Summer transfer, gossip, speculation thread

[ASHTONVILLA]

Can someone tell me please at which point in football history it became compulsory to have a left foot/right foot centre half pairing? I don't recall ever giving it a second thought until about 4 years ago.

Agree. Also Mings and Hause played together a few times and looked as good a partnership as Mings and Axel.

[OCD]

I think ever since there’s been a greater emphasis placed on playing out from the back, the importance of having a balanced centre back pairing.

Didn’t Smith make a half time substitution in one of the games in the run-in or something where he changed the centre back pairing and felt it made us play better.

[andyh]

Can someone tell me please at which point in football history it became compulsory to have a left foot/right foot centre half pairing? I don't recall ever giving it a second thought until about 4 years ago.

Completely agree Lee.
Was it a consideration with the pairings of Evans/Mcnaught ? Mellberg/Laursen? Mountfield /god ?

I think it’s just another one of those contrived things to make people think that football needs to be complicated.

[paul_e]

I think there's a couple of bits to it. Thne greater focus on playing the ball out is one reason, as is the greater access to stats and footage where every mistake can be easily analysed. For me though it's simply that players will always have a natural preference even when there's no immediately obvious reason to, with defenders I think it's just a natural preference of how you turn your body as much as anything.

Where it has always been a bigger talking point (and where people seem averse to Mings and Hause together) is when you have 2 left footers in a central pairing, as if it somehow means they won't be able to play together.

[danno]

Doubt it's that important which foot the player is better with, but might be important which side they're used to playing on.

Even last season before his injury we saw how Chester looked a tad uneasy playing on the left hand side.

[Ozzjim]

We did, but Hause looked perfectly fine on the right of Mings and is left footed. I actually think Hause could end up being the bargain of the season at £3 million.

I would happily take Wilson and Trezeguet as our additional wide options too.

And Maupay.

And a couple of combative midfielders.

[sid1964]

Hopefully in a few months time we are not looking at the team and thinking we have blown a £100 million and they are not good enough!

[Marlon From Bearwood]

Can someone tell me please at which point in football history it became compulsory to have a left foot/right foot centre half pairing? I don't recall ever giving it a second thought until about 4 years ago.

Huge difference playing both positions. There can't be that many who were comfortable playing both positions, McGrath maybe? Will never forget John Terrys efforts playing on the right side next to Upson in the 2010 world cup. Complete car crash!

Terry is right footed though.

[Steve67]

The central midfielders signing is absolutely key.  Really important to get it right.

[alanclare]

Is Jack Butland still a possibility - or not?

[alanclare]

From stokesentinel.co.uk:

Aston Villa have turned their attention from Stoke City’s pricey Jack Butland to Burnley’s Tom Heaton as they search for a new first-choice goalkeeper.

According to the Sun, Villa have bid £7m for Heaton after becoming exasperated at the £20m plus Stoke are demanding for England man Butland.

Heaton, aged 33, has one year left on his current Burnley deal and has turned down the offer of an extension.

The Sun says: "Burnley value Heaton much higher than the Villa offer and do not want to lose him but he is a genuine alternative to Villa’s top choice Jack Butland and Neil Etheridge."

[Dazvillain]

Brentford hoping to sign Sam Gallagher will leave door open for Maupay to leave .... would be good for us. After the DFM and winger get announced today , Maupay, PHILLIPS and Etheridge In by time they fly to USA will be great job done. Axel on loan on deadline day then after Utd sign Maguire

[UK Redsox]

Maupay please.

ASAP.

Baker & Kelly .... any Maupay?


(only really works if his name is pronounced with 'pie' at the end, which I've no idea if it is)

[Smithy]

Friend of mine is a Leeds season ticket holder who claims to know someone on the club staff (ticket sales, not playing side so take with a massive pinch of salt), and he says the feeling up there is that Kalvin Phillips is using us purely to get a better deal in his contract negotiations.  He doesn't seem even remotely worried that he'll leave this summer, and actually thought £30m was WAY overpriced.

[AsTallAsLions]

Friend of mine is a Leeds season ticket holder who claims to know someone on the club staff (ticket sales, not playing side so take with a massive pinch of salt), and he says the feeling up there is that Kalvin Phillips is using us purely to get a better deal in his contract negotiations.  He doesn't seem even remotely worried that he'll leave this summer, and actually thought £30m was WAY overpriced.

Well it's certainly a win-win situation for him isn't it? Either way he ends up with a massive pay-day, he either gets a bumper deal with Leeds or the likes of Villa or Sheffield Utd come in with a bid for him and he gets a Premier League contract.

The original story on Phillips was that he was entirely loyal to Leeds and didn't want to leave, but if he's playing the contract game with them and rejecting improved terms in order to a) force a move, or b) make a fortune for himself, then he's hardly putting Leeds first is he?

My gut feeling is he'll be a Villa player come August, purely because we need someone exactly like him - a young, tenacious, agile DM who is comfortable on the ball and has a spotless injury record to date. They don't come along often.