Boubacar Kamara

[Rigadon]

Showed what a Rolls Royce of a player he is again last night, not sure how long it will be before other clubs come sniffing but he is the one player we need to get on a fresh contract ASAP.

So we can get more money for him you mean?  Because him signing a new contract won't stop him leaving if a bigger club comes in, as we seem to be finding out this week.

The alternative is to let him leave for free, so yeah. It’s obvious you’re feeling annoyed about the bid for Watkins, I am too, but that’s not evidence of players leaving if a bigger club comes in, is it?

I am indeed annoyed, and probably boring people with it by now haha!  We should be revelling in the amazing achievement of us qualifying via the top 8, but are instead being forced to question whether all this over the last couple of years has actually changed anything for Villa as a club.  For decades we've been also rans who have sold our best players as soon as a bigger club has 'swooped', despite doing all the 'bracing' we possibly could muster.  The outcome has always been the same.  If that doesn't change now, it never ever will.

But yes, I agree with your general point, we should try and set a massive release clause for Kamara so we don't get ripped off when it's time to sell him too.

Emery was saying in his press conference that it's good that our players are attracting interest.  So, maybe that's the way to look at it.  Lose him and I really would be annoyed!!!

[LeeB]

My Marseille-supporting mate told me repeatedly that we were getting a superstar when we signed him.

He wasn't wrong.

We should offer him a stupidly long contract like Haaland.

After Unai's first game I met a big Marseille fan through a mate, I started by saying Sansom had made a rare appearance, he shrugged that off to tell me that Kamara was world class and we'd soon see it.

[Olneythelonely]

I am indeed annoyed, and probably boring people with it by now haha!  We should be revelling in the amazing achievement of us qualifying via the top 8, but are instead being forced to question whether all this over the last couple of years has actually changed anything for Villa as a club.  For decades we've been also rans who have sold our best players as soon as a bigger club has 'swooped', despite doing all the 'bracing' we possibly could muster.  The outcome has always been the same.  If that doesn't change now, it never ever will.

But yes, I agree with your general point, we should try and set a massive release clause for Kamara so we don't get ripped off when it's time to sell him too.

Emery was saying in his press conference that it's good that our players are attracting interest.  So, maybe that's the way to look at it.  Lose him and I really would be annoyed!!!

No. I think you’re right to be annoyed. No one wants to think about our best players leaving, but yeah, it has to be better than no one wanting any of them. We’re in more of a position of power, relatively, than we have been in a long time.

[DrGonzo]

Since the Bosman ruling the power is all with the player's agents and the clubs that can afford to spunk money wildly, that's the reality of modern football. 
Enjoy him while you can, he's a proper player, and must be nailed to a new contract.  Maybe we need some leverage over his agent?  A decent blackmailing angle would surely improve our chances of holding on to him long term?!

[Smithy]

I am indeed annoyed, and probably boring people with it by now haha!  We should be revelling in the amazing achievement of us qualifying via the top 8, but are instead being forced to question whether all this over the last couple of years has actually changed anything for Villa as a club.  For decades we've been also rans who have sold our best players as soon as a bigger club has 'swooped', despite doing all the 'bracing' we possibly could muster.  The outcome has always been the same.  If that doesn't change now, it never ever will.

But yes, I agree with your general point, we should try and set a massive release clause for Kamara so we don't get ripped off when it's time to sell him too.

Emery was saying in his press conference that it's good that our players are attracting interest.  So, maybe that's the way to look at it.  Lose him and I really would be annoyed!!!

No. I think you’re right to be annoyed. No one wants to think about our best players leaving, but yeah, it has to be better than no one wanting any of them. We’re in more of a position of power, relatively, than we have been in a long time.

Part of being a top club, a successful club, with great players, is that there is going to be transfer speculation around them more often than not.  It doesn't matter which club you are, there is speculation about you losing important players.  It happens to Real Madrid, it happens to Man City, it happens to PSG, to Bayern.  Even as Haaland signed his ten-year contract, there was speculation it was just Man City future-proofing the inevitable sale to Real Madrid in the next few years.

As much as I don't like it, I MUCH prefer it to the situation we've had in recent years with expensive deadwood sitting around on long contracts and with absolutely no one interested in taking them off our hands.

In the world of PSR it's also much healthier for the long-term success of the club. Looking at it in a purely mercenary way, I'd much rather have assets that are appreciating, than depreciating.

[Bosco81]

Since the Bosman ruling the power is all with the player's agents and the clubs that can afford to spunk money wildly, that's the reality of modern football. 
Enjoy him while you can, he's a proper player, and must be nailed to a new contract.  Maybe we need some leverage over his agent?  A decent blackmailing angle would surely improve our chances of holding on to him long term?!

I was trying to explain to my 13 year old son last night that he wasn't a free transfer, he was a Bosman, but he wasn't having it, we had the same argument last week about Tielemans.

A free transfer is when the old team don't offer a contract, a Bosman is where the player decides himself to leave, I don't think they mention Bosmans on FIFA !!

[KevinGage]

Can't have been too far behind Rogers for MOTM.

A few wobbles last week but that's two games out of three he's looked comfortable at CB.

He has that McGrath-eque quality where it looks like he's been given the highlights of the match in advance and knows exactly where to be.

[aldridgeboy]

He’s just so good. Gerard did very little good for us.
This is the exception

[cdbearsfan]

He's learning the position bloody quickly. Fair play.

[Somniloquism]

He has that McGrath-eque quality where it looks like he's been given the highlights of the match in advance and knows exactly where to be.

It will probably be his position towards the end of his career.

[paul_e]

He's learning the position bloody quickly. Fair play.

the 60-70 senior games there for Marseille will have helped.

[Brend'Watkins]

He was masterful yesterday but one black mark for that one occasion where with nobody but Emi behind him when he decided to risk turning his forward who pressed him.  He pulled it off obviously but to me it was a dangerous and unnecessary thing to do.

[DrGonzo]

It WAS pretty fucking cool though, wasn't it? Didn't you get a semi on once the anxiety abated?
 He also had an inasane run forward without the ball about 15 mins from time, clearly forgot he wasn't a midfielder at the moment.

With Disasi at left half we could play Bogarde on the right and unleash him into midfield again, althoug JMc looked good in the middle.

[eamonn]

It WAS pretty fucking cool though, wasn't it? Didn't you get a semi on once the anxiety abated?

Asensio has a monopoly on semis, it seems.

[DrGonzo]

Meh, Asensio's meant to do cool shit.  Bouba does it in this quiet Gallic manner, you could practically hear him saying "Ah, bof," and giving a little shrug as he rolled the attacker before lighting a Gauloisse filterless and pouring himself a small brandy....