Summer transfer, gossip and speculation thread

[David_Nab]

Abraham not on bench for Chelsea today

[mr underhill]

I wouldn't read that as him being nailed on to come to us, especially if he's been watching any lowlights.

[brontebilly]

Y y y y couldn’t the deal of owner change have been done earlier SAM Johnstone could have been first signing then 😩😡😡😡

Big time, he has been a huge loss. Terrys ability to play out from the back is sorely missed too. McGinn has thankfully had a very good start.

[SoccerHQ]

No way will we get lookman

Abraham is third choice striker for Chelsea. They'd be pretty light of they go into the season with two senior strikers

Pedro can play as striker. Him, Giroud and Morata.

[Matt Collins]

I've never seen Pedro play as a 9

Hazard as a false 9 maybe

[Des Little]

Well we played today with a false 1

[eamonn]

Y y y y couldn’t the deal of owner change have been done earlier SAM Johnstone could have been first signing then 😩😡😡😡

Big time, he has been a huge loss. Terrys ability to play out from the back is sorely missed too. McGinn has thankfully had a very good start.

It still would have added £6m to FFP - are we just not worrying about that now that we have rich owners again who we assume will find ways around it?

I did think signing two goalkeepers from abroad, one quite raw, was quite rash especially if an experienced goalie who's previously played at this level was available on a loan or nominal fee (Ruddy?). It's arguably the most important position on the pitch for stability.

[sickbeggar]

Don't think this has been posted. From the mail. Interesting that he basically admits the likes of Tuanzebe will be picked come what may because that's the deal, and the way he totally dissociates himself from his own buying policy. "Not me guv" apparently


Steve Bruce wants to top his up squad with two loan signings from the Premier League - and has not given up hope of landing Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham.

The 20-year-old striker has been top of the list all summer and Bruce is desperate to get him on board before August 31.


BirminghamLive understands that Villa also have one eye on the future, and are targeting young players this month who they believe could sign permanently if promotion is achieved.

Abraham fits into that category but Bruce’s biggest worry is losing the England U21 ace to a club on the continent with the Blues weighing up interest from Italy and Holland.

“It’s very difficult to get players in (from the Premier League),” Bruce said.

“We have to be realistic and hope we can sign one or two from the bigger clubs.

“We couldn’t sign Axel Tuanzebe, for example, but down the line, hopefully we can

The big clubs want them to get experience and that’s only normal.

“We’ve been close to one or two and they’ve gone to Europe - somewhere in Italy, France or Spain.

“Others want to go and play in Europe, too.

“There are some that just don’t want to entertain it.

“You have got to make sure you have the right ones who want to come and play.

“I never had any problems with John Terry when he dropped down, for example.

“Once he decided to come here, you know that with his professional standards, he would want to do well.”

Villa have set their standards high and if they miss out on Abraham, will look elsewhere.

Tuanzebe has already been promised regular games after agreeing a move and other loan signings will have the same assurances.

“The big clubs want their players to play,” added Bruce.

“Chelsea have got 31 players out on loan, for example, it’s incredible.

“Our aim is to make a breakthrough or two in the next week.

“The owners have preached from the start that we want a younger outlook so we can grow and get better.

“That always takes time.

“I think it’s fair to say, that because of the financial restrictions we had last year, we were ageing.

“We had to get frees and loan players.
“You aren’t going to get many 23 or 24-year-old’s in that bracket.

“That ageing squad nearly got us there.

“But the way forward, certainly, is to be more energetic - and we want the players to be ours.

“The remit going forward is to be younger and fresher.

“We need them to be permanent signings, though, really rather than putting the stick and plaster over it like we have done in the past 12 months or so.

“We’ve had to beg, steal and borrow,"

The plan is for that to change - and any loan signings that arrive this month will be seen as possible permanent signings in the future.

Villa were gutted to miss out on Joe Bryan who chose a move to Fulham instead of the Midlands, so a left-sided player will also be tracked.

Bruce feels Villa are short in attacking wide areas, too, and is looking at Liverpool's Sheyi Ojo and Everton's Yannick Bolasie.

Earlier this summer - before the takeover - Villa missed out on Harry Wilson and Ben Woodburn - both of whom left Liverpool for other rivals in the Championship.

The real sickener was seeing Sam Johnstone leave for West Brom after Villa nurtured him for 18 months.

[Toronto Villa]

He really is a bullshitter. Like it took an intervention from new owners from Egypt and America to identify we needed to get younger and more energetic. Fuck, if the financial problems not happened, had Xia stuck around and kept Bruce we’d have more old players. He’s a walking bag of ready made excuses.

[sirlordbaltimore]

He really is a bullshitter. Like it took an intervention from new owners from Egypt and America to identify we needed to get younger and more energetic. Fuck, if the financial problems not happened, had Xia stuck around and kept Bruce we’d have more old players. He’s a walking bag of ready made excuses.

It seems to me that more than half our support want Snodgrass and Bolasie. So much for Bruce being the only one that wants old players

And that's before we even start on the 'bring Terry back' lot

[Clampy]

He really is a bullshitter. Like it took an intervention from new owners from Egypt and America to identify we needed to get younger and more energetic. Fuck, if the financial problems not happened, had Xia stuck around and kept Bruce we’d have more old players. He’s a walking bag of ready made excuses.

I can see the point he's trying to make. Rather than loan he likes of Johnestone and Snodgrass, he'd rather have brought them and if we'd gone up, we probably would have.

[sickbeggar]

He really is a bullshitter. Like it took an intervention from new owners from Egypt and America to identify we needed to get younger and more energetic. Fuck, if the financial problems not happened, had Xia stuck around and kept Bruce we’d have more old players. He’s a walking bag of ready made excuses.

yep, it's like he woke up in greggs a month ago with a pain in his arse and a spaceship taking off only to find he had a squad full of old players and new owners at the club. I dread to think what will happen when he notices someone's bought Scot Hogan

[Mister E]

He really is a bullshitter. Like it took an intervention from new owners from Egypt and America to identify we needed to get younger and more energetic. Fuck, if the financial problems not happened, had Xia stuck around and kept Bruce we’d have more old players. He’s a walking bag of ready made excuses.

Agreed. Slippery as an eel.

[Toronto Villa]

He really is a bullshitter. Like it took an intervention from new owners from Egypt and America to identify we needed to get younger and more energetic. Fuck, if the financial problems not happened, had Xia stuck around and kept Bruce we’d have more old players. He’s a walking bag of ready made excuses.

I can see the point he's trying to make. Rather than loan he likes of Johnestone and Snodgrass, he'd rather have brought them and if we'd gone up, we probably would have.

I’m just not convinced that he wants to stray much from the experienced strategy that he has gone to. It’s as if he’s lamenting the direction the new owners have taken and building his new list of excuses should it not work. Instead of saying we need to get younger and that it’s something he believes in he’s used the owners as the reason to temper expectations.

[PeterWithe]

Can’t see much wrong with what he’s said personally. Plenty to criticise him for on the pitch without micro analysing stuff off it.