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

[aev]

An interesting counter-factual, I wonder how the summer would have played out if he we had finished fifth?

As presumably we'd stil be hamstrung by the "net positive transfer spend" thing. So if we had wanted to go out and buy all those shiny baubles like Rashford, we would have had to cover it by bigger sales from the current squad - Rogers / Emi / Watkins etc to satisfy UEFA that we're not being naughty.

Obviously the extra money and prestige is A Good Thing, but squad-wise would that definitely have been better?

Yep , but perhaps the penalty would have been different as we could argue we had greater  guaranteed revenue coming in next season (ie this one).

I think that's unlikely - we're being punished for previous transgressions which (in their eyes) had "unlevelled" the playing field to allow us to qualify again. So it wouldn't really be mitigation.

Chelsea had a more severe punishment than us, and they could point to both Champions League and Club World Cup revenues coming their way.

I'd agree, I should have used "could" instead of "would".

If we are getting our house in order in year  rather than by yea 3, I look forward to next years sunny uplands.

[eye digress]

An interesting counter-factual, I wonder how the summer would have played out if he we had finished fifth?

As presumably we'd stil be hamstrung by the "net positive transfer spend" thing. So if we had wanted to go out and buy all those shiny baubles like Rashford, we would have had to cover it by bigger sales from the current squad - Rogers / Emi / Watkins etc to satisfy UEFA that we're not being naughty.

Obviously the extra money and prestige is A Good Thing, but squad-wise would that definitely have been better?

Presumably, we would have taken the same option as Chelsea to partially defer the punishment with the additional anticipated revenue as ballast in the event things didn't go to plan?

Viewed from that perspective, the UEFA "punishment" looks fairly well weighted and considered.

[aev]

We have got rid of a fair amount of wages but don't seem to have brought that much in transfer fees which is (it appears) hindering us (despite having room on revenue / spending numbers).

[AV82EC]

I don't think the summer would have played out much differently. The sanctions we have faced are for our historic transgressions, we can't change them, and whilst we could have pointed to increasing turnover with a maintained CL qualification I'm sceptical that would have influenced UEFA to diminish the punishment, it just means we'd have complied in a shorter timescale and maybe any restrictions would have been lifted by next January.   

[PaulWinch again]

We have got rid of a fair amount of wages but don't seem to have brought that much in transfer fees which is (it appears) hindering us (despite having room on revenue / spending numbers).

I think it’s the SCR stuff really - we’ve got to hit the wage ratio stuff which is a challenge. But the A squad transfer balance stuff means it’s very difficult to spend anything on transfers really.

[kippaxvilla2]

Canvot off to Palace. Think he'll be one that got away.

That's a shame, I like the look of him and hoped he might have been an option for us.  Comes to something when we are missing out on players to Palace.

That's disappointing, if we really wanted him, given our stature relative to Palace, the offer of a higher level of European football, our management team and the fact that we are talking relative bargain basement fees.

Our stature that includes no trophies in 30 years to their two in four months you mean.

[Tuscans]

🚨 NEW: Aston Villa have agreed personal terms with Lyon's Georges Mikautadze.
@LeMechenoua

[Sexual Ealing]

Have we ever had a Georgian?

[Tuscans]

🚨 NEW: Aston Villa have agreed personal terms with Lyon's Georges Mikautadze.
@LeMechenoua

A little tricky fucker from Georgia

[VILLA MOLE]

🚨 NEW: Aston Villa have agreed personal terms with Lyon's Georges Mikautadze.
@LeMechenoua

A forward ?

[Tuscans]

Aston Villa is making progress on Georges Mikautadze! Talks are underway with Olympique Lyonnais for a transfer after an initial offer of around €25 million. The attacker has already agreed terms with the English club.

[Tuscans]

🚨 NEW: Aston Villa have agreed personal terms with Lyon's Georges Mikautadze.
@LeMechenoua

A forward ?

Wide/inside forward....like Malen etc

[Toronto Villa]

Looks like the Marco on his way back stories are gaining a bit more momentum.

[LeeB]

He'll think we're all super excited about his arrival when he sees the flags up everywhere.

[Sexual Ealing]

🚨 NEW: Aston Villa have agreed personal terms with Lyon's Georges Mikautadze.
@LeMechenoua

A forward ?

Wide/inside forward....like Malen etc

We'll have to be careful not to overplay him then.