The Paul Lambert thread - poll reset after our capitulation to Hull

[Boz]

I was talking today to an Evertonian friend  who has always been pretty accurate with what he says about them - he was telling me that they are looking to sign back rodwell and had talks last week about it but couldn't take him on loan as they already had Barry on loan from city - he mentioned everton were keen on signing Barry on a permanent deal but said his wages were £140k at city and well out of evertons reach unless he is prepared to take a huge drop in wages .

If that is true then we are going to have real problems trying to sign quality players if we are not prepared to pay the going rate that others may pay.

He will have to come to terms with a drop eventually though, if he wants to continue playing. Even if it was ONLY £50k a week, he'll hardly be on the bread line after the Citeh years, he just has to be realistic.

[Concrete John]

In the current market I reckon a player like Barry can command £70-80k a week.  £140k is the excess of Man City.  The problem they have is putting someone like Aguerro on over £200k a week, which leaves everyone else taking that as the top of the scale and pushing for increases.

[eastie]

I was talking today to an Evertonian friend  who has always been pretty accurate with what he says about them - he was telling me that they are looking to sign back rodwell and had talks last week about it but couldn't take him on loan as they already had Barry on loan from city - he mentioned everton were keen on signing Barry on a permanent deal but said his wages were £140k at city and well out of evertons reach unless he is prepared to take a huge drop in wages .

If that is true then we are going to have real problems trying to sign quality players if we are not prepared to pay the going rate that others may pay.

£140k a week isn't a 'going rate' kind of wage though is it?  As soon as you mention Man City 'Going Rate' goes out the window.

Of course not , but it was in reply mainly to the  poster who said we wouldn't pay £40k any longer  - I think to get the real quality players we would have to pay more than the £30k being muted by some .

I hope we are prepared to make exceptions on wages for the right player.

[sirlordbaltimore]

In all honesty, I don't believe Barry is on 140k a week

There wasn't a scrum to sign him and the deal was done pretty effortlessly from memory. There's no logical reason why they'd have upped his wages to that level from what he was on here. Especially as they didn't need to to convince him to join. He'd already made his mind up to leave so there was no need. If he's even on 80k a week i'd be surprised

[Ad@m]

If we spend 20m a season on QUALITY, example 3 players of 7m ish each then they wont be coming in on the wages we're now offering surely ?

Proper quality players aren't going to come in for peanuts, and after all this stripping back to the bare bones why would we then go out and increase the wage bill again ?

Because the previous players we had on big wages weren't contributing to the team. We've by and large offloaded these now so that will leave enough slack in the wage bill to bring in some quality who WILL contribute to the team.

We showed that Lerner isn't toatally averse to increasing the wage bill for the right player when Benteke was persuaded to sign a new deal so I'm sure that the wages will be found if Lambert wants to bring in quality in the summer.

Do you seriously believe we'll start paying out semi decent (eg 40-50k) wages again ?, Not a chance IMHO

Benteke isn't even on as much as Delph apparently never mind Gabby!

According to who?  I saw something on the internet yesterday (so as reliable as anything else unless you have inside knowledge) which suggested Benteke was on £50k and Delph on £30k.

It's all guesswork but I'm confident that with the wages set at a more sensible level the club will give decent contracts to decent players.  The historical problem was that the club were giving decent contracts to crap players.

[SoccerHQ]

Great article by Honegestein. You could easily scrub out Jol's name and put in MON's there. I'd also guess at the top 4 manager not bothering with video analysis as Redknapp.

[Monty]

Great article by Honegestein. You could easily scrub out Jol's name and put in MON's there. I'd also guess at the top 4 manager not bothering with video analysis as Redknapp.

And the hint of taking bribes from an agent to only sign his players.

[Concrete John]

In all honesty, I don't believe Barry is on 140k a week

There wasn't a scrum to sign him and the deal was done pretty effortlessly from memory. There's no logical reason why they'd have upped his wages to that level from what he was on here. Especially as they didn't need to to convince him to join. He'd already made his mind up to leave so there was no need. If he's even on 80k a week i'd be surprised

That would be a very logical argument if we weren't talking about Man City.

[Damo70]

I think in the early stages of their progress City were paying way above the going rate in wages because they had to if they were going to beat the established big four at the time to players. They were also paying way above the  going rate in transfer fees. I don't think anyone else would have paid us what they did for Barry with what he had left on his contract and I didn't notice anyone attempting to match their bid for Milner. As for our wages I think it has been stated on a number of occasions that we would make exceptions for the right player or two.

[eastie]

By James nursey

The January additions of just Ryan Bertrand and Grant Holt on loan at Villa Park did little to satisfy fans craving a new big-name expensive signing.

But the deals were in keeping with the club’s astute strategy of doing nearly all their business in the summer when the prices are cheaper and availability is better.

And it again underlined owner Randy Lerner and Villa CEO Paul Faulkner are their own men who do not bow to fan pressure.

I wrote in December in my previous Villa transfer blog that I expected the club to spend little money in January and to utilise loans.

And when looking at the overall Premier League table, it surely makes sense for Villa to prioritise transfer resources for the summer.

Villa are 10th in the top-flight with 27 points and well on course to stay up.

