Leon Bailey (out on loan to AS Roma)

[Bobby Boy]

Whatever decision Unai makes, you have to back it to be the right one. If it were up to me (and, in every sense, what the fuck do I know) his would be the first position on the teamsheet to upgrade if we are to progress. But if Unai thinks he can make him a real something, then obviously I agree.

I think RB is the most critical.
Sharply followed by this.

Sure, another right back is essential and will definitely be sorted. An upgrade on Leon next with another striker not far behind that.

[Monty]

I would imagine that is the first position we want to upgrade. Emery has done brilliantly with what he has available, miraculous almost. But he'll want better, more consistent players than Bailey and Buendia, I've no doubt about that.

And of the two Buendia clearly contributes more, so for me it would be him to stay and fight for his place.

But I agree with CL that right back is also a huge priority.

[Toronto Villa]

Now that we are in Europe I don’t mind it both Bailey and Buendia remained but only as squad players. We will need a bigger, deeper squad and the younger players are going to be critical also. We need 4/5 top player additions and highly reliable squad/role players to come in. It’s the lack of depth that will kill the league campaign even if might we do well in the cups.

[martyn ellis]

Just watched the 'every Villa goal' video and was surprised to see the number of quality assists with a couple of fine goals thrown in from this frequently maligned player. Amongst his less creative moments there's some real quality in there. The pass for our second against Brighton is my standout (and not because it was our last goal of the campaign - my long-term memory is better than that). I really hope he shows more consistency next season; he was beginning to show it towards the end.

[Hookeysmith]

Just watched the 'every Villa goal' video and was surprised to see the number of quality assists with a couple of fine goals thrown in from this frequently maligned player. Amongst his less creative moments there's some real quality in there. The pass for our second against Brighton is my standout (and not because it was our last goal of the campaign - my long-term memory is better than that). I really hope he shows more consistency next season; he was beginning to show it towards the end.

I was going to post something similar - really interesting to see how many times he was directly involved in goals and the build up to goals. Sure he could do more but so could all of them.

The thing i like about him is he never moans when taken off and several times he has been first on pitch at end of game to support the players who finish the game.

[paul_e]

Just watched the 'every Villa goal' video and was surprised to see the number of quality assists with a couple of fine goals thrown in from this frequently maligned player. Amongst his less creative moments there's some real quality in there. The pass for our second against Brighton is my standout (and not because it was our last goal of the campaign - my long-term memory is better than that). I really hope he shows more consistency next season; he was beginning to show it towards the end.

I was going to post something similar - really interesting to see how many times he was directly involved in goals and the build up to goals. Sure he could do more but so could all of them.

The thing i like about him is he never moans when taken off and several times he has been first on pitch at end of game to support the players who finish the game.

This is why I think having a player like him is so important to how we're setup. When Buendia plays in that floating role we're nowhere near as effective as when Bailey does, even though as players Buendia probably has more impact, I think the team just looks more balanced, this is why someone like Williams or Chukwueze would be so useful for us.

[Clark W Griswold]

Whatever decision Unai makes, you have to back it to be the right one. If it were up to me (and, in every sense, what the fuck do I know) his would be the first position on the teamsheet to upgrade if we are to progress. But if Unai thinks he can make him a real something, then obviously I agree.

I think RB is the most critical.
Sharply followed by this.

We need a few really but i think a top class forward / no 10 is more likely to win you something than a top class RB. Cash is pretty decent there anyway, i don't think we have anyone you'd class as good enough in that creative role barring Coutinho having a miraculous improvement in fitness and form. We do need a RB though and whilst we're at it might as well try to improve on Cash.

[Dave P]

It’s being reported this morning on Twitter (I joke I know) but via a respected journo that he is for sale this summer. Didn’t see that coming.

[paul_e]

That seems to have come from the same article that's in the transfer thread and doesn't seem to have much to back it up.

[Dave]

That seems to have come from the same article that's in the transfer thread and doesn't seem to have much to back it up.

He probably *is* for sale in the sense that all but a handful of players are. i.e if a club offered us a price that we thought outweighed his playing value then we'd accept it and sell him.

That's obviously very different to the Sanson / Nakamba / Wesley situation of actively trying to move them out as they are no longer needed.

Like the rest of the article, it's just an exercise in saying nothing while still filling a thousand words of copy.

[paul_e]

That seems to have come from the same article that's in the transfer thread and doesn't seem to have much to back it up.

He probably *is* for sale in the sense that all but a handful of players are. i.e if a club offered us a price that we thought outweighed his playing value then we'd accept it and sell him.

That's obviously very different to the Sanson / Nakamba / Wesley situation of actively trying to move them out as they are no longer needed.

Like the rest of the article, it's just an exercise in saying nothing while still filling a thousand words of copy.

Yeah, exactly, almost everyone at every club is for sale at the right price but that's not what he's implying by writing it the way he has. Of course the Bailey line isn't quite as bad as him repeating the martinez bullshit, I wonder how long it'll be before that particular myth fucks off where it belongs.

[Meanwood Villa]

Jamaica lost in gold cup semis this morning. Not sure how long he'll have off before coming back.

[pauliewalnuts]

Jamaica lost in gold cup semis this morning. Not sure how long he'll have off before coming back.

Ten months hopefully.








CALM DOWN, IT WAS A JOKE.

[N'ZMAV]

[john2710]

In glimpses he's shown what he can do. But like Buendia, he's had 2 seasons to find consistentcy & it's not really happened. If we're going to improve we need more.

He's got 2 years left in his contract, so now would be the ideal time to sell & recoup some of the fee paid for him. I don't think he's done enough to earn a new contract.