strange transfer.

He scored 10 goals in 11 starts in the Europa League including a hatrick against Stuttgart. Are you intimately aware of his performances in Serie A were? Did he start all of his games or was he struggling to find the net in sub run outs? His all competitions goal record was 10 in 30 last season, which is not far off Weimann's 12 in 38 and we have no idea about the sub/start balance of those and what kind of player he is (outright striker or someone who gets assists).

I find it interesting that people seem to think they know a player better than Lambert who hasn't really dropped many clangers in the transfer market. Especially when its a player nobody on here had heard of until yesterday and the limit of their scouting expertise is looking at YouTube and Wikipedia.

I'm simply going off the fact that since he moved to Italy from the Czech 2nd division he's scored 14 goals in 88 appearances - that's Ivanhoe territory.  Yes he had a great Europa League campaign last season but footballing history is littered with players who won golden boots in individual tournaments and did sod all else through their career.  Didn't Milan Baros win the golden boot at a Euro Championships?!

And if your argument is that he doesn't start games, well why is that?  I'm not sure pointing out that better players got the nod ahead of him is the best way of justifying his ability.

[mr underhill]

I'd rather have had Finnbogason for the same sort of outlay

[supertom]

I thought we'd done with strikers who didn't score when Ivanhoe left.  Very strange transfer.

He scored 10 goals in 11 starts in the Europa League including a hatrick against Stuttgart. Are you intimately aware of his performances in Serie A were? Did he start all of his games or was he struggling to find the net in sub run outs? His all competitions goal record was 10 in 30 last season, which is not far off Weimann's 12 in 38 and we have no idea about the sub/start balance of those and what kind of player he is (outright striker or someone who gets assists).

I find it interesting that people seem to think they know a player better than Lambert who hasn't really dropped many clangers in the transfer market. Especially when its a player nobody on here had heard of until yesterday and the limit of their scouting expertise is looking at YouTube and Wikipedia.

I'm simply going off the fact that since he moved to Italy from the Czech 2nd division he's scored 14 goals in 88 appearances - that's Ivanhoe territory.  Yes he had a great Europa League campaign last season but footballing history is littered with players who won golden boots in individual tournaments and did sod all else through their career.  Didn't Milan Baros win the golden boot at a Euro Championships?!

And if your argument is that he doesn't start games, well why is that?  I'm not sure pointing out that better players got the nod ahead of him is the best way of justifying his ability.

When the player in front of you is Miroslav Klose then it's probably a fair way of justifying that he hasn't started. Klose is after all, the other big forward at Lazio. Kozak hasn't been able to get into the line up ahead of him but that shouldn't be a way of justifying that he's not good enough.

I would also suggest that the English game is more suited to a player like Kozak. Hopefully he'll come and have a good impact. He looks useful in the air. It's a bit early to be comparing him to Ivanhoe. Heskey's major problem, has always been injuries. If he could have stayed fit and healthy throughout a full season he'd have been a far more useful option over the last 5-10 years, regardless of not being a regular scorer.

[kippaxvilla2]

Have we signed Kojak yet?

[hartman_1982]

Scored a hat trick against Stuttgart last season too

[not3bad]

1 goal in 4 for the Czech Republic.

[pauliewalnuts]

Lambert has obviously seen something he likes there. It makes me wonder a little bit what Helenius and Bowery were bought for, but I'm happy to see how he turns out.

I do wonder if that's really all our business done for the day, though. I think we've a decent squad but not many options when we need to unlock a defence who aren't making things easy for us.

I don't think we are necessarily going to struggle in the league without that player, but I think we'd do considerably better if we had one.

[Irish villain]

I have always had the feeling that Bowery would join the long list of forgotten players at Villa down the years. Not quite a Boulding but you catch my drift?

[eastie]

Bout time Woodward came out with his cheesy interview - maybe the translator is struggling to understand our jack.

[Ad@m]

Lambert has obviously seen something he likes there. It makes me wonder a little bit what Helenius and Bowery were bought for, but I'm happy to see how he turns out.

I think Helenius is one for the future but I never understood the Bowery signing and I still don't.