Summer transfer, gossip, speculation and the usual butter ollocks thread

[Axl Rose]

I wish we would hurry up and make a signing it's torture waiting doe us to make one.

Players are maybe too deer.

[Risso]

Whatever the issue is, it's just not worked out with Engels so I'd move him on.  His howler against Spurs still haunts my dreams.

[Mister E]

Whatever the issue is, it's just not worked out with Engels so I'd move him on.  His howler against Spurs still haunts my dreams.

... which means we have to be in the market for another CB. I'm cool with Mings and Konsa as our first-choice CB but having only Hause as back-up when Mings - at least- is bound to have some time off for injury during a season is definitely not sustainable.
I cannot think of any obvious realistic replacements for Engels from the EPL or recent EPL teams.

[tomd2103]

Whatever the issue is, it's just not worked out with Engels so I'd move him on.  His howler against Spurs still haunts my dreams.

Can't remember too many Villa careers taking such a sudden turn for the worse as his did in that Southampton game.  Had looked really solid up to the point where he looked like he was running in treacle chasing Shane Long.

[Toronto Villa]

Whatever the issue is, it's just not worked out with Engels so I'd move him on.  His howler against Spurs still haunts my dreams.

If we are going judge our defenders based on howlers then you may as well get rid of Heaton, Elmo, Mings (many times over), Targett, Taylor etc etc at the same time.

[SoccerHQ]

Didnt we have a a Duffy, after Daryl, who played a few games then we sold him to Millwall, I think. Australian.

I might have dreamed all this.

He was a golfer wasn't he.....

[SoccerHQ]

1 in 3 for a winger, playing for a struggling side in one of the best leagues in Europe is very good!

It is very good, I was expecting 4-5 goals a season so was taken aback by how good his Bundesliga scoring record was.

Will probably be told now N'zogbia scored 40 goals for Wigan in the season before we signed him but we desperately need a wide player who can chip in with close to double figures so would be a good get.

[Dazvillain]

Was speaking to a Bremen season ticket holder earlier on. Really rates Rashica and said he thought (the thoroughly despised) Leipzig was effectively a done deal a while ago. He was resigned to losing him and tho he wanted him to stay, says he was effectively too good for them and is their main saleable asset.
Said Bremen would get more money from an English club and it would help them as they needed to dismantle their squad, get rid of some of the shite they have and build again. Pretty happy if he goes to Villa rather than another German club. Said we'd be getting a very good player.

18 goals in 63 games, thought we’d strive for better than that .....we’ve already got a few very good players but need seasoned goal scorers

But he's not a striker, he's a winger.

Played as no10 too

[SoccerHQ]

I wouldn't give up on Engels yet, he looked decent at the start of the season. Seems he can't get on with Smith though, so maybe he just isn't a good fit in our squad.

It is encouarging that we are being linked with players like Buendia, Rashica and Cantwell all of whom would add a lot in attack. I am hoping to see at least one striker come in though, as Wesley and Samatta are both extremely poor players.

The rumour mid season is Engels hated playing in the back 3 that exposed him v Southampton. Went to DS to complain about it and then was suddenly dumped from the squad for weeks with Hause coming back in from the cold. Engels then ironically came back for the Spurs game in a back 3 and was terrible although I thought he did fine in the cup final.

He's much better in a back 4 where he was decent first two months. Think it's just a question of whether he still wants to be here. I suspect we'll be tempted if some clubs abroad want him.

[SoccerHQ]

Whatever the issue is, it's just not worked out with Engels so I'd move him on.  His howler against Spurs still haunts my dreams.

... which means we have to be in the market for another CB. I'm cool with Mings and Konsa as our first-choice CB but having only Hause as back-up when Mings - at least- is bound to have some time off for injury during a season is definitely not sustainable.
I cannot think of any obvious realistic replacements for Engels from the EPL or recent EPL teams.

We certainly need another talker at the back. Was a huge void when Mings was injured over xmas as Heaton could only do so much talking and organising. Not a  surprise when they were all young and new to the premier league.

Think the Spurs game was a good case in point. We played really well for an hour but Spurs still could've easily scored six goals (probably would've if Kane was fit) as all they did was ping balls over our defenders heads for Son or Moura to run onto and  none of the 3 cbs knew when to push up or sit deeper, those are the games when you need an organiser in there who can read the play and instruct the others what to do quickly.

[Tebepaul]

How do you think he'd adapt to the premier league? And do you think he looks suspiciously like a Jack replacement, or just a bolstering of our attack whatever Jack does?

I think Milot Rashica is level-headed enough to settle down OK, but his success in the Premier League would rely entirely on the quality of players alongside him. When SV Werder were playing well, Rashica looked like (and was) by far the best player in the team, capable of scoring wonder goals against Bayern Munich. He was of no use at all, however, when Bremen started to struggle and nosedive towards the relegation zone.

As such, I think Rashica would need Grealish to stay in order for him to flourish and we'd also need to sign another quality forward player. As Rashica is a left-sided player, Jack may need to move more into the centre - but would he want that, and would he be as effective there?     

[aj2k77]

If the Engels tale is true then fuck him off. You play where you are told.

[KevinGage]

How do you think he'd adapt to the premier league? And do you think he looks suspiciously like a Jack replacement, or just a bolstering of our attack whatever Jack does?

I think Milot Rashica is level-headed enough to settle down OK, but his success in the Premier League would rely entirely on the quality of players alongside him. When SV Werder were playing well, Rashica looked like (and was) by far the best player in the team, capable of scoring wonder goals against Bayern Munich. He was of no use at all, however, when Bremen started to struggle and nosedive towards the relegation zone.

As such, I think Rashica would need Grealish to stay in order for him to flourish and we'd also need to sign another quality forward player. As Rashica is a left-sided player, Jack may need to move more into the centre - but would he want that, and would he be as effective there?     

With the right balance - and an attacking player on a similar wavelength to take the pressure off him - Jack could be far more effective in the centre. With licence to roam.

Too often last season it was stop Jack, stop Villa.  A player like Rashica and an actual forward will go a long way to addressing that.

[jwarry]

Whatever the issue is, it's just not worked out with Engels so I'd move him on.  His howler against Spurs still haunts my dreams.

If we are going judge our defenders based on howlers then you may as well get rid of Heaton, Elmo, Mings (many times over), Targett, Taylor etc etc at the same time.

I seem to remember McNaught and Ugo had similar slow starts to their a Villa careers and look how they turned out

[john e]

when on song the Mings-Engels partnership was the best i saw last season

Mings doing the heavy duty defensive work and Engels the ball playing centre half dovetailed nicely i thought
at last a decent pair at the back hopefully for the long term unfortunately not to be

Konsa is not good enough to go a whole season as first choice CH imo
it’s alright saying he did well here and there and the old chestnut ‘ he never let us down’ but in general he’s just not good enough on the ball yet
 he has improved but needs to become comfortable in his control and passing before he can be a first team pick

if we go into the season with a Mings-Konsa pairing it will take no more than 6 games for people to call for a upgrade, I’m not saying get rid he’s fine in the squad but not a every week first choice centre back

that’s just my opinion obviously
 and as a caveat I’m looking for players good enough to take us into the top half of the league where we should be aiming, not finishing 16th and saying it’s an improvement next season