Deano’s wishlist - the Jan transfer speculation/guaranteed nonsense thread

[robleflaneur]

Have to ask what people were expecting. We're a Championship side and have to plan as though we will be to next year too, when we'll have to work on a smaller budget and comply with FFP rules. It appears as though we're being run sensibly.

I'm sure the squad that starts next season will be massively different to this season. The wage bill will be down, the squad will be a lot more youthful, we'll play more as a balanced team, we'll own more players outright so we'll look more like a team and Smith will have had a full pre-season with them.

Fully agree with this.A sensible and progressive approach by us.All the permanent and potential signings are of the right age group,Kalinic,Guilbert,Mings and Hause.
Carroll looks a good player at this level.The imbalances have been addressed  in a transfer window which offers limited options .
We are only 4 points off the play offs and we are only a few weeks away from selecting Kalinic,Mings at LB and the return of fully fit Chester and Grealish with Carroll or Lansbury offering alternatives to Hourihane.A  better team than the one that was dismantling other promotion rivals.

[Brassneck]

The reality has set in.

The transfer dealings indicate to me the window was all about cost cutting.

Previous winter windows were buying the best midfielders or striker in this division , champions League midfielder. 
Other windows seen us be envy of the league with players who probably only drop division for villa.

This time it's under whelming.
Expectations are being quashed

The biggest signing (literally) of Kalinic the now Croatia number one seems like it was a deal re-cycled.

It wasn't perhaps one that was thought of from this regime just an existing player from an old scout list or arranged contact with his agent .

I said in a previous post - I liken it to when Brian Little took over from Big Ron.  The signings were similar but it was noteworthy that with the new (younger) signings came energy.  That is what is happening this time.

The best midfielders and striker in the division are way off starting in the first 11 (except Hourihane who will most likely make way for Carroll)

Previous signings have generally been poor and most are not in the starting 11.  Bruce was here less than 2 years and he was already replacing mediocre signings with more mediocre signings.  We were stagnating.

It might be that the loan to buy policy is because we can't spend until the end of the season (when the RDM outlay falls out of the 3 year cycle).

[Chris Smith]

The reality has set in.

The transfer dealings indicate to me the window was all about cost cutting.

Previous winter windows were buying the best midfielders or striker in this division , champions League midfielder. 
Other windows seen us be envy of the league with players who probably only drop division for villa.

This time it's under whelming.
Expectations are being quashed

The biggest signing (literally) of Kalinic the now Croatia number one seems like it was a deal re-cycled.

It wasn't perhaps one that was thought of from this regime just an existing player from an old scout list or arranged contact with his agent .

What we did in previous windows did not work, we spent a fortune and we are still stuck in the Championship. It now appears that we are planning and building rather than just throwing money at it.

I’m not sure relying on a bunch of players on loan is planning for the future but hey ho

We have the option to buy them which I think is the difference this time.

Or send them back if they don’t work out.

[robleflaneur]

Well I think we now know the club aren't looking at promotion this season. At best we're trying out loans to buy for next season, and clearing the decks to bring in players in the summer. Shame we'll lose Tammy this summer but he was always part of Bruce's plans that don't exist anymore.

I think we are looking at promtion but as it's not guaranteed ,the club is not gambling as it did last year.

[thick_mike]

The reality has set in.

The transfer dealings indicate to me the window was all about cost cutting.

Previous winter windows were buying the best midfielders or striker in this division , champions League midfielder. 
Other windows seen us be envy of the league with players who probably only drop division for villa.

This time it's under whelming.
Expectations are being quashed

The biggest signing (literally) of Kalinic the now Croatia number one seems like it was a deal re-cycled.

It wasn't perhaps one that was thought of from this regime just an existing player from an old scout list or arranged contact with his agent .

What we did in previous windows did not work, we spent a fortune and we are still stuck in the Championship. It now appears that we are planning and building rather than just throwing money at it.

I’m not sure relying on a bunch of players on loan is planning for the future but hey ho

We have the option to buy them which I think is the difference this time.

Or send them back if they don’t work out.

Try before you buy

[SheffieldVillain]

Looking at the loans and deferred signings you get the feeling the money wasn't there anyway. i guess April to April we've spent the best part of 15m on players and the cupboard was bare.

Yet we allegedly made cash offers for Mepham (who has just been transferred for £12m), Rico Henry and Fer.

I think the cupboard is far from bare, we just have people in charge now who think before they empty it.

[dave.woodhall]

The reality has set in.

The transfer dealings indicate to me the window was all about cost cutting.

Previous winter windows were buying the best midfielders or striker in this division , champions League midfielder. 
Other windows seen us be envy of the league with players who probably only drop division for villa.

This time it's under whelming.
Expectations are being quashed

The biggest signing (literally) of Kalinic the now Croatia number one seems like it was a deal re-cycled.

It wasn't perhaps one that was thought of from this regime just an existing player from an old scout list or arranged contact with his agent .

I said in a previous post - I liken it to when Brian Little took over from Big Ron.  The signings were similar but it was noteworthy that with the new (younger) signings came energy.  That is what is happening this time.