That is not complacency but the reality as the current squad is good enough to secure a mid-table finish ahead of a lot of mediocre Premier League rivals.

Above Villa sit both Southampton in ninth and Newcastle in eighth who are 10 points ahead and unlikely to be caught no matter how much Villa spent last month.

Villa have therefore effectively decided to keep their powder dry until the summer when they will have a fresh and more powerful budget.

Sources have indicated to me, Villa are likely to be very active then when boss Paul Lambert is set to be given more cash for fees and wages than previous summers.

Villa could potentially be rid of up to 10 players this summer – freeing up funds for a major overhaul.



I am told one reason Lambert is set to sign a new deal in the near future is the prospect of been given more cash than previously this summer.

And there will be room on the wage bill to accommodate proven Premier League players as already we have seen Stephen Ireland – one of the biggest earners -  leave the club permanently.

Misfits Darren Bent and Alan Hutton will both also only have 12 months left on their contracts this summer making them easier to shift.

While veteran keeper Shay Given, who earns £52,000-a-week, is already out on loan at Middlesbrough and also expected to leave despite having two years remaining on his contract.

Elsewhere, three youngsters who have not yet fulfilled their potential may well leave with Marc Albrighton, Gary Gardner and Nathan Delfouneso out of contract.

Costly flop Charles N’Zogbia is running out of time to save his Villa career and maybe shipped out if he fails to deliver when he returns to fitness towards the end of the season.

And it would be no shock if squad men like Joe Bennett, Chris Herd and Jordan Bowery also left.

But just shifting the expensive trio of Bent, Given and Hutton will be a huge boost as they collectively drain the club of around £150,000 a week.

Of the two arrivals in January, Bertrand has already impressed Lambert a lot and it would be no surprise at this rate if Villa try to sign him permanently.

While Holt is merely a short-term solution to cover for the injured Libor Kozak, who will be back from his broken leg next season.



Lambert is poised to sign a new contract quickly in the next few weeks after assurances from owner Randy Lerner.

The American has this week publicly pledged he is not actively looking to sell the club.

Instead, he revealed he is seeking to bring in a big new sponsor in the future to help with the redevelopment of the North Stand.

It is an ambitious project which would raise Villa Park’s capacity to 50,000 and cost £60m.

But the expense of the project could be met by a lucrative sponsorship arrangement and may also include the naming rights to Villa Park if the company wished.

I must stress no tie-up has yet been agreed or is imminent and nor is there a time-frame to do it by.

But it is on the agenda at the club and clearly as the economy continues to grow under chancellor George Osborne, Villa’s prospects of attracting a wealthy business partner are much greater.

So I realise fans are frustrated by Villa’s poor home and at some of Lambert’s buys who have flopped so far like Bennett and Aleksandar Tonev.

But I maintain Villa have clearly progressed from last season when they finished 15th.

After already spending £250m on the club, Lerner is not a bottomless pit.

[Dave Cooper please]

If we spend 20m a season on QUALITY, example 3 players of 7m ish each then they wont be coming in on the wages we're now offering surely ?

Proper quality players aren't going to come in for peanuts, and after all this stripping back to the bare bones why would we then go out and increase the wage bill again ?

Because the previous players we had on big wages weren't contributing to the team. We've by and large offloaded these now so that will leave enough slack in the wage bill to bring in some quality who WILL contribute to the team.

We showed that Lerner isn't toatally averse to increasing the wage bill for the right player when Benteke was persuaded to sign a new deal so I'm sure that the wages will be found if Lambert wants to bring in quality in the summer.

Do you seriously believe we'll start paying out semi decent (eg 40-50k) wages again ?, Not a chance IMHO

Benteke isn't even on as much as Delph apparently never mind Gabby!

Yes I seriously beleve that.

[PaulWinch again]

Well I hope that article reflects what's going to happen, but there's a  lot of ifs, buts and maybes. The biggest one being getting rid of Bent, Given and Hutton. I don't imagine that'll be an easy take.

[Concrete John]

Well I hope that article reflects what's going to happen, but there's a  lot of ifs, buts and maybes. The biggest one being getting rid of Bent, Given and Hutton. I don't imagine that'll be an easy take.

Two with 1 year left and one with 2 years left - it'll cost us to settle their contracts.  If the £150k a week think is accurate, then that about a £20m commitment.  We won't have to pay it all, but they ain't walking away for nothing! 

[PeterWithesShin]

Barry's wages are thought to be £120K a week. He is 33 in a couple of weeks, I can't see anyone else offering him much more than about £60K tops. The big advantage for him is he is never going to lose his pace as he never had any.

As for our wages, I have no doubt that for the right player(s) we'd stump up £50K a week in wages.

[Chris Smith]

In all honesty, I don't believe Barry is on 140k a week

There wasn't a scrum to sign him and the deal was done pretty effortlessly from memory. There's no logical reason why they'd have upped his wages to that level from what he was on here. Especially as they didn't need to to convince him to join. He'd already made his mind up to leave so there was no need. If he's even on 80k a week i'd be surprised

That would be a very logical argument if we weren't talking about Man City.

Agreed, his agent will be the one negotiating and he isn't going to just accept 'normal' wages when everyone else they sign is on daft money.