Summer Transfer Thread and Gustavo Cisneros Type Rumours.

[Flamingo Lane]

With or without Grealish, the number one priority as far as new signings are concerned should be getting in a striker of proven quality, to play either with or in place of Ollie Watkins, it being unrealistic to simply assume that Watkins will maintain the form he showed last season and/or steer clear of injuries, given the workload that would be expected of him in the absence of another decent striker.

[Tuscans]

Leicester kept Vardy.

Didn't keep Kante, Mahrez Maguire or Chillwell though.

[Villan82]

Leicester kept Vardy.

I believe there was a £100m release clause. We wanted that to remain private but the agent told City. That's my reading.

[cdbearsfan]

Leicester kept Vardy.

I believe there was a £100m release clause. We wanted that to remain private but the agent told City. That's my reading.

Dean Smith said there was no release clause. So do you think he was lying or lied to?

There not being a release clause seems more likely to me.

[ChicagoLion]

Leicester kept Vardy.

I believe there was a £100m release clause. We wanted that to remain private but the agent told City. That's my reading.

Dean Smith said there was no release clause. So do you think he was lying or lied to?

There not being a release clause seems more likely to me.

yep, seems people are hanging on to the release clause argument, there has been no indication whatsoever and Smith said there wasn’t.
Does it make people feel better about it or something?

[cdbearsfan]

Leicester kept Vardy.

Didn't keep Kante, Mahrez Maguire or Chillwell though.

Yes but kept the most important. If Grealish goes we will have sold ours. And, you know, they won the league. We look set to wave the white flag having managed nothing other than an InterToto and a Peace Cup since John Major was Prime Minister.

[sickbeggar]

Leicester kept Vardy.

I believe there was a £100m release clause. We wanted that to remain private but the agent told City. That's my reading.

Dean Smith said there was no release clause. So do you think he was lying or lied to?

There not being a release clause seems more likely to me.

To be honest i'd fully expect him to lie about it. I would. You're protecting the club at the end of the day. You don't want it to be public knowledge do you?

[cdbearsfan]

There would be no point in lying. Other clubs will know if there's a release clause, that's what agents are for.

If the club says there is no release clause, Dean Smith says there is no release clause and no reliable source says there is a release clause, most likely scenario, taking out Occam's Razor... there is no release clause.

If we have accepted an offer it is because we have chosen to do so not because we were forced.

[sickbeggar]

There would be no point in lying. Other clubs will know if there's a release clause, that's what agents are for.

If the club says there is no release clause, Dean Smith says there is no release clause and no reliable source says there is a release clause, most likely scenario, taking out Occam's Razor... there is no release clause.

If we have accepted an offer it is because we have chosen to do so not because we were forced.

Well they're saying gentlemen's agreement now. Amounts to the same thing really. but allows Smith to "lie"

[Villan82]

Vinnie on the Grealish thread says 'verbal agreement' about bids north of £100m and that City came in for Grealish on the same day Grealish's agent told Villa he wanted to talk to City.

[Tuscans]

I'm not sure about how many mangers actually know the ins and outs of the contract details of their players. Do managers really care about any of that? And if Smith has said no, Jack hasn't got a release clause then he's probably just fed up of being asked the most repetitive, tedious questions on a daily basis so says no, and can move on.

[Villan82]

There would be no point in lying. Other clubs will know if there's a release clause, that's what agents are for.

If the club says there is no release clause, Dean Smith says there is no release clause and no reliable source says there is a release clause, most likely scenario, taking out Occam's Razor... there is no release clause.

If we have accepted an offer it is because we have chosen to do so not because we were forced.

Well they're saying gentlemen's agreement now. Amounts to the same thing really. but allows Smith to "lie"

In 1998 we learned the player has all the power. That is even more so the case now. The club would have reluctantly shook on the £100m thing hoping it didn't come up but the dirty agent will have told City if you bid £100m they have to let the client talk to you about a deal.

[sickbeggar]

There would be no point in lying. Other clubs will know if there's a release clause, that's what agents are for.

If the club says there is no release clause, Dean Smith says there is no release clause and no reliable source says there is a release clause, most likely scenario, taking out Occam's Razor... there is no release clause.

If we have accepted an offer it is because we have chosen to do so not because we were forced.

Well they're saying gentlemen's agreement now. Amounts to the same thing really. but allows Smith to "lie"

In 1998 we learned the player has all the power. That is even more so the case now. The club would have reluctantly shook on the £100m thing hoping it didn't come up but the dirty agent will have told City if you bid £100m they have to let the client talk to you about a deal.

yeah, its obvious this has all been Grealish/Agent led. He should have come out  in May and been honest he wanted to go if a bid came in like Kane did. Instead he chose to go down the smoke and mirrors route and hoped he could keep his "Villa through and through" tag. Well good luck with that one.....

[Percy McCarthy]

I’m as bereft as I was the day after Brexit day, The only transfer that comes close to being as gutting as this one was the departure of Andy Gray. PFA player of the year and young player of the year in the same season. We recovered and improved, we can do so again. He on the other hand didn’t do much.

[villainabroad]

That's it. He spoke about the club like I would, could have sat by me in the Holte and took it all in with such sincerity. We're at an absolute cross roads where another season of similar progression would create a paradigm shift for us. Open doors to even better quality players and possibly Europe. And we can't do any if that without him.

He has the power to change the fate of the club for good or bad. How the fuck can a Villa fan shit all over that? It doesn't compute, it doesn't make sense, unless you expect it was all hollow, empty lies.

As this whole things gone on, I'm coming more and more in to alignment with Ads here.

You said this was your club, your city. Show it, or fuck off. But do the latter and you'll not be welcome here again.

I completely agree with this view. I've been a Villa fan over 40 years. I spent a few days in denial, but as all the info is leaked out it really seems like he's going.

Two days ago I would have said: I think he's going but I really hope he isn't. Now, I think he's going, and I really hope he is. Jack and his advisors could have managed this differently if they'd wanted to. All of us on here are aware of what a crucial season this is for us, and Jack will be too. All of us know what he means to the club, and to the current work being done by Deano and the rest of the team. I was initially just gutted because he might be leaving - like I have been with a lot of players - but this feels different, beyond that. Much worse than Hodge, Yorke or any others I remember. It's because we had this last summer to some extent (even 2019), and now this summer too. And yet he's always sold it as 'my club', 'my city', and all that.

He's been one of the best (though not *the* best) players I've seen in a Villa shirt. He's been brilliant for us, of course he has, but I will not applaud him as a City player. I wouldn't welcome him back to VP, not this season or in future. It's not his club anymore while he's playing. I wonder if I'm alone in being afraid it might get a bit nasty? That's the scary side of it - I've never seen emotions run so high among Villa fans.

So I now think it's best that he goes. I've already had enough of this, however great he's been for us in the last few years. We just have to make sure we get behind the rest of the team.