Emi Martinez

[Dave]

I'm still p8ssed off about the end of the season - all in our hands and we fcuk it up.

The consequences will begin to hit home in the coming weeks. It's been a long time since I've felt this disillusioned with football and our prospects for the upcoming season.

Zoom out a bit.  I don’t get all the doom and gloom, this is the best Villa team I can remember.

We’re likely to win more than we lose next season so enjoy the journey.

Yeah. If someone isn't enjoying *this* Villa era, then it's hard to see what's around the corner that would make them start.

If we were to sort ourselves out to become regular participants in the Champions League then the frame of worry just becomes how we're not building a team to win the title.

Then if we do that the worry is that we're not winning the Champions League. Then it's because we're not retaining the Champions League. None of these things are particularly likely to happen, so you might as well enjoy it being better than it's been for at least the last thirty years.

[DB]

Fabrizio Romano.

Of course...

[The Edge]

He got himself sent off at OT knowing that if we had won that day we would’ve ended up in the CL and he might have stayed when really he wanted to move to them.  It was all deliberate.

If that's true he will be regarded as the biggest shyster in world football but he loves being the pantomime villain and  we've enjoyed watching him winding up opposition fans. I was at Old Toilet when he got into Brunos head and made him miss their obligatory 90th minute penalty and his piss taking dance in front of the Stretford End was just fantastic. If he goes there he will be dead to me.

[Dave]

I’m amazed he seems to be so cheap, keepers seem to have a bit more longevity than the others who have to run around a bit more.

How cheap is he?

Isn't 35m eur being talked about?

I dont think that is expensive for a top keeper.

I think that would make him the sixth most expensive keeper in history, and comfortably the oldest in the top thirty or so goalkeeper transfers. Think you need to go back to someone like Keylor Navas going to PSG for £12m to find a big goalkeeper transfer at a similar age. Or Petr Cech going to Arsenal for £10m when he was 33. Albeit both of those being surplus to requirements when they moved.

If he was as good as he is and 26 years old, I imagine the fee would be double the figures quoted. But he isn't.

[darren woolley]

If he does go I hope it isn't United.

[Stinkin_Thinkin]

I don't think he's on the way down at all, there's plenty left in the tank for me. He'll be back breaking clean sheet records next season.
Im putting the indifferent season down to being tapped up. We all know these things don't happen out of the blue in June, the wheels were in spin long ago and his head was turned. Otherwise why the tears?
However joining a ragged Manu would be a betrayal of bigger proportions than Grealish and Delph.

[aev]

I’m amazed he seems to be so cheap, keepers seem to have a bit more longevity than the others who have to run around a bit more.

How cheap is he?

Isn't 35m eur being talked about?

I dont think that is expensive for a top keeper.

I think that would make him the sixth most expensive keeper in history, and comfortably the oldest in the top thirty or so goalkeeper transfers. Think you need to go back to someone like Keylor Navas going to PSG for £12m to find a big goalkeeper transfer at a similar age. Or Petr Cech going to Arsenal for £10m when he was 33. Albeit both of those being surplus to requirements when they moved.

If he was as good as he is and 26 years old, I imagine the fee would be double the figures quoted. But he isn't.

Perhaps, but with all transfers it is the cost of replacing him too.

And transfer fees have moved on a bit since then.

[LeeB]

I’m amazed he seems to be so cheap, keepers seem to have a bit more longevity than the others who have to run around a bit more.

How cheap is he?

Isn't 35m eur being talked about?

I dont think that is expensive for a top keeper.

I think that would make him the sixth most expensive keeper in history, and comfortably the oldest in the top thirty or so goalkeeper transfers. Think you need to go back to someone like Keylor Navas going to PSG for £12m to find a big goalkeeper transfer at a similar age. Or Petr Cech going to Arsenal for £10m when he was 33. Albeit both of those being surplus to requirements when they moved.

If he was as good as he is and 26 years old, I imagine the fee would be double the figures quoted. But he isn't.

Perhaps, but with all transfers it is the cost of replacing him too.

And transfer fees have moved on a bit since then.

But there's also the fact he's the highest paid player too, and whoever comes in is likely to be on significantly less.

[nigel]

Mrs Brown's Boys still appears on TV, which proves your selection inadmissable.

Again, nobody thinks it's good.

I used to find it funny as I thought it was off the cuff, then I saw it live and realised it was all rehearsed.
The funniest thing about the live show was the wife accidentally put her music on and we thought the arena had forgotten to turn the piped music off. We had an hour of quiet Take That!!!

[aev]

I’m amazed he seems to be so cheap, keepers seem to have a bit more longevity than the others who have to run around a bit more.

How cheap is he?

Isn't 35m eur being talked about?

I dont think that is expensive for a top keeper.

I think that would make him the sixth most expensive keeper in history, and comfortably the oldest in the top thirty or so goalkeeper transfers. Think you need to go back to someone like Keylor Navas going to PSG for £12m to find a big goalkeeper transfer at a similar age. Or Petr Cech going to Arsenal for £10m when he was 33. Albeit both of those being surplus to requirements when they moved.

If he was as good as he is and 26 years old, I imagine the fee would be double the figures quoted. But he isn't.

Perhaps, but with all transfers it is the cost of replacing him too.

And transfer fees have moved on a bit since then.

But there's also the fact he's the highest paid player too, and whoever comes in is likely to be on significantly less.

Absolutely, but then that is part of the gamble I guess.

Will the cheaper new guy be as good, and if not is the drop off in standard compensated by the financial savings?

[Dave]

I’m amazed he seems to be so cheap, keepers seem to have a bit more longevity than the others who have to run around a bit more.

How cheap is he?

Isn't 35m eur being talked about?

I dont think that is expensive for a top keeper.

I think that would make him the sixth most expensive keeper in history, and comfortably the oldest in the top thirty or so goalkeeper transfers. Think you need to go back to someone like Keylor Navas going to PSG for £12m to find a big goalkeeper transfer at a similar age. Or Petr Cech going to Arsenal for £10m when he was 33. Albeit both of those being surplus to requirements when they moved.

If he was as good as he is and 26 years old, I imagine the fee would be double the figures quoted. But he isn't.

Perhaps, but with all transfers it is the cost of replacing him too.

And transfer fees have moved on a bit since then.

If they had moved on that much, there would be other examples of older keepers moving for bigger money then, surely?

Whereas in reality - it's more 34 year old Yann Sommer going to Inter for £5m.

[cdbearsfan]

We will sell him for a pittance. They will sell a far inferior goalkeeper for more money. We will end up with someone much worse. Anyone saying it's good business or we can do better is insane. He's the best goalkeeper we have ever had.

[ozzjim]

I read we won't take less than £40m, but I'm pretty confident the fee will be an offset figure to suit FFP against which United forward we buy in an elaborate swap deal.

[Dave]

I read we won't take less than £40m, but I'm pretty confident the fee will be an offset figure to suit FFP against which United forward we buy in an elaborate swap deal.

Agreed. If he does there, it feels unlikely that we don't end up with one of their forwards playing for us next season.

[cdbearsfan]

If that's Rashford, fair enough. If it's Sancho, may as well just give up at that point.