That's a good point. It's often forgotten that Little was unpopular when he started because he was replacing the folk hero and was accused of getting rid of the big names and replacing them with the level of players he was used to working with. 

[brontebilly]

Despite all the soundbites from Smith about improving the market value of our players and avoiding loans, we have only gone out and done the exact opposite.

All three loans have hardly played this season and two (Mings/Hause) are effectively competing for the same position. Carroll is a shit Barry Bannan and exactly what we didn't need in midfield.

It suggests to me that the chaos behind the scenes at Villa Park has only continued and likely problems already between this Jesus/Suso character and Smith.

Only positive really is that a number of our young players have gone on loan.

[achilles]

The problem is that if we don't get promotion this season we will definitely lose Axel and Tammy and potentially Jack and McGinn, our four best players by a mile and we could end up with a very bog average championship side.

[footyskillz]

Brief look at those that moved and could have tried to get in at least  got loan

Defence /Full back:
Reece Oxford
Victor Moses
Mason holgate
Ashley Cole

Midfield:
Jon obi mikkel-midfield general
Andy King - goal scoring midfielder
Lewis Baker
Kasey Palmer

Attacking midfield
Ryan Gauld
Oliver Burke
Jefferson Montero
Jacob Murphy

But also I glad in some ways Villa didn't take Crouch or Defoe for example. Ashley Cole or John obi mikkel on a short term loan would have been ok though.

 But a couple of those Chelsea boys like Baker and Palmer would have been ok and are decent footballers.

Montero is most skill ful winger in championship and Murphy will be very good.

Missed a trick in not getting Ryan Gauld hes quality and gone back to Scotland on loan probably homesick but he's a great skill full player and dribbler. My type of guy.

[footyskillz]

Have to ask what people were expecting. We're a Championship side and have to plan as though we will be to next year too, when we'll have to work on a smaller budget and comply with FFP rules. It appears as though we're being run sensibly.

I'm sure the squad that starts next season will be massively different to this season. The wage bill will be down, the squad will be a lot more youthful, we'll play more as a balanced team, we'll own more players outright so we'll look more like a team and Smith will have had a full pre-season with them.

Check the list above . Some of these would have got us going

[robleflaneur]

The reality has set in.

The transfer dealings indicate to me the window was all about cost cutting.

Previous winter windows were buying the best midfielders or striker in this division , champions League midfielder. 
Other windows seen us be envy of the league with players who probably only drop division for villa.

This time it's under whelming.
Expectations are being quashed

The biggest signing (literally) of Kalinic the now Croatia number one seems like it was a deal re-cycled.

It wasn't perhaps one that was thought of from this regime just an existing player from an old scout list or arranged contact with his agent .

I said in a previous post - I liken it to when Brian Little took over from Big Ron.  The signings were similar but it was noteworthy that with the new (younger) signings came energy.  That is what is happening this time.

The best midfielders and striker in the division are way off starting in the first 11 (except Hourihane who will most likely make way for Carroll)

Previous signings have generally been poor and most are not in the starting 11.  Bruce was here less than 2 years and he was already replacing mediocre signings with more mediocre signings.  We were stagnating.

It might be that the loan to buy policy is because we can't spend until the end of the season (when the RDM outlay falls out of the 3 year cycle).

Interesting last point about the loan to buy policy.I don't think it's about cost cutting,otherwise we wouldn't have been talking to Mepham or Fer,I think it's about being forward looking and being aware of FFP.

[RussellC]

I don't necessarily think that it was a bad window, but it does seem to me that the strategy was more about starting next season in the Championship than it was about making a serious push for the play-off this.

Both Mings and Hause are good players, but with very little record of 'durability'. Carroll is a very good footballer at this level, but again injury-prone, and also not necessarily the defensive midfielder that we seem to require so much when McGinn and Grealish are both in the side. we haven't addressed the long-standing left-back issue, although I'm hoping that's just because Smith has his heart set on Rico Henry and would rather wait until the summer than buy a 2nd/3rd/4th choice (the kind of thinking that lead us to sign the likes of Taylor in the first place).

The positives parts are that the wage-bill will have certainly come down. It's obvious that the owners are prepared to back Smith financially, and we're obviously looking to build a team for the future. The worrying part is that we now have 6 loan-players, so will have to leave one out of the matchday squad when all fit. Either that, or we're not expecting Tuanzebe to be fit again before the end of the season...

[Ads]

Despite all the soundbites from Smith about improving the market value of our players and avoiding loans, we have only gone out and done the exact opposite.

All three loans have hardly played this season and two (Mings/Hause) are effectively competing for the same position. Carroll is a shit Barry Bannan and exactly what we didn't need in midfield.

It suggests to me that the chaos behind the scenes at Villa Park has only continued and likely problems already between this Jesus/Suso character and Smith.

Only positive really is that a number of our young players have gone on loan.

Wow.

[sirlordbaltimore]

Chris Mepham turned villa down despite a more lucrative offer

Says who ?