January Transfer Window - The Verdict.

[Percy McCarthy]

Big splurge in the summer then no excuses.

One would hope so, although according to the spin aimed at Villa reporters, the money was there for UE’s top targets this month, and it was his decision to wait for them to be more easily available.

[tomd2103]

can I answer after the next window?

It was either a disaster or a pruning exercise so we grow back better in the summer.

I can understand the logic of the pruning argument, especially if we already have an idea of who we are looking at in the Summer and there will be a sizeable influx of players.  The problem could be that a poor finish to the season and a bottom half finish would mean the rebuilding task would be more difficult.

[Scott Nielsen]

Big splurge in the summer then no excuses.

One would hope so, although according to the spin aimed at Villa reporters, the money was there for UE’s top targets this month, and it was his decision to wait for them to be more easily available.

Do we believe that? It would make Emery unique amongst managers, I expect.

More likely the club is pushing a 'narrative' that suits the club. Which is perfectly normal of course.

[Toronto Villa]

The owner didn’t go out of his way to fire Gerrard, appoint a high profile manager (it could have been Pochettino by all accounts), and then in the first transfer window a couple of months in stiff him on what he wanted to do. He would have negotiated everything including transfer autonomy and spending ability heading into the job. It’s been said he likes a small squad so he got rid of mostly players who don’t play and clearly wanted a couple that collectively they didn’t pull the trigger on. We would all have liked a big name signing but let’s not go down the conspiracy theory path as to why it never happened in this window.

[Scott Nielsen]

Fair enough. The money was there but Emery declined for the reasons you suggest. It's unusual and, as they say in politics, a courageous approach.

[Percy McCarthy]

Big splurge in the summer then no excuses.

One would hope so, although according to the spin aimed at Villa reporters, the money was there for UE’s top targets this month, and it was his decision to wait for them to be more easily available.

Do we believe that? It would make Emery unique amongst managers, I expect.

More likely the club is pushing a 'narrative' that suits the club. Which is perfectly normal of course.

What I mean is the fees would have been paid if the players would have agreed to come. For instance, the release clause was met for Williams but he didn’t want to leave. I think that Emery then decided not to move on to other targets, but to go back in the summer. He did speak about wanting a ‘very specific’ type of winger. Also, we were heavily linked with Delofeu, who played 13 minutes in his comeback from injury before getting injured again. So perhaps those were his first two choices and he really didn’t want to go down as far as third choice, assuming there were as many as three on a ‘very specific’ list.

[Scott Nielsen]

Gotcha, Percy. That makes sense.

[Dave]

For instance, the release clause was met for Williams but he didn’t want to leave.

Why has this become an accepted truth? Unless I missed something from someone who might know, there was a Mail Online report saying we "were prepared" to sign him, which was then repeated on the usual clickbaity sites.

I'm not saying it's not true, but it seems to have been given much less scrutiny than reports like that are normally given.

[RamboandBruno]

For instance, the release clause was met for Williams but he didn’t want to leave.

Why has this become an accepted truth? Unless I missed something from someone who might know, there was a Mail Online report saying we "were prepared" to sign him, which was then repeated on the usual clickbaity sites.

I'm not saying it's not true, but it seems to have been given much less scrutiny than reports like that are normally given.

But no one really knows exactly what is true, its all presumption, until a respected source (e.g. John Percy) says something is actually happening. Trying to work out the truth of things here is a rabbit hole with madness at the bottom.

[paul_e]

It feels like a weird thing to make up and there's been no denials anywhere in over a week.

[Dave]

It feels like a weird thing to make up and there's been no denials anywhere in over a week.

Why would there be any "denials"?

If a club commented on every random bit of transfer gossip there wouldn't be much time for anything else.

There haven't been denials about anyone we were linked to last month, but that doesn't mean we actually were trying to sign all fifty of them.

[Baldy]

Verdict - Prudent

7 out of 10

 

[olaftab]

This window has been OK however if Unai manages to ensure we finish in the top half and we DO NOT go big in the summer transfer window  in order to have a real chance of qualifying for Europe next season than I am afraid we are where we have always been for the last 40 years. Missed opportunities.

[pauliewalnuts]

If we are waiting for those signings in the summer (and don’t forget some of the deadweight we have ‘cleared’ first is coming back then, ie Sanson and Nakamba so it’s not like we’ve totally cleaned the house) then we have a better chance the higher up the table we finish.

My concern is that by getting shot of all the strikers bar one (who, for all his running, is no Gerd Muller in front of goal), by not even adding a couple more faces as loans, we are going to blow the best chance in ages to be even near the European places - something which would help us attract those players we are holding out for, and which makes it less likely we end up talking about convincing our best players not to leave because 12th place is hardly indicative of a club going places.

Not if they then get Champions League Newcastle doing what we are trying to do in one year making eyes at them.

I just don’t get it when I see people - sometimes the same people who get so riled about giving up in the cups - on here just wiping off the remaining half a season. 

Anyway, fingers crossed but it looks a bit half arsed to me and smells of our usual failing of never being able to make that decisive next step.

[paul_e]

It feels like a weird thing to make up and there's been no denials anywhere in over a week.

Why would there be any "denials"?

If a club commented on every random bit of transfer gossip there wouldn't be much time for anything else.

There haven't been denials about anyone we were linked to last month, but that doesn't mean we actually were trying to sign all fifty of them.

Denials is probably the wrong word but I can't imagine a story like that getting through with nothing to contradict it after a couple of weeks.