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

[hilts_coolerking]

“He said they’d support us with new players and improve the depth of the squad to kick on." All of which I have no doubt we're trying our utmost to make happen, but I can't imagine any owner of any club not saying they'd be doing that. I don't think those words are tantamount to telling our better players we'd be signing global superstars to prevent them from putting in transfer requests, which is what I inferred earlier.

What do you think he means then?  I ask that genuinely, not trying to catch you out.  Does it means 4 or 5 £20M signings from the Championship or a step up from that?

[sickbeggar]

mebbe theyre not backing him totally. give him a few of his signings and then they have a pot to hand a new manager in january if it goes pear-shaped. I think we all know if we're circling the plug hole come November they won't give him the time to turn it around again.

[andyh]

From a Purslow interview.

VILLA FANS NEED TO UNDERSTAND THIS.
Purslow: It takes 4yrs to be able to pay average Prem salaries & comply with FFP. I have to comply with 1 year of Prem but 2 years of championship rules. The total wage bill we can pay is much, much lower than clubs in the prem for 3 years

[ChicagoLion]

I don’t think the problem is the owners. The problem if there is one is with the recruitment team and that they are the new boys on the block. Football works like most industries it’s more about who you know than what you know.

[mcgrath_85]

Just wondering, if our team is so bad, how come we stayed up?

We will be miles ahead of last season in Smith knowing his best team etc (admittedly it took him far too long)

We stayed up because we had a sensational end to the season which just redeemed what had until then been mostly dismal.  That end of season improvement reflects very well on Smith but as for knowing his best team I think that as things stand about a third of his best team hasn't even been signed yet. 

“Sensational”. Christ. We beat Crystal Palace and Arsenal and a couple of draws.

Would you rather we had lost and gone down?

Of course not you clown. How did you even get to that?

[ChicagoLion]

mebbe theyre not backing him totally. give him a few of his signings and then they have a pot to hand a new manager in january if it goes pear-shaped. I think we all know if we're circling the plug hole come November they won't give him the time to turn it around again.

so don’t give the manager the players he needs to be successful just in case he isn’t successful so you can bin him and bring in the players so a new manager can be successful- err wise words

[villa `cross the mersey]

We are led to believe the current owners are extremely ambitious and we must allow them time to prove this - ie the end of the transfer window
I am however, totally underwhelmed thus far (ie from the end of the season to now). You would like to think the close call last  season has focused minds .......I get the feeling that retaining Grealish, Mings and McGinn will be seen as some kind of achievement

We stayed up, so of course keeping those players is a bonus. Does everything have to sound so grim?

Not so much grim as realistic .....we survived " by the skin of our teeth" Smith by his own admission has stated he wanted players "bedded in" by the start of the season .....a week or so away from the start of the season and we have recruited another full back - when the priority surely needs to be a striker - I dare say I will be accused of being a " bed wetter"or something equally childish or puerile.....the owners talk the talk let's see some positive action

[SoccerHQ]

Where is Lange and he`s list of european/world players, who he is supposed be monitoring ?? We have recognised our last scouts failure to produce players of a high standard and pre requisite. Is the strategy to wait to the end of the window to get better deals and clubs who are in financial crisis to accept lower offers ??

PS is there any footage of the Arsenal friendly anywhere ?

I think that's unfair. Lange is still getting his feet under the table and is probably looking at all aspects of our football operations e.g. scouting home and abroad and trying to improve that. I'd expect more of a stamp from him regarding signings in January and next summer.

This summer is all about who DS wants to sign given the majority of links so far so he can't hide behind the "it's not my team" excuse that popped up from December onwards last season.

[N'ZMAV]

It's a little underwhelming, but there's time; I just hope we're not scratting around for signing after a few matches because we're clearly short.

It's also a bit boring.

[SoccerHQ]

see wolves have made a strange signing for 2m. looking at his apps im guessing he's been crocked a lot


https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54051288

Actually started Lyon's first game of the season last week. And all their CL games.

No idea how the fee is so low but looks the sort of pick up we desperately need, experienced at top level of the game.

Of course we seen to treat any player over 30 now as Satan but you do need a couple of steady heads in your squad to cope with bad runs.

[john e]

For me as it stands if we can field a injury free side we have

a mid table defence
a top half midfield
a relegation forward line
a bottom half management team

let’s hope we can improve the forward line in the next couple of weeks and then not get any bad injuries or we will be in deep trouble again

[brontebilly]

I actually think we'll be fine striker-wise by the close of the window.

It'll either be one of the recent links (Watkins, Edouard, Origi) or a pleasant surprise. Even better if we finally  see movement on that this week. Smith has also mentioned pace in a wide areas as a priority and I expect at least one incoming there.

My concern is we don't seem to be linked to any centre halves or central midfielders. They were both areas where we looked short of top flight nous last season and I hope Smudger isn't content with his current centre back options.

Get L-Cheek in!!

Aye.  Or Nathaniel Chalobah at Watford. Premier League experience but still young and plenty to work with.

Tarkowski at Burnley is one we should be looking at as well. If Leicester are genuinely in for him and he wants to go there fair enough, you understand. West Ham less so. Leicester look a better short term bet for success after last season. Not sure of he'll be guaranteed to start ahead of the Turkish lad and Jonny Evans though.

At the reported £20 million for an England centre half that's great value in the current market and I'd hope we've at least enquired.

Think Tarlowski is bang average myself. Burnley play a very deep defensive line, MON esque, so their back four don't have to do much with the ball. I think Tarlowski would be exposed, much in the way Michael Keane has been, in most teams in the division.

[sickbeggar]

mebbe theyre not backing him totally. give him a few of his signings and then they have a pot to hand a new manager in january if it goes pear-shaped. I think we all know if we're circling the plug hole come November they won't give him the time to turn it around again.

so don’t give the manager the players he needs to be successful just in case he isn’t successful so you can bin him and bring in the players so a new manager can be successful- err wise words

it's more about circmstances really than a gameplan or stratedgy. 8 games to go, and a lot of people had given up on us staying up. it wouldn''t be too much of stretch to think maybe they planned a change in the summer, and then we stayed up, the players are behind the manager and they back-tracked because it would have appeared incredibly harsh on Smith. i mean we gave RDM the push after 3 months after spending a fortune so its not unheard of........

[ChicagoLion]

mebbe theyre not backing him totally. give him a few of his signings and then they have a pot to hand a new manager in january if it goes pear-shaped. I think we all know if we're circling the plug hole come November they won't give him the time to turn it around again.

so don’t give the manager the players he needs to be successful just in case he isn’t successful so you can bin him and bring in the players so a new manager can be successful- err wise words

it's more about circmstances really than a gameplan or stratedgy. 8 games to go, and a lot of people had given up on us staying up. it wouldn''t be too much of stretch to think maybe they planned a change in the summer, and then we stayed up, the players are behind the manager and they back-tracked because it would have appeared incredibly harsh on Smith. i mean we gave RDM the push after 3 months after spending a fortune so its not unheard of........

i think he was gone if we lost to Chelsea before lockdown, the reshuffle suggests Smith and Purslow were given another chance and Suso took the hit.
They will have agreed a budget and they now have to get the most out of that budget. Don’t understand why the first by is a right back when we are desperate for a centre forward a wide player and midfielder.

[pauliewalnuts]

If the problem is that Lange needs time to get his feet under the table and get moving then maybe binning Richard Madeley as late as we did wasn't the best idea?

I also find it hard to believe Cash was a Lange target. Who is actually identifying the players?