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

[VILLA MOLE]

I hope there are lots of targets that are just not on the Twitter radar that we are after and will come good 🤔

What? Surely Twitter is a single source of truth.

Obviously, I swear by it 🙂

[Clampy]

I hope there are lots of targets that are just not on the Twitter radar that we are after and will come good 🤔

What? Surely Twitter is a single source of truth.

It is to some.

[Dave]

Borja Baston off to French Club Leganes apparently on a free. Who?

Oh no- we’re really screwed now 🤣

Leganes are Spanish.

[brontebilly]

Agreed. I would sooner have Dwight Gayle than Pukki.

Gayle is out injured for next 3-4 months

[brontebilly]

Twatter rumours we are in for Josh King who is even older than Wilson. Seems like Brentford might be pricing Watkins and Benrahma out of moves.

Hmm not much of an upgrade

Reading back a few pages people were preferring King to Wilson.

I'm one , he can play across the front three, doesn't seem to have had any serious injuries and is more mobile than Wilson. Man United tried to sign him for a reported 20m back in January so I suspect he is holding out for a team higher up last seasons table.

Would still prefer Watkins to him, mind.

[robbo1874]

Borja Baston off to French Club Leganes apparently on a free. Who?

Oh no- we’re really screwed now 🤣

Leganes are Spanish.

Thanks. But still, who?

[Monty]

Borja Baston off to French Club Leganes apparently on a free. Who?

Oh no- we’re really screwed now 🤣

Leganes are Spanish.

Thanks. But still, who?

Something of an occasional yoyo club in Madrid (well, near Madrid). Sort of like Watford.

[KevinGage]

Agreed. I would sooner have Dwight Gayle than Pukki.

Dwight Gayle is a finisher and not much else.

Pukki can bring others into play and looks sharp in and around the box. Wouldn't be my first choice (or even second or third). But would be an upgrade on our current options. I'd still want at top class forward coming in as well.

[chrisw1]

I can't see why Norwich would contemplate selling Pukki.  He wouldn't command a particularly big fee, they have their parachute payment and he is their most likley ticket to a return to the PL.

Don't think there's any legs in this one.

[brontebilly]

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

Mid table defence?  We conceded 67 goals, a terrible stat only beaten by Norwich who finished bottom!

A stat that whilst completely true means absolutely nothing. The season was clearly in 2 parts, unlike any other season you have to look at the 2 separately. Pre-covid we conceded slightly more than 2 a game with 57 in 28. After the restart we conceded 11 in 10. That's such a stark change that quoting the overall figure and ignoring it is pointless and misleading. It wasn't just luck either, the stat for shots conceded per game changed in line with the goals figure so the new defensive stability is entirely in line with how we were playing. Over a full season a similar defensive record would make us the 7th best defence in the league.

There's an argument that we sacrificed attacking intent to allow for it but that just supports the idea that we need to change the forward line to one more suited to how we are playing now.

My worry about this new incredible defence is even after lockdown we were still really vulnerable to a simple cross swung in. Two conceded v Chelsea in that manner and of course the incredibly soft goal we let Walcott score. Incredibly good luck aswell that the "goals" from Sheffield United and Palace didn't count either, luck that eluded us in the first half of the season with all the VAR fiascos.

I'd still love a Laursen type at the back who would be a magnet to those crosses and head them away. Suppose that's the crux of playing Hause, we're better at defending high balls but he has nowhere near the ability to pass out like Konsa can so we lose ability to play out quickly.

Dosen't really seem a priority anyway so we'll soon know if it was the right call.

Unforced errors at the back in the last few games still could have cost us. Think back to Konsa v West Ham, it still beggars belief that a centre half in the top division could be done by a simple ball over the top like that in a crucial game. His ball watching habit really worries me, hopefully Engels is reintegrated and provides competition at RCB.

Mings, against Arsenal, standing on the ball 10 yards out and bailed out by a superb Konsa block. Outjumped 6 yards out by Nketiah and the ball comes back off the upright into Reina's hands. How is Mings getting beaten in the air by anyone in the division not to mind some kid who flopped at Leeds. He has it all to prove in this division for me still.

Don't get me started on Matt Targett, woeful in most games last season including the last one. Our keeper situation seems a mess. But the one position we have strengthened at the back so far, right back, is arguably the one we were strongest in.

[Sexual Ealing]

Still though, The lark's on the wing; the snail's on the thorn and all that.

[DB]

I read that Wilson has been offered a 5 year deal at the Geordies? No wonder he has gone there.

[Footy-Vill]

I actually think Hause Mingsy And Konsa are very strong and can form good defensive partnerships. Have all the qualities for a modern defenders game and Konsa and Hause have improved as season went on especially after lock down.

Dean Smith and coaching team did appraisals and  plenty of positional and set-piece work which improved us immeasurably after the extended break.
As we conceded just 11 goals in 10 matches after the restart, and 7 goals came in defeats by Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. Before lockdown we conceded 56 in 28 games.

Ball playing Konsa I think will be pushing for England honours this season. Coupled with Hause only getting better it's a strong position. And I'm happy that the defenders have identified errors  and worked on improving. Mings and Konsa could well be the England partnership come Euro in summer and I think Villa will concede far less goals as we've learnt how to concede far less chances . Smith will look for us to remain solid at the back , continue what Villa did in being difficult to score against and hopefully improve on big chances and finishing expected goals.

Oh at cente back I nearly forget ! We've also got Engels who's good enough cover so feel villa are very strong centrally and have flexibility to go 3 at the back.

The goal keeper and striker issues to me are the most important to get quality in for the remainder of this window. Alongside a wide forward or energetic and emerging midfield having a reliable goal keeper and pacey striker/wide forward will do wonders to our results this season.

[OCD]

I read that Wilson has been offered a 5 year deal at the Geordies? No wonder he has gone there.

Going by those Purslow comments, Newcastle are able to offer better terms too. More money, longer term contract. You can see what he's thinking. Probably his last big contract.

[paul_e]

Even if there were no restrictions in what we could offer the contract from Newcastle is vastly more than any decently run club should be giving to a player with his injury record and fairly average ability.