January 2023 Transfer Rumours, Discussions and Done Deals Thread

[curiousorange]

I understand not buying players just for the sake of cover, but at the same time I don't understand why everybody is so comfortable not bringing in players to cover a squad which was already putting two goalkeepers on the bench even before the departures of the last week. Emery is a fine manager but he can't raise the dead.

[Risso]

The immediate sale of Ings under Emery shows that it was a mistake when we bought him, with hindsight of course. I don't have a problem with us selling him, but not replacing him will leave us a lot weaker, whatever his imperfections.

[frank black]

We started the transfer window looking for a decent winger and maybe if the right player came along and upgrade elsewhere. Now we need a winger, striker and some strength in depth.

It’s all very Aston Villa isn’t it

[Villatillidie25]

"Aston Villa appear to be happy with their options after adding Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran". I can only assume the targets they wanted aren't available and they've accepted that we'll limp through a little to the summer, which is a bit of a shame as it feels like a real opportunity this year. Despite that, i've never had more trust in the manager and i'd much rather we wait and get the players he wants than buy a £20m+ stop-gap

[Risso]

People seem to be tripping over themselves on Twitter to say how much they trust the manager and how anybody who's the slightest bit put out that we haven't strengthened isn't a real fan. If anybody thinks that Emery would have been happy with that bench against Southampton, then they're kidding themselves. And it's even weaker now.

[LeeB]

Given the profile of the players who've left, I wonder if the manager has said he'd rather use youngsters to fill out the squad in the short term than experienced, possibly frustrated senior players. I'm sure he'd love to get a couple of genuine first team targets in too but if it's not possible to get the right players right now (if the talk of Merino and the kid at Bilbao knocking us back are true, then fuck it.

We've been a lot more pro-active in shifting people than we have been until now and I get the feeling that's at the managers behest.

[PaulWinch again]

One injury to Watkins and we are massively exposed. There’s still half a season left it’d be absolutely mental to not get in more cover for the forward line, as an absolute minimum.

[kippaxvilla2]

What an anti climax.  August 30th - 'if the players we want aren't out there, then I am happy to wait until January rather than just get squad fillers.'  This after we have sold Watkins, Bailey, Mings and Luiz.

[Paul.S]

We have a great coach but not bringing anyone in would be a big mistake. Watkins is a 1 in 3 forward at best and by the nature of his game he runs himself into the ground every week. An injury to him and we could suffer. I did hear Emery say that if we didn’t he get a replacement in he had other options but I don’t see a goalscorer in the squad, even if he plays Bailey there. We may pull a rabbit out of the hat today or tomorrow but the squad is very light and we are crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. I, along with everyone else thought that by selling Ings and sending Archer out on loan someone was lined up. There’s still time but if we don’t then I think we’ll regret it unless, contrary to what we’ve been told Duran is ready to go.
Ings was after all our top goalscorer.

[ozzjim]

McKennie going to Leeds. Interesting to see how he gets on there.

[Risso]

Given the profile of the players who've left, I wonder if the manager has said he'd rather use youngsters to fill out the squad in the short term than experienced, possibly frustrated senior players. I'm sure he'd love to get a couple of genuine first team targets in too but if it's not possible to get the right players right now (if the talk of Merino and the kid at Bilbao knocking us back are true, then fuck it.

We've been a lot more pro-active in shifting people than we have been until now and I get the feeling that's at the managers behest.

If that was the case, why not keep Archer around? He's the best and most experienced of the young players, and has been training as part of the first team all season. Nobody else has a single minute of playing time. As Paul S says above, if we don't bring anybody in I think we'll really regret it. Martinez and Kamara aren't going to want to stay at a mid-table Premier League team forever.

[Drummond]

What an anti climax.  August 30th - 'if the players we want aren't out there, then I am happy to wait until January rather than just get squad fillers.'  This after we have sold Watkins, Bailey, Mings and Luiz.

Being pissed off with a future that only you have made up is a bit odd.

[pauliewalnuts]

It’s the same old failure to do enough. It happens all the time, the limp writing off of seasons - there is half the season left, FFS and we are in a decent position to get a good finish.

It always seems to be “maybe next window” and it’s just endless.

I could handle the lack of incomings if we hadn’t shipped out a group of players. 

Emery is a great manager, and this is nothing to do with my faith in him, but as Risso said, that bench against Southampton was shockingly poor.  It had two keepers and a teenager on it and, and we didn’t even fill it, and now some of the most experienced players who were on it are also not here anymore.

If- if - we bring nobody else in, sorry but that’s pathetic and Lange needs to go. Nowhere near good enough.

There’s not a single one of us who would have been pleased with this business had we known at the start of the window.

[brontebilly]

Time is ticking and we still haven't brought in a striker which even before we let Danny Ings leave the club for pittance we needed.
What the hell is going on down there ?  The bench looks so weak and that's been created by the club letting go BIG Bench players like El Ghazi and Trezeguet leave the Football club.

Oh and then our top goalscorer, you really couldn't make it up

What big bench were they on? Both of them seem to be doing ok to be fair to them. Traore less so, we might aswell have him stuck on the bench at Villa Park as backup to Bailey. That role up near Watkins might suit him.

[LeeB]

Given the profile of the players who've left, I wonder if the manager has said he'd rather use youngsters to fill out the squad in the short term than experienced, possibly frustrated senior players. I'm sure he'd love to get a couple of genuine first team targets in too but if it's not possible to get the right players right now (if the talk of Merino and the kid at Bilbao knocking us back are true, then fuck it.

We've been a lot more pro-active in shifting people than we have been until now and I get the feeling that's at the managers behest.

If that was the case, why not keep Archer around? He's the best and most experienced of the young players, and has been training as part of the first team all season. Nobody else has a single minute of playing time. As Paul S says above, if we don't bring anybody in I think we'll really regret it. Martinez and Kamara aren't going to want to stay at a mid-table Premier League team forever.

I don't know mate, maybe they just bthought it's better for his long term development to get six months of regular games after the waste of the first half of the season rather than at best coming on for 10-20 mins here and there.

Look, I get it regarding living in the present and keeping hold of our stars, but if you can't buy the players you want or need then you can't buy them. Princess Di for that money to Newcastle and they've got all the money in the world behind them and are sitting in the Champs League spots at present.