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

[ChicagoLion]

I'd day the last player we bought who improved the first team was Rogers, 18 months ago. Not stellar recruitment since then.

Agree.

[villa for life]

I'd day the last player we bought who improved the first team was Rogers, 18 months ago. Not stellar recruitment since then.

Agree.

I agree too, but when I mentioned that our recruitment “hadn’t been great” on another thread, it was practically seen as heresy.

[eamonn]

Annoying in that case if his value has only increased in the past 6 months and the rules stopped us from buying him in Jan.

"The rules" didn't force us to buy Malen and leave £20m of asset on the bench.

Sure but maybe we could only do one and not both. Rashford and Asensio on-loan made Malen less essential in the end.

So we made poor choices. That's not "the rules stopping us" from buying Mingueza.

Well it is if we have the cash to spend the extra £x million but FFP/PSR says no.

[ChicagoLion]

I'd day the last player we bought who improved the first team was Rogers, 18 months ago. Not stellar recruitment since then.

Agree.

I agree too, but when I mentioned that our recruitment “hadn’t been great” on another thread, it was practically seen as heresy.

Some take any criticism of the club personally.

[olaftab]

I'd day the last player we bought who improved the first team was Rogers, 18 months ago. Not stellar recruitment since then.

He was not bought to do exactly that, just for potential at that time. Remember it was Middlesbrough struggling in the second division he played for. It’s just that he turned out to be very good.

[AV82EC]

I'd day the last player we bought who improved the first team was Rogers, 18 months ago. Not stellar recruitment since then.

Agree.

I agree too, but when I mentioned that our recruitment “hadn’t been great” on another thread, it was practically seen as heresy.

Some take any criticism of the club personally.

Or maybe just maybe they disagree with yours and others opinions. Life as a Villa fan isn’t some
Miserablist brummie doom cult but it also isn’t a
Happy clappy aren’t the roses in the garden lovely experience either. Who’d have thought, there’s nuance.

The evidence doesn’t back up the assertion in my view. When we were on our 10/12 wins to charge up the table at the end of the season I didn’t see many moaning about the contributions of Onana, Maatsen and Malen.

[pauliewalnuts]

I'd day the last player we bought who improved the first team was Rogers, 18 months ago. Not stellar recruitment since then.

Agree.

I agree too, but when I mentioned that our recruitment “hadn’t been great” on another thread, it was practically seen as heresy.

Some take any criticism of the club personally.

Or maybe just maybe they disagree with yours and others opinions. Life as a Villa fan isn’t some
Miserablist brummie doom cult but it also isn’t a
Happy clappy aren’t the roses in the garden lovely experience either. Who’d have thought, there’s nuance.

The evidence doesn’t back up the assertion in my view. When we were on our 10/12 wins to charge up the table at the end of the season I didn’t see many moaning about the contributions of Onana, Maatsen and Malen.

I'd also add, Duran wasn't here long, but he certainly improved the first team against Bayern Munich, and then the bank balance when we sold him.

[Mister E]

Maybe we should look to play Onana as a RCB and team Hemmings and Kamara in central midfield. I could see Onana offering more value in that role, to be honest.

[KevinGage]

I'd day the last player we bought who improved the first team was Rogers, 18 months ago. Not stellar recruitment since then.

Agree.

Unpopular take: But we were a more effective and freescoring team before we had to shoehorn Rogers in to the starting XI.

We were regularly horsing teams by 3s and 4s - particularly at home - in the first half of 2023/24. Rogers' arrival coincides with dip in overall performances and results in the second half of the campaign.

Is it all on him? Absolutely not.

But I can see a life without him. And don't feel we'll be hugely worse off for it.

[Ian.]

I’d say the last three years or so has seen us qualify for Europe and the the Champions league and again another European competition with a cup semi-final. That doesn’t look like the work of shoddy recruitment.

Maatsen and Onana contributed massively in the latter part of last season. Malen also chipped in with some vital goals. Torres was a main driving force into us getting into the Champions League.

[Mister E]

I'd day the last player we bought who improved the first team was Rogers, 18 months ago. Not stellar recruitment since then.

Agree.

Unpopular take: But we were a more effective and freescoring team before we had to shoehorn Rogers in to the starting XI.

We were regularly horsing teams by 3s and 4s - particularly at home - in the first half of 2023/24. Rogers' arrival coincides with dip in overall performances and results in the second half of the campaign.
Is it all on him? Absolutely not.
But I can see a life without him. And don't feel we'll be hugely worse off for it.

My main concern with Rogers is that Emery seems to regard him as untouchable, even in a game like yesterday's where he was largely crap.

[Ian.]

Rogers has been sensational at times. It surprises me how many are quick to criticise a young player like this.

[Mister E]

Rogers has been sensational at times. It surprises me how many are quick to criticise a young player like this.

Maybe, but surely no one should be above justifiable criticism? And, his youth means he still has plenty to learn, and it would be unreasonable to expect him to be brilliant all the time.

[Clampy]

He's 23, he'll go through dips in form. Cole Palmer did in the second half of last season.

[eye digress]

That would be very low.

What's his book value?