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

[Clark W Griswold]

I'm not sure why people are so against the idea of Raphinha, they'll need to drop the price on him but if he could be an option for less than we're getting for Diaby (which will happen as the window goes on if Barcelona are still desperately chasing Williams) then for me he'd be an upgrade.

Somerville is ok but I firmly believe we've already signed the best winger from last seasons championship (along with a guy who probably would've been in the mix if we hadn't picked him up in January).

From what i've seen Raphinha is a good player, premier league experience and no suggestion of an attitude problem. Like you say, for the right price. My only real quibble is that i dont think he could play centrally if Watkins was out and i think we need that. Does he play both sides though?

[chrisw1]

Be interesting to see what the midfield looks like a new lineup

I see a lot of potential starting lineups with both Tielamans and Barkley  in them
I don’t think Tielemans is consistent enough and a bit lightweight and I don’t think Barclays will be good enough, I think they will be useful over a season especially Tielemans but if they are regular starters I fear we won’t be troubling the top 4

We finished top 4 with Luiz in the midfield, and he was shit from January onwards.

He wasn't as good as he had been, but he really wasn't shit.  I think it's been pretty extensively discussed that he struggled a bit after Kamara was injured as he had to pick up the slack.

The truth is he was one of our key players all season, Emery relies heavily on the double pivot players both defensively and moving the ball forward.  Taking out someone of Kamara's ability immediately put a load more pressure on Luiz, however well the likes of McGinn deputized it was still Luiz who picked up the major burden.

Jacob Tanswell touched on it in his recent article on Onana (not specifically but the context of the role and the high demands on Luiz)

This was, in part, due to how integral Villa’s midfield pivot is within Emery’s broader style, oscillating in system depending on the game state, in or out of possession and depending on where the ball is on the pitch. The overarching formation tends to be a 4-2-2-2, however, with a ‘box’ midfield, split strikers and the full-backs providing width.

It means the holding midfielders have a multi-faceted remit, tasked with covering the width of the pitch to guard against transitions and, with the ball, break lines by playing into the two attacking midfielders — often the most congested and rushed area of the pitch.

All teams are vulnerable against attacks with pace and purpose, especially with a midfield pivot as isolated as Villa’s. Douglas Luiz held more all-encompassing responsibilities than any other player, with Emery demanding he drive up his goal contributions by making more frequent and effective runs into the final third.

The burden on Douglas Luiz increased without Boubacar Kamara alongside him as the defensive anchor. Emery, as is his way, was fixated on his role and regularly (and animatedly) communicated with the Brazilian from the touchline.

A key cornerstone of Emery’s football and something invariably repeated in press conferences is the need for his midfielders to be “intelligent”. This means being ready to counter-press while remaining courageous in possession in precarious areas of the pitch and under pressure from various angles.

In short, Emery needs his deep-lying midfielders to have the capacity to be both a water carrier and a fine diner, able to perform the ugly aspects of the game while offering metronomic qualities with the ball.

You strike as a very knowledgeable poster most of the time and I agree with much you say, but I do think you have a bit of a blind spot with Luiz tbh.
 

[john e]

Be interesting to see what the midfield looks like a new lineup

I see a lot of potential starting lineups with both Tielamans and Barkley  in them
I don’t think Tielemans is consistent enough and a bit lightweight and I don’t think Barclays will be good enough, I think they will be useful over a season especially Tielemans but if they are regular starters I fear we won’t be troubling the top 4

We finished top 4 with Luiz in the midfield, and he was shit from January onwards.

and our form dipped from Jan onwards but probably more to do with Kamara than Luiz, well imo
I know you’re a big fan and of Tielemans as others are but I’m not on board with him as much, I don’t dislike him I think he’s a good player to have in the squad

[Risso]

and our form dipped from Jan onwards but probably more to do with Kamara than Luiz, well imo
I know you’re a big fan and of Tielemans as others are but I’m not on board with him as much, I don’t dislike him I think he’s a good player to have in the squad

I was really pleased when we signed him, but then at the start for us I was concerned that the Leicester fans' opinion that his legs had gone might have been right. He gradually grew into the role over the season though, and by the end I think he'd shown what a quality player he can be.  I think his range of passing is every bit as good as Luiz's, and his shooting is miles better, so that's how we should utilise him. Emery used him in about 7 positions last season, but the challenge for Youri now is to make one position his own, which I think he will.

