Nathan Baker - Sold

[London Villan]

I hope it was a sensible deal. He is a pretty poor defender, but brave and committed. You need a little more than those two attributes to be player at the top level.

[peter w]

I hope it was a sensible deal. He is a pretty poor defender, but brave and committed. You need a little more than those two attributes to be player at the top level.

One thing he isn't is a poor defender.

[London Villan]

He positioning is poor, as is his decision making, let alone his distribution. He was fourth choice in a team that finished 17th. None of these things would indicate he is anything other than a poor defender. He's brave and you can't fault his effort.

[silhillvilla]

Baker was probably our best defender for a stretch of last season. Put some quality around him and I think we will see how good he is .

[London Villan]

Injuries permitting i bet he doesn't start more than 5 games, probably early round cup games.

[Dante Lavelli]

Injuries permitting i bet he doesn't start more than 5 games, probably early round cup games.

That's kinda the role of the reserve centre back though isn't it?

Depending on the cash we're paying him I am happy with this deal.  There's little point having a youth system if you're not going to put some faith in it and utilise the players it produces. I'd prefer this than having to spend 4m and 30k a week on a journeyman footballer who cares little for the club.

[Clark W Griswold]

Baker is terrible. I think its been so long since we last had a really good one (Laursen), that a lot of people have forgot what a proper one looks like. We used to have loads if them in the nineties, its remarkable how nearly every one we had in the team back then looked solid, now the opposite it true. I have got high hopes for Richards though, he should break the recent trend.

[Steve kirk]

Fearless and always gives 100% but no more than a back up for me.

[Mister E]

I've been v critical of Baker in the past (positioning and distribution) and, although he looked a lot better last season in parts, I'm slightly surprised they have not cashed in on him. May be the real point is that they have not been able to find a suitable alternative.

[old man villa fan]

Being a reasonable central defender is not just about last ditch tackling.  I look at Baker's positioning and movement when the opposition breaks down one of our attacks.  Whether high up the pitch or in midfield, he looks to be out of position and only ambles back when the opposition go wide with the ball.  This can be worked on by the coaches and the players next to him, as long as he listens and learns.

An extension to his contract is only really treading water for us.  It's rumoured that Burnley have offered £2m for him and if he improves a little, this could mean £4m next year if we wanted to sell him.  Unless Sherwood brings somebody else in, we only have Clark as a left side central defender and therefore need to keep him.  If somebody else comes in, I would be tempted to loan him out to a Championship club and get them to pay half his wages.  then review the position next summer.

[UK Redsox]

Baker hasn't been out on loan since 2011 which probably shows how short Villa have been at centre half in recent seasons

[dekko]

My unfounded theory is that we went for Lescott as a back up left sided CB (mail said we had a bid rejected) and when that didn't work decided to just hold on to Baker.

[OCD]

My unfounded theory is that we went for Lescott as a back up left sided CB (mail said we had a bid rejected) and when that didn't work decided to just hold on to Baker.

You don't just decide to offer a contract and then it's magically done. A 4-year deal for a Premier League player is a multi-million pound commitment. There will have been meetings and negotiations between the club and his agent so it's realistic to say that this announcement was a few weeks in the making. My reaction is to question the validity of the story linking us to Lescott.

[in exile]

My unfounded theory is that we went for Lescott as a back up left sided CB (mail said we had a bid rejected) and when that didn't work decided to just hold on to Baker.

You don't just decide to offer a contract and then it's magically done. A 4-year deal for a Premier League player is a multi-million pound commitment. There will have been meetings and negotiations between the club and his agent so it's realistic to say that this announcement was a few weeks in the making. My reaction is to question the validity of the story linking us to Lescott.

I don't think he uses an agent

[OCD]

My unfounded theory is that we went for Lescott as a back up left sided CB (mail said we had a bid rejected) and when that didn't work decided to just hold on to Baker.

You don't just decide to offer a contract and then it's magically done. A 4-year deal for a Premier League player is a multi-million pound commitment. There will have been meetings and negotiations between the club and his agent so it's realistic to say that this announcement was a few weeks in the making. My reaction is to question the validity of the story linking us to Lescott.

I don't think he uses an agent

I would still be surprised if it was a case of the club saying 'sign here' and then him just signing.