Jordan Ayew - sold to Swansea

[Villafirst]

According to VT's oracle "Nixon" deal is done!!

[OCD]

Stop confusing race with season.  If you miss the start of a race you're out of it and can't enter, if you miss the first race of a 38 race season you're just reducing your potential winnings a little.

Put it this way would you rather spend £10m on a striker today who gets 10-12 in 38 or wait a few weeks and get one who scores 15-18 in 35 (like Benteke did for us in his first season) and which of those scenarios will result in a higher league position?

It's a gamble either way but I don't want the manager to settle for what he can get rather than wait for what he wants, settling for lesser quality isn't an option this year, quality is much more important than numbers for us, we have  abig squad, it's just not got the proven top half quality we want in it.

Race or season, if you get left in the blocks it's a harder job to catch up.  You're not just risking reducing your winnings, you're risking relegation, and losing a huge amount.  Getting your business done early does not necessarily entail buying an inferior product, and doing it later doesn't mean you'll get a superior product.  It might work that way, conversely it might be that the longer it goes on the more a selling club can hold you ransom knowing how desperate you are for a new player.   There is a time constraint that does not apply to most buyers at auctions, and in any case I don't think the transfer window is really like an auction.  A lot of transfers do not involve bidding wars, simply negotiations in the background that might break down, drag on or get concluded.   For example I didn't notice many rival bidders for Benteke, Delph, Milner, Clyne and a few others that have moved.  If you do your preparation and spadework early, I don't see why you can't sign the bulk of the quality you want and need early in the window. I would have thought that when you have just finished 17th and then lost your best 2 players, hanging about to potentially save a few bob whilst putting the massive TV income at greater risk makes little sense.  We still have time before the season starts, so no major panic, but I'd rather new signings were able to do a full pre-season  with us.  

And how many times does it happen that a club has got all their signings In for the start of a season, let alone pre-season?

Everything that is happening suggests that Sherwood has a plan and is working to get the players he wants in.

And it's not about saving a few bob, it's about not overpaying for tat, if you think you can pick up someone better, within your budget, a bit further down the line.

The last time we got our business tied up quite early on was when we bought the likes of Luna, Tonev and Helenius.

Would you rather have quality players signed up late in the window or dross signed up before pre-season starts? If you want both, remember where we finished last season - we won't always be the first choice of our preferred targets.

I suppose next people will be moaning about the lack of Premier League experience or not getting the best value for our money despite not having the club's management accounts to hand.

[VillaAlways]

From Sky

17:55
VILLA'S AYEW OFFER ACCEPTED

Lorient have accepted a bid of €14m from Aston Villa for striker Jordan Ayew, claim RMC.

And the French radio station also say that the Ghana international will undergo a medical with the west Midlands club on Sunday.

[Diablo]

From Sky

17:55
VILLA'S AYEW OFFER ACCEPTED

Lorient have accepted a bid of €14m from Aston Villa for striker Jordan Ayew, claim RMC.

And the French radio station also say that the Ghana international will undergo a medical with the west Midlands club on Sunday.

If that price is true he's a smidge under £10 million

[eamonn]

So was Juampi...mind you that was fourteen(!) years ago.

[silhillvilla]

Jesus if it's £10m that's a big fee for this player who just 12 months ago cost them circa £2.8m . That's a ROI on a par we got for Benteke .
Then again from what I understand is if we get him mentally in the right place he is going to be some asset

[mr underhill]

so one of Gestede, Oulare or Adebayor next?

[Ads]

I would imagine it would be Adebayor.

[ktvillan]

Stop confusing race with season.  If you miss the start of a race you're out of it and can't enter, if you miss the first race of a 38 race season you're just reducing your potential winnings a little.

Put it this way would you rather spend £10m on a striker today who gets 10-12 in 38 or wait a few weeks and get one who scores 15-18 in 35 (like Benteke did for us in his first season) and which of those scenarios will result in a higher league position?

It's a gamble either way but I don't want the manager to settle for what he can get rather than wait for what he wants, settling for lesser quality isn't an option this year, quality is much more important than numbers for us, we have  abig squad, it's just not got the proven top half quality we want in it.

