Summer Transfer Thread and Gustavo Cisneros Type Rumours.

[Villan82]

When was the last time we had an exciting deadline day signing?

Jordan Bowery!

[ozzjim]

Anyone take a 12 month loan of Lingard to play 10?

Back off to Wet Spam isn't he?

They have just signed Vlasic who will likely play there so I doubt it. It was a tongue in cheek suggestion, although he would probably do quite well for us if he kept his form from last season.

[Drummond]

And I forgot to say our younger group look bloody good. As do the numerous signings we've made to the Academy (apparently).

[Demitri_C]

The net spend argument is completely clouded by the record transfer fee that came in.

When you look at the players in, and out, we're stronger.

Out
Ratboy
Wesley
Hourihane
Guilbert
Engels
Heaton

In
Ings
Buendia
Bailey
Young
Tuanzebe

We're stronger up front, we're stronger in defence, and we're down Hourihane in midfield. (Sanson came in early so could be argued to be a replacement, though given Hourihane was on loan too it's not really much different)

Goalkeeper is weaker though we've brought Sinisalo back from a solid season of first team football in Scotland.

I'd say the only area we've not upgraded (or downgraded) is central midfield, yet we have McGinn and Luiz who are both good players. We have Nakamba, Sanson, as seniors and Ramsey, Chukwuemeka as younger players coming through.

I suspect the sort of player we want we haven't been able to get yet, but it's not the disaster some are making out.

The other thing I'd like to say is that we have a much better squad than we have had for a long time. We are improving and frankly need to again this year. I think we can but we've had a rough few weeks with Covid-19 and injuries which has distorted things.

Re the coach situation, we've brought in MacPhee and another is serving notice elsewhere. We're freshening things up.

On paper we do but we wont really know until xmas time. I havent been overly impressed with the play so far in the first three games, however i accept its

A) early days
B) poor pre season preparation
C) injuries
D) we havent been able to field anywhere close to our strongest side yet

[Neil Hawkes]

If we don’t bring anyone in today in midfield will it make me nervous betw now and January? absolutely, will it be a disaster, doom & gloom scenario? No way.

Club have invested a lot in Sanson, we need him on the field so we can judge if he is good enough, you don’t spend 14m on a player who was valued much higher before the French tv crisis crashed the market over there and not see him as a likely starter - he needs to be fit and play.

If there is an opportunity to bring in a player who can consistently do the good things Nakamba does in one off games but is also capable of actually passing the odd ball forwards then would hope to get it done- if that player isn’t available or doesn’t want to come to us then we go with what we have.

But even with sanson he isnt the dm we are looking for. He is more of a creative attacking player.

We are so lightweight in the middle of the park its unbelievable. If smith cant see that he is more clueless than we thought

The answer to above is that you won't know until you have seen him play more than a handful of games.
The last player I saw that was similar to Sanson in style & noting their previous clubs preferred position was Stan Petrov; do you think Stan (in his prime), would be be a good DM for this current team?
I do not believe for one minute the management & owners are not aware of what is required to push on to the next level & are doing what they believe is necessary to achieve that target, in a sustainable way taking into account of any high cost signings not making the grade & needing to be moved on at a loss.

[Monty]

Net spend alone isn't necessarily the argument, nobody wants to see money spent just for the sake of it. However, the net spend combined with a big hole in the team is frustrating, because it means there must be money there to address it, and therefore it's going unaddressed for some unknown reason.

[RamboandBruno]

If we don’t bring anyone in today in midfield will it make me nervous betw now and January? absolutely, will it be a disaster, doom & gloom scenario? No way.

Club have invested a lot in Sanson, we need him on the field so we can judge if he is good enough, you don’t spend 14m on a player who was valued much higher before the French tv crisis crashed the market over there and not see him as a likely starter - he needs to be fit and play.

If there is an opportunity to bring in a player who can consistently do the good things Nakamba does in one off games but is also capable of actually passing the odd ball forwards then would hope to get it done- if that player isn’t available or doesn’t want to come to us then we go with what we have.

