Summer 2015 - Transfer Rumours, Speculation & Suggestions

[Tayls_7]

If we're keeping Senderos, then that's 5 CBs, so I suppose losing Baker doesn't really leave that big a hole in the squad as he's presently our 4th choice for that position.

Surely the rational decision would be to shed the older, more fragile Senderos and keep Baker? Hope that's nonsense, particularily at 2 million.

[Des Little]

Of the two, I'd keep Baker. Senderos has hardly shown his face for the past year.

[tomd2103]

Haven't looked back on the thread so apologies if already mentioned but The Times are suggesting Baker's off to Burnley for £2m.

If true, I think it is for the best.

[villasjf]

Haven't looked back on the thread so apologies if already mentioned but The Times are suggesting Baker's off to Burnley for £2m.

If true, I think it is for the best.

I think we should stick with him for a while he has really improved physically this last 12 months, his injuries are because he goes in where it hurts.

[Concrete John]

If we're keeping Senderos, then that's 5 CBs, so I suppose losing Baker doesn't really leave that big a hole in the squad as he's presently our 4th choice for that position.

Surely the rational decision would be to shed the older, more fragile Senderos and keep Baker? Hope that's nonsense, particularily at 2 million.

If anyone would take him, then I'd agree with you.  Baker will probably need to be moved on eventually if we're to progress as a side.

[brian green]

I also like Baker.   At a critical period in his development he was pitched into relegation dogfights with ever changing defensive formations and multi injury prone defenders around him.   How a waste of space, waste of money player like Charles N'Zogbia can get as much opportunity to prove himself and others get so little is one of the many things in recent Villa times which must be addressed and corrected.

[Clampy]

It would be a shame to lose Baker although he does pick up a lot of niggly injuries. Him and Clark have improved a lot over the last season or two.

[Russ aka Big Nose]

If we're keeping Senderos, then that's 5 CBs, so I suppose losing Baker doesn't really leave that big a hole in the squad as he's presently our 4th choice for that position.

Surely the rational decision would be to shed the older, more fragile Senderos and keep Baker? Hope that's nonsense, particularily at 2 million.

Whilst Baker is hardly 'fragile' because of how he puts himself in harms way, he has been consistently injured/unavailable for a couple of years. I like him but he is down the pecking order and not looking likely to develop, so probably for the best he moves on.

Plus, the twitter account @whispers_listen has it that he is sixth or seventh choice and has been told he should find another club. Normally I'm not convinced at all by 'ITK' sources but at the moment this one is getting things right and before other sources - for example, the recent recruitment of the French Foreign Legion.

Some of the tweets were posted on here the other day - names of those being touted (including Hutton and Guzan) and those that should definitely find another club (Baker included). It might be wishful thinking but they also say that Charles N'Zog is on his way - Thursday at the latest or earlier if he agrees terms.

Having thought I would not post on here all the stuff from that twitter feed - another nugget (?) Vlaar still has an offer of a pay as you play deal - and it will remain in place until he finds another club. If that is true that would be sensible for the club and him. UTV.

[Villa in Denmark]

To be honest I think Adebayor has lived off his 07/08 season at Arsenal for most of his career. Wenger did incredibly well to get such huge money for him but he has only had 2 seasons in his entire career where he has scored more than 15 league goals. The hope would be that he would be a John Carew type cult hero for the club but Carew was a few years younger when he joined us. You would hope he could be a positive in helping Gueye, Amavi and Ayew settle in from the French league to the BPL as he did once upon a time so the proposed move isnt without merit.

I guess a season long loan limits the risk for us but it isnt as if we have a squad of young pros in needs of experienced heads. We have become the last chance saloon for top division football for too many - Senderos, Cole, Richardson, Hutton, Richards, Nzogbia, Gabby, even Sinclair wont get a chance in the top division again if he flops with us. Also Adebayor is very much a short term signing to replace Benteke, would have thought our succession planning was much more advanced than that for CB.

We still need a left sided midfielder to replace Delph and right back to replace Hutton. Our current right sided centre half options of Okore, Richards and Senderos dont fill me with much confidence either.

I'm writing this as someone who's not much of a fan as Adebeyor but I think you're being a bit dismissive.

Based on a quick whizz around the internet (OK Wikipedia), as you correctly say 07/08 was his best season scoring 30 goals in 48 appearances.

The following season he scored 16 in 37 (so pretty much what Benteke managed for us last season) having spent 2 months out injured in the middle of the season and missing the last couple of games at the end of the season.

