Summer 2015 - Transfer Rumours, Speculation & Suggestions

[ozzjim]

I think he is worth between 6-10 million on current prices.

I thin the statement if Sherwood got a current England international player to come, would actually be quite powerful that we are not in the downtrodden mindset any more.

Is he any good - I actually think he is a decent player, he would add a different dimension to us.

[KRS]

Its really quite simple really...if you don't want to pay £12m then your shopping in the relatively unknown overseas market where you don't know if the players will settle or adapt to life in England and the Premier League. What you'd get for £12m is a well known English international that you know will deliver the goods...some may argue that they don't like the goods he delivers but at least you know what you're getting.

If this figure of £12m thats been banded around does represent a large chunk of the transfer budget then questions should rightly be asked if we could find 2 or 3 players at £4m each from overseas or lower leagues...but don't be crying or complaining that the club should have spent more money on better quality players and we're at the arse end of the table again next season.

[KRS]

Carlos Gill is better and was only 3.25 mil! Imagine a swap deal plus cash for Townsend . That's some perspective. I wouldn't pay more than £6 mil for Townsend. Maybe add ons up to 2mil so max is 8mil. But! As stated before we have gill and really hope Sherwood uses him the coming season.

Spuds aren't going to sell an established Premier League English international for £6-8m so you'd best get back to your scouting mission please footyskilz...stop slacking off! 

[passitsideways]

Yeah, but is 12 million really worth the certainty of slightly above average wing play (which is what I view Townsend as offering)? Personally, I'm still of the opinion that our current squad, providing we keep Benteke, is comfortably good enough to finish a safe 10th-14th next season, having balanced our three hidings to finish the season against previous wins against the likes of Everton, Tottenham and Liverpool. In that light, I'd prefer going with a riskier player that might offer a greater return than Townsend.

Of course, I'd be pleased if we could get Townsend for around 5 million, because he's a decent player who I think would do well for a team outside the European spots. I just hate spending substantial sums of money on guaranteed mediocrity, because that's what got us in trouble last time.

[CT Villan]

Carlos Gill is better and was only 3.25 mil! Imagine a swap deal plus cash for Townsend . That's some perspective. I wouldn't pay more than £6 mil for Townsend. Maybe add ons up to 2mil so max is 8mil. But! As stated before we have gill and really hope Sherwood uses him the coming season.

There's something about Gill that smells fishy.

Wonder if he's as good as Carles Gil    ...and I agree, I'd rather keep him than spend silly money on Townsend.

[Goldie.7]

£12m is way too much, if we pay that spuds will have seen us coming a mile off.

If we've got £12m to spend on a midfielder that fits that figure then i'd be on the phone to Swansea for you know who.

[Dave]

If you want to compare prices, a fairer one, fairer anyway than the laughable Weimann comparison, would be Young. Who actually plays in the same position as Townsend.

Alright then, let's make that comparison - when we signed Ashley Young he'd scored more goals for Watford than Townsend has scored for his myriad of clubs, even though Young had played around a hundred fewer matches.

In the Premier League he was scoring around a goal every five matches when we signed him in January. Townsend scores around a goal every ten matches. Sinclair across his career gets about one in five, and last season with us was one in four.

So if we're spending £12m on somebody how is about half as good as Young and not as good as the guy we've just spent £2.5m on (and plays in the same position) I fail to see why we wouldn't be spending the money elsewhere.

In fact, thinking about it - the ideal comparison? The last person we spent that sort of money on with a similar one-in-ten record across his career?

[john e]

Well if these are the sort signings that we are now looking at Richards, Sinclair, Huddlestone, Townsend

I'm in

[Matt Collins]

If we're gonna spend £12-15m on a wide player I'm sure there is better value abroad, though it's clearly a risk. But wouldn't the following be either cheaper or better or both? Redmond, Moses, montero, dyer? I'm sure there is much better value abroad. When I think of Townsend I just picture him repeatedly cutting in from the right and drilling a 25 yard shot shy of the near post about four times per game. Unless we've got more money than I think, I'd rather spend it more wisely.

On another note, Demba Ba is making noises about coming back to the prem. we could do much worse as a benteke replacement if he does go.

[LeeB]

If Townsend had a good season with us, £12m would look like a snip.

I'm surprised at some of the comments about his perceived value, we were paying those fees for Young ,Downing and Milner 7-8 years ago  and they were about the same level.

It's the kind of investment we should be making. All of those previous deals ended up making us a profit.

[Matt Collins]

I agree it's the going rate for a young England winger. I just don't think he's actually that good

Southampton bought mane and tadic for £10m each last summer and I think they're both much, much better players

[john e]

The 'For the money I think we can do better abroad' is just a cop out sentence

We've shopped abroad for the last 3 years, some players mainly Benteke have come good, but there is a whole host of foreign players bought in to the club who are no more than average and many not even that

I didn't think Lambert did badly on the money he spent in fairness, but it's got us into a perennial relegation battle, the players we have signed and are currently linked with I haven't got a problem with any of them at the moment

 btw I think Townsend is a far better player than Wieman, that's not based on stats but just on what I see when they play

[old man villa fan]

Rather than comment on whether he is worth £12m or not, I do not think we should be tying up £12m in a player for that position.  I think there are more important gaps to fill with £10m+ players.

[Villatillidie25]

Agree with the above. We have far more pressing issues than a winger, namely left back, gk and centre mid (x2). I'd then say a striker and winger are needed.
As for Townsend, I personally really don't rate him, can't understand why he is anywhere near the England team, let alone the Spurs team. Having said that, he's an improvement on what we have but for £12m is nowhere near enough of an improvement.
Assuming things go reasonably well and in a season or two we are an 8-12 place team, we will all be wanting to get rid of him when his value will certainly not be higher. Basically, if we pay £12m for him that is probably the highest his value will ever be and I think we should largely stay clear of deals along those lines.

[MoetVillan]

im old fashioned.  The bare minimum I want from my winger is the ability to find the striker in the box.  We have had some strong ones at Villa in recent years with Young, Downing and Milner all able to do that.  Townsend can beat a man with pace and skill, but is pretty average at best at getting the cross into the danger zone.  File under Shaun Shite Phillips and Aaron Lennon