Race or season, if you get left in the blocks it's a harder job to catch up.  You're not just risking reducing your winnings, you're risking relegation, and losing a huge amount.  Getting your business done early does not necessarily entail buying an inferior product, and doing it later doesn't mean you'll get a superior product.  It might work that way, conversely it might be that the longer it goes on the more a selling club can hold you ransom knowing how desperate you are for a new player.   There is a time constraint that does not apply to most buyers at auctions, and in any case I don't think the transfer window is really like an auction.  A lot of transfers do not involve bidding wars, simply negotiations in the background that might break down, drag on or get concluded.   For example I didn't notice many rival bidders for Benteke, Delph, Milner, Clyne and a few others that have moved.  If you do your preparation and spadework early, I don't see why you can't sign the bulk of the quality you want and need early in the window. I would have thought that when you have just finished 17th and then lost your best 2 players, hanging about to potentially save a few bob whilst putting the massive TV income at greater risk makes little sense.  We still have time before the season starts, so no major panic, but I'd rather new signings were able to do a full pre-season  with us.  

And how many times does it happen that a club has got all their signings In for the start of a season, let alone pre-season?

Everything that is happening suggests that Sherwood has a plan and is working to get the players he wants in.

And it's not about saving a few bob, it's about not overpaying for tat, if you think you can pick up someone better, within your budget, a bit further down the line.

The last time we got our business tied up quite early on was when we bought the likes of Luna, Tonev and Helenius.

Would you rather have quality players signed up late in the window or dross signed up before pre-season starts? If you want both, remember where we finished last season - we won't always be the first choice of our preferred targets.

I suppose next people will be moaning about the lack of Premier League experience or not getting the best value for our money despite not having the club's management accounts to hand.

Such strange logic that buying early must equate to buying overpriced tat and bringing in any old player just for the sake of it.   I'd say that's little to do with timing and more to do with the manager's judgement, or lack of it, and if that is off the mark he's just as likely to buy crap at any given time.  In fact I'd guess that waste of money signings are just as likely, if not more so, to be made on or near deadline day as managers panic that they don't have enough numbers or enough time left to get the deals they really want.  I seem to recall Simon Dawkins and Grant Holt joining us quite late in windows. They may have been cheap but they were hardly the kind of quality we needed.   

As for not being the first choice of our preferred targets,  are we likely to be more or less attractive if we are sitting 19th or 20th after 4 or 5 games?  Are clubs likely to be more or less willing to sell when there is little time for them to reinvest the money received?  There are lots of variables to consider in the transfer windows.   

I'm not saying all business should be done before pre-season -  that's a tall order.  Nor am I having a dig at Sherwood, because he has done some early business and it looks as if he at least intends to do a fair bit more before the season starts.    I just think as a general principle that it makes sense to aim to have a pretty full, strong and bedded in squad to choose from when the season starts, not a tenth of the way through it, when vital points may have already gone down the pan.         

[old man villa fan]

I think one of the problems is that we would probably not be first choice for the players that we have been linked with and bought.  We may have had to bide our time until nobody else bid for them at the start of the window.  With the way clear, we have then been able to offer what we think is the right price.

[Matt Collins]

Spurs bought various players before selling bale. They still paid £28m for soldado and £17m for Paulinho.

[Toronto Villa]

Spurs bought various players before selling bale. They still paid £28m for soldado and £17m for Paulinho.

£28m for soldado... hahahahahaha

[N'ZMAV]

We should loan Soldado. He'd be better than Adebayor

[walsall villain]

Spurs bought various players before selling bale. They still paid £28m for soldado and £17m for Paulinho.

£28m for soldado... hahahahahaha

He was scoring a goal every 2 games for 5 years in Spain. Seemed to recall Spurs fans were pleased when they got him. It just shows how hard it is to predict the outcome when buying players in from other leagues.

[DB]

Sol dado reminds me of Angel, just not happening for him but a but of luck and he could start scoring. I would have him over Adebayor.