That summer he moved to Man City. They (Mark Hughes) offered the money, not Wenger doing incredibly well to get the money, £25M, for him.
Hughes got the boot in December of that year with Mancini coming in.  He scored 14 in 31 appearances.

Following season, barely picked by Mancini scored 5 in 14. (4 in 6 in Europa League) before Christmas and loaned out to Real Madrid in the January window.
Half season in Madrid he scored 8 in 22

Following season loaned out to Spurs with Redknapp as manager he scores 18 in 37.
Signed a permament deal with Spurs for the 2012/13 season under Villas-Boas. Scored 8 in 34 - his worst return.
Following season 14 in 25, mostly after Sherwood took over.
Last season 2 in 10 for Pochettino.

So no, he's never hit the heights of that 07/08 season with Arsenal, but who has? Since then, to me, it looks like if he's playing for a manager where he feels "wanted" for want of a better expression, he knocks them in at somewhere between 1 in 2 and 2 in 5.

If you want better than that, you'd better hope they've got a release clause at around £30M otherwise you talking trading in the rest of the squad.

I can't be bothered to research it more than the PL Top Scorers lists, but since 07/08 where he scored 24 goals, the only players to beat that mark are
07/08 - Ronaldo & Torres.
08/09 - No one Anelka top scorer for Chelsea with 19.
09/10 - Drogba & Rooney - Bent equalled the 24 goals for Sunderland.
10/11 - No one. Berbatov and Tevez joint highest with 20 each.
11/12 - van Persie & Rooney
12/13 - van Persie & Suarez
13/14 - Suarez
14/15 - Aguero.

Complaining he's never repeated it is a bit like complaining Andy Murray has only won Wimbledon once whilst Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have been creaming the titles in.

He might not be at the absolute highest level, but on his day he can match anyone and his normal level is plenty good enough in the vast majority of cases.

1The 07/08 scoring burst, where Arsenal blew the league if I recall, was an outlier really in his career. Threatened to be good at times but never consistently enough for any of the decent sides he was at. City and now Spurs are now having serious issues getting rid of him, offering a permanent deal in those circumstances would be crazy.

2The Benteke comparison is absurd too, Benteke had the likes of Holman, Weimann and Gabby hitting balls in his general direction for the past few seasons, Adebayor had the likes of Bale, Aguero, Nasri, Fabregas etc as teammates for the past ten years at decent sides playing attacking football.

1. At which point do I suggest giving him a permanent deal.  I'm merely arguing that such a naysayer approach is not fair to his overall record.  I've said elsewhere (probably on another thread) that either a loan deal or maybe a 2 year contract on sensible wages would be the only sensible deals for us, and option 2 ain't happening (him accepting sensible wages at least)

2. I'm not saying he's as good as Benteke, quite the opposite.  I'm saying that if you want an upgrade on what he can offer when on form, then you're looking at trying to pick up someone like Benteke.  And for the record, the points in time when Benteke has been most prolific have been those periods where have played exactly the style of football you mention, albeit with less gifted players.

When we've just hoofed the ball long to him, he's looked marginally more effective than Grant Holt.

[Lastfootstamper]

It would be a shame to lose Baker although he does pick up a lot of niggly injuries. Him and Clark have improved a lot over the last season or two.

.....to the point where when Baker went off in the semi, I thought we were fooked.

[Clark W Griswold]

To be honest I think Adebayor has lived off his 07/08 season at Arsenal for most of his career. Wenger did incredibly well to get such huge money for him but he has only had 2 seasons in his entire career where he has scored more than 15 league goals. The hope would be that he would be a John Carew type cult hero for the club but Carew was a few years younger when he joined us. You would hope he could be a positive in helping Gueye, Amavi and Ayew settle in from the French league to the BPL as he did once upon a time so the proposed move isnt without merit.

I guess a season long loan limits the risk for us but it isnt as if we have a squad of young pros in needs of experienced heads. We have become the last chance saloon for top division football for too many - Senderos, Cole, Richardson, Hutton, Richards, Nzogbia, Gabby, even Sinclair wont get a chance in the top division again if he flops with us. Also Adebayor is very much a short term signing to replace Benteke, would have thought our succession planning was much more advanced than that for CB.

We still need a left sided midfielder to replace Delph and right back to replace Hutton. Our current right sided centre half options of Okore, Richards and Senderos dont fill me with much confidence either.

I'm writing this as someone who's not much of a fan as Adebeyor but I think you're being a bit dismissive.

Based on a quick whizz around the internet (OK Wikipedia), as you correctly say 07/08 was his best season scoring 30 goals in 48 appearances.

