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

[Risso]

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

When did Engels do that as a matter of interest?  He looked quite good in the first game at Spurs heading everything away, but I honestly don't recall him looking good on the ball. Konsa is much more that player, surely?

[PaulWinch again]

Well the “ITK” in Germany that had Rashica being signed yesterday or today is rapidly running out of time.

[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

When did Engels do that as a matter of interest?  He looked quite good in the first game at Spurs heading everything away, but I honestly don't recall him looking good on the ball. Konsa is much more that player, surely?

Just in general play he has more composure on the ball imo

[RamboandBruno]

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

When did Engels do that as a matter of interest?  He looked quite good in the first game at Spurs heading everything away, but I honestly don't recall him looking good on the ball. Konsa is much more that player, surely?

Have to agree with this. I remember Engels being the player doing all the blocks and headers and Mings playing it out.
Engels is well entitled to make some mistakes, someone mentioned mcnaught and Ugo having similar dodgy starts, although Ugo was only about 19 at the time wasn’t he. It’s more him having poor games then not being seen again for months, which may not of entirely been in his control but strange, and the earlier post about him not being happy with playing in a 3 is interesting if true.
As for Konsa, who knows whether he can go a whole season, but for me he didn’t just improve post lock down, he was our best defender.

[Mister E]

Another factor to bear in mind with Engels last season was that he was alongside another rookie in Guilbert, who also started well but whose form tailed away alarmingly.
I hope we don't jettison him too quickly , and  - if that's the plan - they really need to find someone who can demand a first-team start.

[OCD]

I only see a need to sell Engels if he's demonstrated a poor character trait (such as putting himself before the team) or if his relationship with Smith has reached a point that it's better to sell.

[AsTallAsLions]

Well the “ITK” in Germany that had Rashica being signed yesterday or today is rapidly running out of time.

I would say it's more than likely that our interest is being used by his agent to put pressure on RB Leipzig who didn't want to pay the asking price. Their qualification for the CL semis last night surely only strengthens their hand further. A move to Birmingham to play for the historical giants of Aston Villa or a move within the same country to play for a side with a decent chance of making the Champion's League final? I knew which I'd choose, but I'm betting it's not the one he or his agent prefers.

[Lastfootstamper]

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

Early on, I was giving consideration to buying a shirt and emblazoning the back with 62 and 'Mingles'. I hope they make me think about it again, for a spell they had something about them I really liked.

[Gareth]

Playing devils advocate a little....

It seems the majority of players we are being linked with are the so called better players from teams who got relegated or in Bremen’s case just avoided said drop or players never tested at the top level....whilst these are obvious links to have been made just how many of those will significantly improve a team that finished 17th?

The goldfish bowl that is Villa with our fan base will write off players after a couple of sub par performances so the pressure to perform is massively higher with us than it is at Norwich, Watford, Bournemouth & Brentford.  Being tutted at for misplacing a pass at Carrow Road or the bungalow that Bournemouth play at is massively different to when Villa Park turns.  Alongside ability we need two or three big characters...the likes of Cantwell don’t strike me as those types.

Would particularly avoid anyone from Norwich, they did well to come up but didn’t try a lick to stay there, they’d waved the white flag by the end of first transfer window so it was easy for Cantwell / Buendia to look good because every game was a free hit in the knowledge that the club were trousering the Prem cash so zero accountability.

Personally I’d hope to see links for players in top half of Prem, Bundesliga, Serie A mixed in with the odd gamble like Benrahma / Watkins / Buendia rather than the current ones.

As I say a bit devils advocate but as I see it the scope is there for any team in the bottom half last season to aim for 7th/8th/9th if they get the recruitment right....quality, pace, physicality....not tricksters for me.

[AsTallAsLions]

Personally I’d hope to see links for players in top half of Prem, Bundesliga, Serie A mixed in with the odd gamble like Benrahma / Watkins / Buendia rather than the current ones.

As I say a bit devils advocate but as I see it the scope is there for any team in the bottom half last season to aim for 7th/8th/9th if they get the recruitment right....quality, pace, physicality....not tricksters for me.

But why would a player who plays for a team in the top half of any of the major leagues swap that for Villa? You'd be looking at their benches or the few players that are clearly available from the top half teams (Lundstram, Smalling, Otamendi and the likes), and they don't seem to be of an acceptable quality to others on here.

[Steve67]

52 days and counting........................

Tumbleweed emoji.

[jwarry]

Personally I’d hope to see links for players in top half of Prem, Bundesliga, Serie A mixed in with the odd gamble like Benrahma / Watkins / Buendia rather than the current ones.

As I say a bit devils advocate but as I see it the scope is there for any team in the bottom half last season to aim for 7th/8th/9th if they get the recruitment right....quality, pace, physicality....not tricksters for me.

But why would a player who plays for a team in the top half of any of the major leagues swap that for Villa? You'd be looking at their benches or the few players that are clearly available from the top half teams (Lundstram, Smalling, Otamendi and the likes), and they don't seem to be of an acceptable quality to others on here.

Well judging by last season the links will be bollox and we will end up with players we’ve never heard of eg Luiz, Nakamba, Engels, Trez, and a £22m Brazilian

[Border villan]

Personally I’d hope to see links for players in top half of Prem, Bundesliga, Serie A mixed in with the odd gamble like Benrahma / Watkins / Buendia rather than the current ones.

As I say a bit devils advocate but as I see it the scope is there for any team in the bottom half last season to aim for 7th/8th/9th if they get the recruitment right....quality, pace, physicality....not tricksters for me.

But why would a player who plays for a team in the top half of any of the major leagues swap that for Villa? You'd be looking at their benches or the few players that are clearly available from the top half teams (Lundstram, Smalling, Otamendi and the likes), and they don't seem to be of an acceptable quality to others on here.

Well judging by last season the links will be bollox and we will end up with players we’ve never heard of eg Luiz, Nakamba, Engels, Trez, and a £22m Brazilian

I know beauty parlours have reopened but £22m for a Brazilian?

[jwarry]

I see Stoke have reduced their asking price for Butland to £8m. Think we dodged a bullet there as he’s clearly gone down the Joe Hart route

[Gareth]

Personally I’d hope to see links for players in top half of Prem, Bundesliga, Serie A mixed in with the odd gamble like Benrahma / Watkins / Buendia rather than the current ones.

As I say a bit devils advocate but as I see it the scope is there for any team in the bottom half last season to aim for 7th/8th/9th if they get the recruitment right....quality, pace, physicality....not tricksters for me.

But why would a player who plays for a team in the top half of any of the major leagues swap that for Villa? You'd be looking at their benches or the few players that are clearly available from the top half teams (Lundstram, Smalling, Otamendi and the likes), and they don't seem to be of an acceptable quality to others on here.

In Prem probably right but not necessarily in Bundesliga / Serie A - obv not gonna get anyone significant from a Bayern or a Juventus but not a Wolfsburg or Hoffenheim etc.