[Drummond]

I love that our business has been, pretty much, all about signing young players.

30 - Barkley
26 - Torres, Tielemans
23 - Barrenachea, Gauci
22 - Onana, Maatsen, Archer,
21 - Dobbin, Rogers
20 - Iling Jr
19 - Sousa
18 - Nedeljkovic

There's some impressive talent in there, who will have been bought because they can get better, Torres and Tielemans are proven quality and Barkley, though more erratic seems to have knuckled down a lot and provides quality and experience.

It seems to me to be a decisive change in profile and I'm all for it.

[john e]

and our form dipped from Jan onwards but probably more to do with Kamara than Luiz, well imo
I know you’re a big fan and of Tielemans as others are but I’m not on board with him as much, I don’t dislike him I think he’s a good player to have in the squad

I was really pleased when we signed him, but then at the start for us I was concerned that the Leicester fans' opinion that his legs had gone might have been right. He gradually grew into the role over the season though, and by the end I think he'd shown what a quality player he can be.  I think his range of passing is every bit as good as Luiz's, and his shooting is miles better, so that's how we should utilise him. Emery used him in about 7 positions last season, but the challenge for Youri now is to make one position his own, which I think he will.

Well obviously I hope he will because that means he’ll be playing at the top of his form on a regular basis

I think he will be a good squad member like he was last season but as a starter we need better and I hope we’ve got better

I’ve already said earlier in the thread the bench is the strongest I’ve ever known at Villa and Tielemans helps with that squad strength

[AV84]

Could we almost play a whole new starting 11? Not sure about some of the positions, and I might be forgetting someone but.....

Gaucci

Nedeljkovic, Maatsen,
Iling-Junior, Dobbin
Barkley, Enzo, Onana, Philogene
Archer

[Gareth]

Could we almost play a whole new starting 11? Not sure about some of the positions, and I might be forgetting someone but.....

Gaucci

Nedeljkovic, Maatsen,
Iling-Junior, Dobbin
Barkley, Enzo, Onana, Philogene
Archer

Centre back might be a bit of a problem but I live in hope that we get one this summer :-)

[not3bad]

He was signed as ⅓ of a replacement for Grealish, was he not? And that is probably about right.

As was Bailey and he has since proved himself more than that.

Bailey really proved himself last season and from the look of his pre-season up until he was injured it looked like Buendia would too.

[eamonn]

Could we almost play a whole new starting 11? Not sure about some of the positions, and I might be forgetting someone but.....

Gaucci

Nedeljkovic, Maatsen,
Iling-Junior, Dobbin
Barkley, Enzo, Onana, Philogene
Archer

Centre back might be a bit of a problem but I live in hope that we get one this summer :-)

It'll happen as long as we manage to sell Diego Carlos. Or Costa as most commentators refer to him.

[Risso]

He wasn't as good as he had been, but he really wasn't shit.  I think it's been pretty extensively discussed that he struggled a bit after Kamara was injured as he had to pick up the slack.

The truth is he was one of our key players all season, Emery relies heavily on the double pivot players both defensively and moving the ball forward.  Taking out someone of Kamara's ability immediately put a load more pressure on Luiz, however well the likes of McGinn deputized it was still Luiz who picked up the major burden.

Jacob Tanswell touched on it in his recent article on Onana (not specifically but the context of the role and the high demands on Luiz)

This was, in part, due to how integral Villa’s midfield pivot is within Emery’s broader style, oscillating in system depending on the game state, in or out of possession and depending on where the ball is on the pitch. The overarching formation tends to be a 4-2-2-2, however, with a ‘box’ midfield, split strikers and the full-backs providing width.

It means the holding midfielders have a multi-faceted remit, tasked with covering the width of the pitch to guard against transitions and, with the ball, break lines by playing into the two attacking midfielders — often the most congested and rushed area of the pitch.

All teams are vulnerable against attacks with pace and purpose, especially with a midfield pivot as isolated as Villa’s. Douglas Luiz held more all-encompassing responsibilities than any other player, with Emery demanding he drive up his goal contributions by making more frequent and effective runs into the final third.

