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

[PaulWinch again]

Indeed and Barkley can’t really have done more to show he’s motivated and wants to make the most of his remaining career.

[Monty]

This can't be real surely. Barkley is one of the worst players I have ever seen put on a Villa shirt and I will be horrified to see him do it again, good season at Luton or not, on a free or not, home grown or not. I'll never forget that clip of him walking around the pitch aimlessly looking completely disinterested. We should be thanking our lucky stars we were able to send him back to Chelsea last time.

On the other hand, in tandem with Grealish he helped produce two of the best attacking performances I've ever seen.

He started well but when the team's form dipped and the pressure mounted he quickly hit Drinkwater levels. He was so bad people had concerns about his mental health, all I remember from that period was him walking around the pitch completely disinterested and then throwing tantrums when he inevitably got subbed. Massive red flags all over him and surely we can do better if we need cover in midfield.

Evidently, not all people.

[pauliewalnuts]

Ross Barkley?

Fuck no. Not now, not ever. Wondering if it's a piss take to be honest.

Nah, a very shrewd signing if it’s confirmed.

I agree.

We have to remember - we are properly fucked by PSR, we've registered 3 years worth of max losses (more or less) in one year.

Anyone thinking we'll go out and drop 60m on a player and sell nobody in the summer is going to have a nasty surprise -  we *can not*, even if we have the money.

We have to look at free signings. That doesn't mean dross (Kamara, obvs).

It means maybe Barkley, who has just had the best season of his career and Emery would improve hugely, it means that Hermoso, who I believe was free or almost so. These are the sort of signings we'll be making.

Those plus our returning injured player, plus a half decent DM and a better back up keeper, and we're sorted.

[DB]

If we get Barkley from last season, a deep lying midfielder who can move forward then he could be useful.

Add in Emery’s coaching.

[brontebilly]

It's a firm no to the idea of Barkley returning to Villa from me.

It's a gamble that we don't need to take for a player who has already shown his negative attitude the last time he was here. Granted he has had a decent season at Luton, but I cant remove his last stint at Villa from my memory.

I get the Emery factor, but it's still a firm no to the idea for me.

If it happens, then I will have to wait & see how he performs, but I wont be expecting much from him.

Barkley pissed away most of his career, including obviously his stint with us. The last season with Luton hardly excuses his flops with us, Nice and Chelsea. I'm stunned we are remotely interested in him, except for the fact he's "free". In pure football terms, we already have Luiz and Tielemans to play in that playmaking spot next to Kamara who are levels above Rosco. I think he would be doing well to nab a 2 year contract from Forest or Everton.

[Mister E]

He started well but when the team's form dipped and the pressure mounted he quickly hit Drinkwater levels. He was so bad people had concerns about his mental health, all I remember from that period was him walking around the pitch completely disinterested and then throwing tantrums when he inevitably got subbed. Massive red flags all over him and surely we can do better if we need cover in midfield.

You've articulated my sense of it well; thanks.

[OCD]

Ross Barkley?

Fuck no. Not now, not ever. Wondering if it's a piss take to be honest.

Nah, a very shrewd signing if it’s confirmed.

I agree.

We have to remember - we are properly fucked by PSR, we've registered 3 years worth of max losses (more or less) in one year.

Anyone thinking we'll go out and drop 60m on a player and sell nobody in the summer is going to have a nasty surprise -  we *can not*, even if we have the money.

We have to look at free signings. That doesn't mean dross (Kamara, obvs).

It means maybe Barkley, who has just had the best season of his career and Emery would improve hugely, it means that Hermoso, who I believe was free or almost so. These are the sort of signings we'll be making.

Those plus our returning injured player, plus a half decent DM and a better back up keeper, and we're sorted.

Hermoso would be on a bosman and Berkley would be a small fee, so I've read.

Not to forget loan deals with either the option to buy or an obligation to buy. The latter is like Arsenal signing David Raya where it's a permanent deal in all name but configured to get round PSR. And with them changing the financial rules from 2025/26, this will probably get used more this summer.

At the next Premier League meeting, they'll likely vote to change the £105m loss figure to £135m too.

