Summer 2024 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[Drummond]

As in life there are people who live to work, others who work to live, those who have to 'win' be seen to be successful, and to trample on others and loads of people at varying points on the scale.

Just playing is enough for a lot of them, untold riches come with the deal.

[Risso]

You don't get many players like Jamie Vardy or Ian Wright these days, where Premier League success comes relatively late on in their career after playing in the lower leagues. Lots of 19 year olds these days are on multi-million pound salaries, and for some of them it means all they've ever known is the easy life.

[pauliewalnuts]

You don't get many players like Jamie Vardy or Ian Wright these days, where Premier League success comes relatively late on in their career after playing in the lower leagues. Lots of 19 year olds these days are on multi-million pound salaries, and for some of them it means all they've ever known is the easy life.

I think about that quite often, and what I'd have been like had i become a multi millionaire at 19. Dead by 25, I reckon.

I know it's different, as these guys eat, live and breathe playing football since being knee high to a grasshopper, but even so.

[kippaxvilla2]

Rashford anyone? 

[Lastfootstamper]

Talking of young players and early riches, I must have recounted before of when Michael Mancienne was on loan at wolves back in the noughties as a twenty-ish year old, he was put up in the house next door to my youngest brother. When Mancienne left, he left everything behind. Took nothing. Huge telly in every room, gadgets, games consoles, wardrobes full of clothes, the fucking lot.

[pauliewalnuts]

Talking of young players and early riches, I must have recounted before of when Michael Mancienne was on loan at wolves back in the noughties as a twenty-ish year old, he was put up in the house next door to my youngest brother. When Mancienne left, he left everything behind. Took nothing. Huge telly in every room, gadgets, games consoles, wardrobes full of clothes, the fucking lot.

There was a story about Jermain Pennant coming back from a spell at a Spanish (I think) club, having bought himself a Porsche over there, he didn't know what to do with it so just left it at the airport car park, keys in ignition.

[Lastfootstamper]

I vaguely remember that now. Didn't he rack up a big fine for the car park?

[Ads]

Being a Premier League player is very hard to achieve though. Being struck by lightening is probably more likely. The truly top echelon of players who not only make it, but want the boyhood back garden fantasy football to come true and strive to achieve it, are a special breed.

[Demitri_C]

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Id take wan bassaka. The guy can defend

Why ? Our rb is there to predominantly defend. Its not like we want cash bombing forward most weeks.  Wan bassaka for me is hopeless going forward but defensively brilliant. He would slot in perfectly for unais system

Not in the system we play he can’t.

[Dave]

These days, too many players consider the length of a contract and a large salary as a successful career. Trophies doesn't come into it!!

Feckless bunch of losers, doing their job to earn money and support their families.

No premier league footballer is struggling to put food on the table.  I think the point he's making - and one I agree with - is that it feels like for many players these days, success is defined by the number of supercars on the drive of their mansion, rather than the medals on their mantlepiece.

I've no problem with players spending their money however they want. I have a problem with them having the mentality that being able to buy lots of nice things means they've "succeeded" in their chosen career.  There are plenty of multi-millionaire ex-footballers without a single trophy to their names. I don't think we want players who will retire with a nice property portfolio, but an empty trophy cabinet, and be comfortable with it.

If there's a player out there that wants to come in, is good enough to score forty goals for us and isn't that fussed if he wins a trophy at the end of it or not, that's absolutely fine by me. As long as he plays well enough for us that we do.

There are plenty of footballers who just see football as a job and nothing more than that. Just because Ben White isn't interested beyond it being a good living doesn't mean he doesn't still do a very good job for Arsenal (games against Zaniolo notwithstanding).

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I have a problem with them having the mentality that being able to buy lots of nice things means they've "succeeded" in their chosen career.  There are plenty of multi-millionaire ex-footballers without a single trophy to their names. I don't think we want players who will retire with a nice property portfolio, but an empty trophy cabinet, and be comfortable with it.

For years I've felt that too many Villa players just became 'comfortable' playing for us. Obviously much comes from the expectations by the club and even the fans but we've also had too many managers over the years, appointed way above their capability who seemed happy to live in a pressure free environment.

[Sexual Ealing]

I have a problem with them having the mentality that being able to buy lots of nice things means they've "succeeded" in their chosen career.  There are plenty of multi-millionaire ex-footballers without a single trophy to their names. I don't think we want players who will retire with a nice property portfolio, but an empty trophy cabinet, and be comfortable with it.

For years I've felt that too many Villa players just became 'comfortable' playing for us. Obviously much comes from the expectations by the club and even the fans but we've also had too many managers over the years, appointed way above their capability who seemed happy to live in a pressure free environment.

As if to prove your point...
https://twitter.com/PeterCrouchPod/status/1784987015915646984

[AV82EC]

I have a problem with them having the mentality that being able to buy lots of nice things means they've "succeeded" in their chosen career.  There are plenty of multi-millionaire ex-footballers without a single trophy to their names. I don't think we want players who will retire with a nice property portfolio, but an empty trophy cabinet, and be comfortable with it.

For years I've felt that too many Villa players just became 'comfortable' playing for us. Obviously much comes from the expectations by the club and even the fans but we've also had too many managers over the years, appointed way above their capability who seemed happy to live in a pressure free environment.

As if to prove your point...
https://twitter.com/PeterCrouchPod/status/1784987015915646984

A mate sent me that the other day and my blood pressure has just about returned to normal. I nearly resurrected an old MON thread to moan about him again but I’ve decided life’s too short.

[purpletrousers]

Rashford anyone? 

Guy next to me was citing his drop off in form as prime spoiled football material, I tried to imply Collymore-esque it’s not quite as simple as you have everything so how can you not be happy/sorted; a day or two later a story came out about a couple of significant bereavements. Imagine price and salary might be beyond, and probably not watched him enough to form a full opinion but based on last season’s stats and his ability to prod even the Tories into compassionate policy, I’d be interested. It’s bizarre having such belief in a manager to shape and rehab a player.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Rashford anyone? 

Talking of cars, for anybody that's interested in cars and/or mechanics, there's a great series on youtube of a fella rebuilding the £700,000 Mansory Rolls Royce Rashford crashed and wrote-off.