2023 Summer transfer window - hopes, needs, expectations and rumours.

[Clampy]

I wonder how many people inside Villa Park on the last day of the season stood their and thought 'we were lucky with injuries'?

[chrisw1]

I wonder how many people inside Villa Park on the last day of the season stood their and thought 'we were lucky with injuries'?

What's the point of this post Clampy?  I mostly like your posts but you can be a tit sometimes.

[Risso]

Some thought we'd lost an opportunity in January by not buying players we didn't need or want. They said, come the end of the season it will cost us.

Well, we were relatively lucky with injuries. But generally, most clubs don't have gaps on the bench or two sub keepers because they don't have enough fit players to fill all the sub spots. And Emery himself has said his ultimate goal is to have two quality players for every position.

[Dave]

I wonder if the Saudi Arabia thing is making in a difference in that players are now considering moves there that wouldn’t have done a few months ago, so the ‘transfer merry go round’ isn’t happening as expected?

Plenty of people made the point in January though that we couldn't just assume that things would be the same in the summer.

For the record, I'm sure it'll be fine and we'll get what we need* - but if we don't, then "back in January we didn't foresee 'X' happening" isn't an excuse, it's just an acceptance that they did balls up six months ago. If we thought we were signing players in the summer who then changed their mind when they saw the number of zeroes on their Saudi Arabian contracts, then it's our own fault.

*I did also think that in January though.

[john e]

don’t know what people are talking about We’ve bought loads of people in,
we’ve seen more Spanish shifters and shakers coming over the channel since 1588

[Clampy]

I wonder how many people inside Villa Park on the last day of the season stood their and thought 'we were lucky with injuries'?

What's the point of this post Clampy?  I mostly like your posts but you can be a tit sometimes.

You brought up that we were pretty lucky with injuries. I thought the players were absolutely immense in that run in and Emery deserved every bit of praise he got. Mentioning being lucky with injuries just seemed a bit unnecessary.

[chrisw1]

I wonder how many people inside Villa Park on the last day of the season stood their and thought 'we were lucky with injuries'?

What's the point of this post Clampy?  I mostly like your posts but you can be a tit sometimes.

You brought up that we were pretty lucky with injuries. I thought the players were absolutely immense in that run in and Emery deserved every bit of praise he got. Mentioning being lucky with injuries just seemed a bit unnecessary.

It's just odd that is all you took from what I thought was a pretty balanced post.  I agree that the players were absolutely immense in that run in and Emery deserved every bit of praise he got.  But that wasn't the point I was responding to.  The point, which I appreciate has been made many times before, is that the squad was extremely thin.  We rolled the dice and got away with it.  That doesn't take away from Emery or the players.

[Dave]

I wonder how many people inside Villa Park on the last day of the season stood their and thought 'we were lucky with injuries'?

What's the point of this post Clampy?  I mostly like your posts but you can be a tit sometimes.

You brought up that we were pretty lucky with injuries. I thought the players were absolutely immense in that run in and Emery deserved every bit of praise he got.

Those aren't contradictory opinions though. Both can be (and indeed, are) true.

[PeterWithe]

I was suggesting that the SA situation was affecting the European market in general rather than us in isolation, for instance someone like Zaha who would maybe have been no1 choice for a CL side but now he’s got a mega offer from SA to consider so their picks further down their pecking order are also not yet moving until that deal is concluded, or not.

[AV84]

Some reports that Barnes to Newcastle isn't as done a deal as it was claimed last week. They haven't agreed a price, or Newcastle have to sell to fund it.

[algy]

Look, its fine.

Its just with Heck and Monchi starting it takes a while for them to get up to spe4d.  Think of all the stuff they have to go through:
1) Read that Health and Safety sign we were told at school all employers must have
2) Read all the company policies, and Purslow handover notes
3) Wait for IT to get Purslows laptop back, and set it up for Monchi
4) Be introduced to all of the staff
5) Wait for IT to set them up with an @astonvilla.co.uk email address
6) Have HR give them there key fob
7) Be shown how to use the coffee machine

Once there through all that well be flying

He probably needs his photo to be taken for his ID badge too. They're better now but when I joined my work that was a good couple of hours waiting for that to be printed.

[RamboandBruno]

I tend to think if we were really interested in Barnes, it probably would of happened. Newcastle are obviously a big draw now, but Barnes was reportedly ‘open’ to a move to Villa weeks ago.

Chiesa is not going to happen in my view.

Emery and Monchi will know the Spanish market inside out, it feels like Torres part two and Kessie are realistic.

Brennan Johnsons then the potential curve ball.

Giving pre season is here, i think if we get another 3 players on top of Tielemans and Pau Torres, we’ve done well. I dont see 3 midfielder/forward options and then also a right back and goalie. The lack of new goalie being the most terrifying prospect.

[Steve67]

Torres, Tielemans, Kessie, Torres and Johnson would represent a damn good window. 

I wondered why the likes of Hause, Coutinho, Davis and Sanson weren't at training when they went back on Saturday, given they are all fit and had no international football?  Have they been told not to bother?

[pauliewalnuts]

I wonder how many people inside Villa Park on the last day of the season stood their and thought 'we were lucky with injuries'?

What's the point of this post Clampy?  I mostly like your posts but you can be a tit sometimes.

You brought up that we were pretty lucky with injuries. I thought the players were absolutely immense in that run in and Emery deserved every bit of praise he got. Mentioning being lucky with injuries just seemed a bit unnecessary.

It's just odd that is all you took from what I thought was a pretty balanced post.  I agree that the players were absolutely immense in that run in and Emery deserved every bit of praise he got.  But that wasn't the point I was responding to.  The point, which I appreciate has been made many times before, is that the squad was extremely thin.  We rolled the dice and got away with it.  That doesn't take away from Emery or the players.

I think it is pretty fair to say we were lucky with injuries in the later stages of last season.

Not really sure how that takes away from what the players and managers achieved in any way, but we had almost zero cover up front, for example. We definitely took a gamble there.

As Risso said, look at the bench we had for a lot of the later games last year, we had pretty much zero back up. That's what we need to do this window, significantly increase the pool of very good players.

I also think we need to not talk in terms of starters and back ups. We need more, better players, and they can win the shirt with their showings in training and on the pitch, it's the general quality and quantity we need to work on.

[AV84]

I wondered why the likes of Hause, Coutinho, Davis and Sanson weren't at training when they went back on Saturday, given they are all fit and had no international football?  Have they been told not to bother?

I assumed they were just doing it in groups that day. If they were all being tested and monitored and what not, it's easier to do in small groups. Maybe they film crew were just there for one group.