Plus proceeds from sales obvs.
 
So there will be ways to work round the system.

[Percy McCarthy]

Ross Barkley?

Fuck no. Not now, not ever. Wondering if it's a piss take to be honest.

Nah, a very shrewd signing if it’s confirmed.

I agree.

We have to remember - we are properly fucked by PSR, we've registered 3 years worth of max losses (more or less) in one year.

Anyone thinking we'll go out and drop 60m on a player and sell nobody in the summer is going to have a nasty surprise -  we *can not*, even if we have the money.

We have to look at free signings. That doesn't mean dross (Kamara, obvs).

It means maybe Barkley, who has just had the best season of his career and Emery would improve hugely, it means that Hermoso, who I believe was free or almost so. These are the sort of signings we'll be making.

Those plus our returning injured player, plus a half decent DM and a better back up keeper, and we're sorted.

While we probably need someone from the club to explain it to us in fine detail, it’s worth remembering that a £100m loss dropped out of the three-year cycle, replaced by that maximum loss you referred to, which with Covid allowances and infrastructure investment, was comfortably under the limit. The other two years on our three year cycle are a £38m loss and a year of braking even (Joe money), which doesn’t drop off until next year. Added to that, we had 1.13 million spectators this season, paying more than ever, compared to less than 800,000 the year before, loads more televised games, prize money for finishing fourth instead of seventh, UECL prize money/TV money, and forty/fifty million of player sales which were pretty inconsequential to the strength of the squad.

Next season we are guaranteed vastly improved commercial income, plus about £50m in CL money.

It’s not all doom and gloom, financially speaking.

[edgysatsuma89]

I do wonder if Footy had suggested signing Barkley on Saturday how many would have reacted. That's not a criticism, football fans are a weird bunch. I think it's a pretty risky buy but maybe we are as skint as keeps getting mentioned in the press.

[Villa in Denmark]

Danish website bold.dk are reporting that Spanish media reckon we're close to signing Barcelona centre back Ronald Araujo for what they're reporting as 100M kroner so about £10M subject to selling Diego.

[Monty]

I do wonder if Footy had suggested signing Barkley on Saturday how many would have reacted. That's not a criticism, football fans are a weird bunch. I think it's a pretty risky buy but maybe we are as skint as keeps getting mentioned in the press.

Probably would've reacted (and looked) like a berk, to be honest. Like the time he had a massive go at Martinez for going forward against Arsenal and we all laughed at him, only for Emery to say exactly the same in the post-match interview. Sometimes, amid all the daftery, he's got a point!

[Dave]

Danish website bold.dk are reporting that Spanish media reckon we're close to signing Barcelona centre back Ronald Araujo for what they're reporting as 100M kroner so about £10M subject to selling Diego.

Seems unlikely. There were reports a couple of months back that Bayern wanted him but Barcelona wanted £100m.

[edgysatsuma89]

I do wonder if Footy had suggested signing Barkley on Saturday how many would have reacted. That's not a criticism, football fans are a weird bunch. I think it's a pretty risky buy but maybe we are as skint as keeps getting mentioned in the press.

Probably would've reacted (and looked) like a berk, to be honest. Like the time he had a massive go at Martinez for going forward against Arsenal and we all laughed at him, only for Emery to say exactly the same in the post-match interview. Sometimes, amid all the daftery, he's got a point!

Yeah, that was funny.

[edgysatsuma89]

Danish website bold.dk are reporting that Spanish media reckon we're close to signing Barcelona centre back Ronald Araujo for what they're reporting as 100M kroner so about £10M subject to selling Diego.

Seems unlikely. There were reports a couple of months back that Bayern wanted him but Barcelona wanted £100m.

I've seen his market value around 70 million euros as well. Maybe the kroner exchange rate has changed rapidly!

[Dante Lavelli]

Barkley has done well at Everton and Luton.  In both instances he was loved by the fans (for the most part at Everton) whereas at Chelsea and Villa he was not an integral piece of the machine.

Not a massive sample size but my guess is he needs to feel loved to play at his best.