Summer 2025 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[Dave]

Or The Guardian's space-fillers do.

[Steve67]

Indeed Dave.

[fredm]

Has anyone read the article in The Athletic regarding how clubs finances are held by certain clubs? Apparently some clubs have more than one set of finance figures and they somehow use this to get good figures against what the PL or the other set of figures are. I couldn’t understand this so if someone can explain in simple terms it would be very helpful. If someone can explain clubs are doing it,why aren’t the Villa?
 

[manic-road]

I also think amid the McCormack disaster, Henri Lansbury gets an easy ride.  He's another one that I heard really didn't give a shit.

For some reason Mark Kinsella always stands out in my memory. It wasn't so much that he was bad, more that he was completely invisible in central midfield. I think he started in the debacle in the temple of doom and had an absolute nightmare.

David Unsworth turned out to be a shite signing, at least we got our money back though.

[LeeS]

Balaban’s career stats are excellent better than 1 in 3 at club level and almost as good as that at international. Fuck knows what happened when he came to us.

[VinnieChase84]

For some reason Mark Kinsella always stands out in my memory. It wasn't so much that he was bad, more that he was completely invisible in central midfield. I think he started in the debacle in the temple of doom and had an absolute nightmare.

Yeah, he made Ashley Westwood look like Dennis Mortimer.

Kinsella was a plan that went wrong. He was meant to be paired with matt holland, but holland turned us down last minute

[Tuscans]

John Percy
@JPercyTelegraph

#avfc have a strong interest in Stoke City’s teenage midfielder Sol Sidibe. England under-18 international firmly on Villa’s radar and regarded as a huge talent for the future. Other clubs have also inquired but Villa keen to continue recruiting outstanding young talent

[Brazilian Villain]

Here comes the Sol (Doo-d-doo-doo)
Here comes the Sol
And I say, "It's all right"

[AV84]

Recruiting young talent is all well and good but we don't want to become a club with a reputation for ending careers. Man City and Chelsea used to sign all the bright young things and ruin their development. Sending them out on loan is better than keeping them here and never playing them, I suppose. Feels like a fine line though

[brontebilly]

For some reason Mark Kinsella always stands out in my memory. It wasn't so much that he was bad, more that he was completely invisible in central midfield. I think he started in the debacle in the temple of doom and had an absolute nightmare.

Yeah, he made Ashley Westwood look like Dennis Mortimer.

Kinsella was a plan that went wrong. He was meant to be paired with matt holland, but holland turned us down last minute

I'm not sure that would have improved matters!

Kinsella was a very solid PL midfielder for Charlton and decent for Ireland too, granted next to peak Roy Keane. But he broke his leg from memory around that time and was never the same player again.

[paul_e]

Recruiting young talent is all well and good but we don't want to become a club with a reputation for ending careers. Man City and Chelsea used to sign all the bright young things and ruin their development. Sending them out on loan is better than keeping them here and never playing them, I suppose. Feels like a fine line though

Maybe a fair point but something that I don't think is remotely fair to level at the club right now.

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

John Percy
@JPercyTelegraph

#avfc have a strong interest in Stoke City’s teenage midfielder Sol Sidibe. England under-18 international firmly on Villa’s radar and regarded as a huge talent for the future. Other clubs have also inquired but Villa keen to continue recruiting outstanding young talent

Any relation to the  Sidibe that played upfront for Stoke?

[Somniloquism]

Yes.

Sidibé's son Sol was born in 2007 and signed a professional contract with Stoke in July 2023.

[Dogtanian]

Recruiting young talent is all well and good but we don't want to become a club with a reputation for ending careers. Man City and Chelsea used to sign all the bright young things and ruin their development. Sending them out on loan is better than keeping them here and never playing them, I suppose. Feels like a fine line though

It’s been reported that Villa’s policy is to recruit young players for gaps they need to fill in the academy, specifically not just buying them because they are good.

This has helped Villa sign a lot of these kids as the parents know we are not stockpiling and their kids will be played and develop.

[LeeS]

Recruiting young talent is all well and good but we don't want to become a club with a reputation for ending careers. Man City and Chelsea used to sign all the bright young things and ruin their development. Sending them out on loan is better than keeping them here and never playing them, I suppose. Feels like a fine line though

I don’t recognise this at all. Villa have a great record of being a springboard for talent.