The burden on Douglas Luiz increased without Boubacar Kamara alongside him as the defensive anchor. Emery, as is his way, was fixated on his role and regularly (and animatedly) communicated with the Brazilian from the touchline.

A key cornerstone of Emery’s football and something invariably repeated in press conferences is the need for his midfielders to be “intelligent”. This means being ready to counter-press while remaining courageous in possession in precarious areas of the pitch and under pressure from various angles.

In short, Emery needs his deep-lying midfielders to have the capacity to be both a water carrier and a fine diner, able to perform the ugly aspects of the game while offering metronomic qualities with the ball.

You strike as a very knowledgeable poster most of the time and I agree with much you say, but I do think you have a bit of a blind spot with Luiz tbh.
 

Er, thanks I think! Luiz was an excellent player for us, but after Christmas he was much, much less excellent. He really struggled with the defensive or ugly side of things. I found this a bit surprising seeing as it's what he started out as and has spent half his career doing. Perhaps Emery should have got somebody else to do more of the donkey work, but by the end it was literally a case of trying to get a half fit first XI together, so possibly didn't have that luxury.

But good as he was, I don't think we'll miss Luiz too much. Onana has been brought in to do some of the heavy lifting, and we've got the likes of Rogers and Tielemans to do the more attacking side. When Kamara is fit again we'll have a huge amount of options in midfield.

[coreyfeldman]

He wasn't as good as he had been, but he really wasn't shit.  I think it's been pretty extensively discussed that he struggled a bit after Kamara was injured as he had to pick up the slack.

The truth is he was one of our key players all season, Emery relies heavily on the double pivot players both defensively and moving the ball forward.  Taking out someone of Kamara's ability immediately put a load more pressure on Luiz, however well the likes of McGinn deputized it was still Luiz who picked up the major burden.

Jacob Tanswell touched on it in his recent article on Onana (not specifically but the context of the role and the high demands on Luiz)

This was, in part, due to how integral Villa’s midfield pivot is within Emery’s broader style, oscillating in system depending on the game state, in or out of possession and depending on where the ball is on the pitch. The overarching formation tends to be a 4-2-2-2, however, with a ‘box’ midfield, split strikers and the full-backs providing width.

It means the holding midfielders have a multi-faceted remit, tasked with covering the width of the pitch to guard against transitions and, with the ball, break lines by playing into the two attacking midfielders — often the most congested and rushed area of the pitch.

All teams are vulnerable against attacks with pace and purpose, especially with a midfield pivot as isolated as Villa’s. Douglas Luiz held more all-encompassing responsibilities than any other player, with Emery demanding he drive up his goal contributions by making more frequent and effective runs into the final third.

The burden on Douglas Luiz increased without Boubacar Kamara alongside him as the defensive anchor. Emery, as is his way, was fixated on his role and regularly (and animatedly) communicated with the Brazilian from the touchline.

A key cornerstone of Emery’s football and something invariably repeated in press conferences is the need for his midfielders to be “intelligent”. This means being ready to counter-press while remaining courageous in possession in precarious areas of the pitch and under pressure from various angles.

In short, Emery needs his deep-lying midfielders to have the capacity to be both a water carrier and a fine diner, able to perform the ugly aspects of the game while offering metronomic qualities with the ball.

You strike as a very knowledgeable poster most of the time and I agree with much you say, but I do think you have a bit of a blind spot with Luiz tbh.
 

Er, thanks I think! Luiz was an excellent player for us, but after Christmas he was much, much less excellent. He really struggled with the defensive or ugly side of things. I found this a bit surprising seeing as it's what he started out as and has spent half his career doing. Perhaps Emery should have got somebody else to do more of the donkey work, but by the end it was literally a case of trying to get a half fit first XI together, so possibly didn't have that luxury.

But good as he was, I don't think we'll miss Luiz too much. Onana has been brought in to do some of the heavy lifting, and we've got the likes of Rogers and Tielemans to do the more attacking side. When Kamara is fit again we'll have a huge amount of options in midfield.

The thing with Luiz is that his form and our form were fairly comparable and the reasons for that slightly unclear - very possibly down to the balance with Kamara a big reason.