But even with sanson he isnt the dm we are looking for. He is more of a creative attacking player.

We are so lightweight in the middle of the park its unbelievable. If smith cant see that he is more clueless than we thought

I don’t think he’s clueless at all so that’s a ‘you’ or ‘I’ not a ‘we’

We are light in there undoubtedly but it has to be right player incoming, someone who demands a shirt every week

Just to correct you all it needs is "one" other person to say he is clueless then it becomes a we. That part of your post was unnecessary. Anyway in subject

Of course it has to be right player, not a panic buy but i find it hard to believe there are not better players out there than nakamba.  If we have aspirations for europe we wont get there if nakamba has to play week in week out if luiz gets injured. Not sure if he has aspirations to play axel there but my preferred option would be a player proven in that position.

JJ, chuk, sanson and mcginn are not ball winning midfielders. We need another one of them in my opinion. A more solid tank like player. We don't have any of those.

No but your tone indicated you thought ‘we’ as in a number of us think Smith is clueless. I don’t think he’s clueless either.

[Footy-Vill]

Lookman going to Leicester
I wonder if that opens up a chance to sign Callum Hudson Odoi as I think it was one or the other attacking player for Leicester

[sickbeggar]

Why would we be after him?

[Shrek]

Lookman going to Leicester
I wonder if that opens up a chance to sign Callum Hudson Odoi as I think it was one or the other attacking player for Leicester

If it does, I hope we steer clear. He is utter dross. Bidace has shown more the bits we’ve seen already.

[ozzjim]

The net spend argument is completely clouded by the record transfer fee that came in.

When you look at the players in, and out, we're stronger.

Out
Ratboy
Wesley
Hourihane
Guilbert
Engels
Heaton

In
Ings
Buendia
Bailey
Young
Tuanzebe

We're stronger up front, we're stronger in defence, and we're down Hourihane in midfield. (Sanson came in early so could be argued to be a replacement, though given Hourihane was on loan too it's not really much different)

Goalkeeper is weaker though we've brought Sinisalo back from a solid season of first team football in Scotland.

I'd say the only area we've not upgraded (or downgraded) is central midfield, yet we have McGinn and Luiz who are both good players. We have Nakamba, Sanson, as seniors and Ramsey, Chukwuemeka as younger players coming through.

I suspect the sort of player we want we haven't been able to get yet, but it's not the disaster some are making out.

The other thing I'd like to say is that we have a much better squad than we have had for a long time. We are improving and frankly need to again this year. I think we can but we've had a rough few weeks with Covid-19 and injuries which has distorted things.

Re the coach situation, we've brought in MacPhee and another is serving notice elsewhere. We're freshening things up.

Do you genuinely think, during a match, we are stronger going forward now than we were with Grealish, Barkley, Watkins and Traore? I admire the confidence and really hope you are right. I think we are all trying to pretend like the best player in a generation that we have had is replaceable, and I have seen nothing of Villa under Smith to think that he is. I don't argue we have not bought in good players, but the logic and the team shape with them I am struggling with. We will find out in time of course, and I really hope you are spot on.

[Big Ming]

With Sarr and Anguissa apparently gone or going elsewhere, the only one of our much talked about possible CDM 'targets' remaining  seems to be Doucoure (unless I missed something?).

[Percy McCarthy]

I’d happily go along with the positive posts about greater strength in depth and giving the kids a pathway if there was just one more signing for the base of the midfield where we have seemingly no promising kids or adequate seniors.

[AV82EC]

I’d happily go along with the positive posts about greater strength in depth and giving the kids a pathway if there was just one more signing for the base of the midfield where we have seemingly no promising kids or adequate seniors.

Perfectly put and I’d say where most of us are at.

[ozzjim]

With Sarr and Anguissa apparently gone or going elsewhere, the only one of our much talked about possible CDM 'targets' remaining  seems to be Doucoure (unless I missed something?).

Who looks on paper ideal and not that expensive. While we are in transition, bedding in a player like him would surely be a good idea.