Transfer Speculation / Gossip

[Dave Cooper please]

Atsu and Ki would both be excellent signings.

Not going to make much money on the letters on the back of the shirt with those two.
Is Jan Vennegor of Hesselink still playing?

[supertom]

Ki is more of a attacking midfielder isn't he?  Him or Cole in front of Delph and Westwood is how I'd imagine we would set up.  We do still need that strong, athletic holding midfielder as well though and if there is any money to spend, that is the type of player we should invest it in.

After cutting a lot of slack for Westwood in his first 2 seasons - and I really wanted him to succeed - I think he is not currently good enough, and furthermore he lacks the dynamism we require. I would hope that we have one or two players lined up for his position and that he is forced to fight for his place in the matchday squad.
Currently we have Delph, Bacuna, Cole, Carruthers, N'Zog, Gardner, Grealish; as well as Westwood. It all depends how Lambert & Keane want to do it but I'd be ranking these midfielders as I list them above (with the proviso that perhaps I'd be seeing N'Zog as part of my attack-squad rather than in MF ... or, a candidate for offloading, for some cash).
Which means that with a new holding MF, Westwood becomes a bit-player (and hardly someone to come onto the pitch as a subb to make a real difference).

That's how I see it too. Westwood isn't good enough over 30+ games. I think signing a couple of midfielders now should be our priority. I think KEA's had his time to be honest. Not good enough. We can't rely too much on Gardner or Johnson just yet.

[Louzie0]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2687556/Emile-Heskey-Striker-looking-new-club-England-spell-Australia.html

Before a load of gags fly in about him possibly returning here, I wonder if Leicester might be tempted for a year? Perhaps a level too high for him now. Maybe the Sty will have him back.

Thought he'd retired to be honest.  I guess for a newly promoted club or mid-level championship he can still do a job.  Always wish Heskey good luck he's one of the good guys.

Come back, Emile.

[peter w]

On Kieran Richardson, let me just ask this

We're playing stoke away first game and have luna, Bennett and Richardson to pick from. Imagine the game is tomorrow. Who do you pick at left back?

I pick Richardson

I seriously doubt Richardson has been bought to play at left-back. Wing-back will be as defensive as it is - I'd expect to see him being used in midfield or as a winger.

[villabren]

As far as I can tell the ki rumours are founded on the basis of a tweet from a bloke called harj on twitter. No paper links I can find

Sounds credible

Sky sources?

[tomd2103]

Ki is more of a attacking midfielder isn't he?  Him or Cole in front of Delph and Westwood is how I'd imagine we would set up.  We do still need that strong, athletic holding midfielder as well though and if there is any money to spend, that is the type of player we should invest it in.

After cutting a lot of slack for Westwood in his first 2 seasons - and I really wanted him to succeed - I think he is not currently good enough, and furthermore he lacks the dynamism we require. I would hope that we have one or two players lined up for his position and that he is forced to fight for his place in the matchday squad.

I like Ashley Westwood and although I agree with the point in bold, I'm not sure about him not being good enough.  The problem is that his lack of athleticism and physicality means he can only really play one role - the defensive midfielder position in a midfield three or diamond formation.  That role would involve him sitting in front of the defence and breaking up play by making interceptions rather than getting involved in the physical stuff.  As he gets more experience, I could see him becoming an effective top flight player in that role.  If he is asked to play any other role (especially in a midfield two) then he is going to struggle as he doesn't have the physical and athletic attributes to compete in top flight football.     

[Phil from the upper holte]

Rumors of a return for Ashley Young? Not for me

[Matt Collins]

On Kieran Richardson, let me just ask this

We're playing stoke away first game and have luna, Bennett and Richardson to pick from. Imagine the game is tomorrow. Who do you pick at left back?

I pick Richardson

I seriously doubt Richardson has been bought to play at left-back. Wing-back will be as defensive as it is - I'd expect to see him being used in midfield or as a winger.

Possibly. I think we may play wing backs. But I also think he has played left back in a back four plenty of times too

[Monty]

Richardson is one of those players who can play anywhere so long as it's out wide. He knows what he's doing on a flank, all that stuff about knowing where the touchline is, when to overlap, how to force opponents inside and out, and so on. He might not be the best in the world at it, but he can do it to a decent standard.

[godzvilla]

On Kieran Richardson, let me just ask this

We're playing stoke away first game and have luna, Bennett and Richardson to pick from. Imagine the game is tomorrow. Who do you pick at left back?

I pick Richardson

I seriously doubt Richardson has been bought to play at left-back. Wing-back will be as defensive as it is - I'd expect to see him being used in midfield or as a winger.

Possibly. I think we may play wing backs. But I also think he has played left back in a back four plenty of times too

It occurs to me that our signings to date give us far more flexibility re the formation we play , perhaps specific to the opposition ,e.g.  3 Centre Halves  ( Okore - Senderos-Vlaar ) + 5 man Midfield ( Richardson playing wide ) etc ..................Godzvilla!

[tomd2103]

On Kieran Richardson, let me just ask this

We're playing stoke away first game and have luna, Bennett and Richardson to pick from. Imagine the game is tomorrow. Who do you pick at left back?

I pick Richardson

I seriously doubt Richardson has been bought to play at left-back. Wing-back will be as defensive as it is - I'd expect to see him being used in midfield or as a winger.

I can see it to be honest Peter, especially as both Bennett and Luna have been transfer listed.  He's operated at left back quite a bit over the last few years hasn't he?

[cdbearsfan]

Rumors of a return for Ashley Young? Not for me

I'm struggling to see why anyone wouldn't want Young if he was seriously available. He was always one of our best players when we were good, he'd easily be one of our best players now we're rubbish a and would improve the team immensely.

[Clampy]

It's not going to happen unless it involved our dutch centre half going the other way maybe. I'd have him back anyway.

[pauliewalnuts]

On Kieran Richardson, let me just ask this

We're playing stoke away first game and have luna, Bennett and Richardson to pick from. Imagine the game is tomorrow. Who do you pick at left back?

I pick Richardson

I seriously doubt Richardson has been bought to play at left-back. Wing-back will be as defensive as it is - I'd expect to see him being used in midfield or as a winger.

I can see it to be honest Peter, especially as both Bennett and Luna have been transfer listed.  He's operated at left back quite a bit over the last few years hasn't he?

Pretty much nowhere else for a few years, I didn't think?

[gpbarr]

If we don't spend some money on a couple of good players we will be in big trouble. Teams can't continuously just avoid relegation year after year without it eventually catching up with them. Our squad isn't good enough as it stands.

Disagree - it's good enough to stay in this league, as has been proven these last 2 years. That doesn't mean it's a great squad or that we will play entertaining football or that I'm happy about it - but not good enough for this league is just baloney

Staying up for the past 2 seasons doesn't prove that the squad is good enough to stay-up for the coming season at all. That's 'baloney'. As has been mentioned several times on this thread, Premiership Clubs are likely to be throwing more money around than ever before this summer, at exactly the time that we appear to reigning-in our spending.

Respectfully throwing money around guarantees little. I disagree the standard in the Premier League is getting better year on year - certainly at the top it is but for the 13/14 clubs who make up the rest, I'd argue it has gotten steadily worse - thus the huge gap (almost two leagues these days). Villa won't go down because when I look at this league, I see at least 2 of the promoted clubs sinking as usual and squad for squad, we are not the 3rd worst by any stretch.

I think we will do just fine albeit it will be another roller coaster with great and awful days