The following season he scored 16 in 37 (so pretty much what Benteke managed for us last season) having spent 2 months out injured in the middle of the season and missing the last couple of games at the end of the season.

That summer he moved to Man City. They (Mark Hughes) offered the money, not Wenger doing incredibly well to get the money, £25M, for him.
Hughes got the boot in December of that year with Mancini coming in.  He scored 14 in 31 appearances.

Following season, barely picked by Mancini scored 5 in 14. (4 in 6 in Europa League) before Christmas and loaned out to Real Madrid in the January window.
Half season in Madrid he scored 8 in 22

Following season loaned out to Spurs with Redknapp as manager he scores 18 in 37.
Signed a permament deal with Spurs for the 2012/13 season under Villas-Boas. Scored 8 in 34 - his worst return.
Following season 14 in 25, mostly after Sherwood took over.
Last season 2 in 10 for Pochettino.

So no, he's never hit the heights of that 07/08 season with Arsenal, but who has? Since then, to me, it looks like if he's playing for a manager where he feels "wanted" for want of a better expression, he knocks them in at somewhere between 1 in 2 and 2 in 5.

If you want better than that, you'd better hope they've got a release clause at around £30M otherwise you talking trading in the rest of the squad.

I can't be bothered to research it more than the PL Top Scorers lists, but since 07/08 where he scored 24 goals, the only players to beat that mark are
07/08 - Ronaldo & Torres.
08/09 - No one Anelka top scorer for Chelsea with 19.
09/10 - Drogba & Rooney - Bent equalled the 24 goals for Sunderland.
10/11 - No one. Berbatov and Tevez joint highest with 20 each.
11/12 - van Persie & Rooney
12/13 - van Persie & Suarez
13/14 - Suarez
14/15 - Aguero.

Complaining he's never repeated it is a bit like complaining Andy Murray has only won Wimbledon once whilst Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have been creaming the titles in.

He might not be at the absolute highest level, but on his day he can match anyone and his normal level is plenty good enough in the vast majority of cases.

1The 07/08 scoring burst, where Arsenal blew the league if I recall, was an outlier really in his career. Threatened to be good at times but never consistently enough for any of the decent sides he was at. City and now Spurs are now having serious issues getting rid of him, offering a permanent deal in those circumstances would be crazy.

2The Benteke comparison is absurd too, Benteke had the likes of Holman, Weimann and Gabby hitting balls in his general direction for the past few seasons, Adebayor had the likes of Bale, Aguero, Nasri, Fabregas etc as teammates for the past ten years at decent sides playing attacking football.

1. At which point do I suggest giving him a permanent deal.  I'm merely arguing that such a naysayer approach is not fair to his overall record.  I've said elsewhere (probably on another thread) that either a loan deal or maybe a 2 year contract on sensible wages would be the only sensible deals for us, and option 2 ain't happening (him accepting sensible wages at least)

2. I'm not saying he's as good as Benteke, quite the opposite.  I'm saying that if you want an upgrade on what he can offer when on form, then you're looking at trying to pick up someone like Benteke.  And for the record, the points in time when Benteke has been most prolific have been those periods where have played exactly the style of football you mention, albeit with less gifted players.

When we've just hoofed the ball long to him, he's looked marginally more effective than Grant Holt.

Wow, that's a seriously long nesting.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

I'd be sorry to see Baker go - local lad, all blood and thunder at times, throwing himself into the fray, literally! If a move elsewhere is right for his career, and Burnley seem to be a well-run club, he has my blessing.
Senderos is at the wrong end of his career to be injured as much as he is - almost the whole of last season - so I see no point in keeping him.
James Chester would be a good buy for us at CB.

[cdbearsfan]

I've been arguing that we don't need any more central defenders, as we have five. However, I really don't think we should be letting any go, unless we plan to replace them or Tim has spotted a potential star in the youth/under-21 set up.

Four central defenders with an unblemished injury record would be enough. Four central defenders who have spent more time receiving treatment than Michael Jackson wouldn't be.

[Lastfootstamper]

If we're keeping Senderos, then that's 5 CBs, so I suppose losing Baker doesn't really leave that big a hole in the squad as he's presently our 4th choice for that position.

Surely the rational decision would be to shed the older, more fragile Senderos and keep Baker? Hope that's nonsense, particularily at 2 million.

Whilst Baker is hardly 'fragile' because of how he puts himself in harms way, he has been consistently injured/unavailable for a couple of years. I like him but he is down the pecking order and not looking likely to develop, so probably for the best he moves on.

Based on what? That he's improved enormously over the last two years, so now that must be it?

[Hookeysmith]

Seriously who would actually buy NZogbia?