But our first half of the season form is really what carried us and Dougie was absolutely integral to how emery wants to play. He was collecting the ball from centre halves and often then playing a pivotal role in the opposition 3rd to get involved directly with the goals we scored. Trying to replace such an influence will be very difficult

[Dogtanian]

I really hope we don't drop the Duran price for these whining cheapskates;

https://www.hammers.news/news/david-sullivan-confidant-shares-fresh-jhon-duran-update-as-transfer-saga-takes-brand-new-twist/

"...because of Aston Villa’s extortionate demands for the highly talented South American youngster."

"The Villa starlet has all of the basic ingredients needed to go on and become a real star of the game in the future."

Yeah? Well pay for him then you moaning twats.

[cdbearsfan]

I could live with a lower fee for a higher sell on. He could waste his talent, but he could be a £100 million player. £30 million plus 20% of any profit would do me.

[brontebilly]

He wasn't as good as he had been, but he really wasn't shit.  I think it's been pretty extensively discussed that he struggled a bit after Kamara was injured as he had to pick up the slack.

The truth is he was one of our key players all season, Emery relies heavily on the double pivot players both defensively and moving the ball forward.  Taking out someone of Kamara's ability immediately put a load more pressure on Luiz, however well the likes of McGinn deputized it was still Luiz who picked up the major burden.

Jacob Tanswell touched on it in his recent article on Onana (not specifically but the context of the role and the high demands on Luiz)

This was, in part, due to how integral Villa’s midfield pivot is within Emery’s broader style, oscillating in system depending on the game state, in or out of possession and depending on where the ball is on the pitch. The overarching formation tends to be a 4-2-2-2, however, with a ‘box’ midfield, split strikers and the full-backs providing width.

It means the holding midfielders have a multi-faceted remit, tasked with covering the width of the pitch to guard against transitions and, with the ball, break lines by playing into the two attacking midfielders — often the most congested and rushed area of the pitch.

All teams are vulnerable against attacks with pace and purpose, especially with a midfield pivot as isolated as Villa’s. Douglas Luiz held more all-encompassing responsibilities than any other player, with Emery demanding he drive up his goal contributions by making more frequent and effective runs into the final third.

The burden on Douglas Luiz increased without Boubacar Kamara alongside him as the defensive anchor. Emery, as is his way, was fixated on his role and regularly (and animatedly) communicated with the Brazilian from the touchline.

A key cornerstone of Emery’s football and something invariably repeated in press conferences is the need for his midfielders to be “intelligent”. This means being ready to counter-press while remaining courageous in possession in precarious areas of the pitch and under pressure from various angles.

In short, Emery needs his deep-lying midfielders to have the capacity to be both a water carrier and a fine diner, able to perform the ugly aspects of the game while offering metronomic qualities with the ball.

You strike as a very knowledgeable poster most of the time and I agree with much you say, but I do think you have a bit of a blind spot with Luiz tbh.
 

Er, thanks I think! Luiz was an excellent player for us, but after Christmas he was much, much less excellent. He really struggled with the defensive or ugly side of things. I found this a bit surprising seeing as it's what he started out as and has spent half his career doing. Perhaps Emery should have got somebody else to do more of the donkey work, but by the end it was literally a case of trying to get a half fit first XI together, so possibly didn't have that luxury.

But good as he was, I don't think we'll miss Luiz too much. Onana has been brought in to do some of the heavy lifting, and we've got the likes of Rogers and Tielemans to do the more attacking side. When Kamara is fit again we'll have we, ,

Agreed, Luiz was an outstanding player for. His ability to get turned quickly on the ball in midfield was essential in getting us playing. That's ignoring his set piece ability, goals and assists. Surely since Emery came in, it's between Watkins and Luiz as to who was consistently our best player in that time.

Anyway, good luck to him but all of Onana, Barkley and Tielemans will equally struggle without Kamara in there next to them I think. I think Emery might well be thinking of a move away from that double pivot at the base of the midfield as a result. Nigh on impossible to pick what our X1 will be for West Ham at this point. So many more options which obviously brings its own challenges. Guess we are still expecting likes of Carlos, Duran, Donk, Archer to move on too.