Winter 25-26 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[Mellin]

Kroupi in the summer please.

Rayan looked like he had talent as well. Why are Bournemouth hoovering up players like that whilst we're signing Guessand? Recruitment is the missing piece of the puzzle at the minute.

[eamonn]

It might be that they can promise a quicker "pathway" to the first team than us and their agents feel that will in turn get the player a bigger move within a year or two if they do well.

[eye digress]

I can see us playing Bogarde and Onana with Luiz slightly ahead.

My thinking too. I think we've looked most potent when we've had Kamara and Onana in tandem, with Tielemans just ahead orchestrating the movement of front 4. So the formation you suggest would be the best simulation of that.

Big bazooka stuff though, could play a whole match like that? Or is it just an option on 60 mins?

[Mister E]

It’s our job as a club to ensure our best players feel we are the best place for their careers. If we carry on as we have been under Emery then we will keep more of our top players and attract excellent ones. For years before Emery arrived, certainly most of the ones many of us remember we have failed in that regard. It’s why we have lost the likes of Yorke, Barry, Milner, Delph, Jack etc. We have to change that by winning trophies. And while Emery is a massive piece of that, the financial rules will also inhibit our progress versus whose clubs already higher up the football food chain. We can’t pay the transfer fees and more importantly the wages. Or when we do we have to be absolutely certain the players will be a success. There has to be minimal margin of error.

You're right that it's about winning trophies but it's also about growing the commercial revenue quickly so that we can afford the salaries we'll need to be paying. Each factor - winning on the pitch and building revenue - drives the other, and there's some pressure to achieve in both areas in the next 12-15 months otherwise our current momentum may fizzle out.

[Mister E]

It might be that they can promise a quicker "pathway" to the first team than us and their agents feel that will in turn get the player a bigger move within a year or two if they do well.

Hopefully, us starting to give games to Hemmings, Jimoh and KY may demonstrate that there is a good pathway at villa.

[nigel]

 Don’t know if this has been posted before.

Read an article yesterday evening linking us with Brahim Diaz, from Real Madrid.
The numbers mentioned were £39m with a shed load of add ons.

[eye digress]

At last, someone who can take a penalty...

[Dante Lavelli]

It might be that they can promise a quicker "pathway" to the first team than us and their agents feel that will in turn get the player a bigger move within a year or two if they do well.

Hopefully, us starting to give games to Hemmings, Jimoh and KY may demonstrate that there is a good pathway at villa.

Arguably we have fully integrated Bogarde into the first team this season, however it would be better if the next talent was closer behind.

Ultimately aiming for one ‘graduate’ each year.

I think we’ve missed a trick not playing more youth players. compared to Bournemouth we have about ten extra games in Europe that could have been used.

[eamonn]

Would we have finished Top Two or Top Eight though ? We still have plenty of senior players that don't get as much game time as they'd like.

[Smithy]

It’s our job as a club to ensure our best players feel we are the best place for their careers. If we carry on as we have been under Emery then we will keep more of our top players and attract excellent ones. For years before Emery arrived, certainly most of the ones many of us remember we have failed in that regard. It’s why we have lost the likes of Yorke, Barry, Milner, Delph, Jack etc. We have to change that by winning trophies. And while Emery is a massive piece of that, the financial rules will also inhibit our progress versus whose clubs already higher up the football food chain. We can’t pay the transfer fees and more importantly the wages. Or when we do we have to be absolutely certain the players will be a success. There has to be minimal margin of error.

You're right that it's about winning trophies but it's also about growing the commercial revenue quickly so that we can afford the salaries we'll need to be paying. Each factor - winning on the pitch and building revenue - drives the other, and there's some pressure to achieve in both areas in the next 12-15 months otherwise our current momentum may fizzle out.

It also doesn't matter how much you win, or how much you earn, you are STILL going to lose good players who want to move on and try their luck elsewhere - even if for nothing more than a 'new challenge'.  Man Utd lost Ronaldo to Real Madrid at the peak of his powers, despite winning three league titles on the bounce and the Champions League.   Sometimes, players just want to play for someone else.

As hard as it is, you have to accept that players don't form the sort of attachment to their "employers" that we do, and they will have their own personal ambitions that might involve playing elsewhere.  As long as they do their absolute best when wearing the shirt, and don't deliberately screw us over, I'm comfortable with that.

If one of our players admitted that they'd like to play abroad one day, just to experience it, I wouldn't automatically begrudge them doing that.  Again, as long as they're doing everything in their power to help the team while they're here.

[Percy McCarthy]

At last, someone who can take a penalty...

Chortle.

[eamonn]

Liverpool want Geertruida from Sunderland via his parent club, the RB we wanted 18 or 24 months ago but couldn't afford. Luckily, when you've got Cash, you don't need nobody else.

[JUAN PABLO]

Liverpool want Geertruida from Sunderland via his parent club, the RB we wanted 18 or 24 months ago but couldn't afford. Luckily, when you've got Cash, you don't need nobody else.

I wish we had gotthat kayode when we was rumoured , but to be fair cash could have been englands RB by now the level he has gone up.

[algy]

Would we have finished Top Two or Top Eight though ? We still have plenty of senior players that don't get as much game time as they'd like.

That’s it, it’s a balance of getting everyone playing enough that we can have a 23/25 man squad where there’s little drop off in quality and everyone’s happy.

With European football, cups, the Premier League. That’s probably around 55 games a season if we do alright (38 league, 6 in the cups, quarter final onwards in Europe) which equates to averaging about 25 games per player. It’s not loads, especially expect your first teamers to be racking up 45+ games.

[eamonn]

Indeed.

Emery didn't seem to categorically rule-out any more signings tomorrow in the quotes I've seen post-Brentford.

Has offloading Guessand given us one last bit of wriggle-room or did signing Luiz take that up? I assume we'd be looking for another CM rather than a wide option. Was Gallagher chased before or after Bouba's injury?

I'd let Bogarde go out on-loan to a bottom-half Prem team if it helped balance the books and let us bring in someone in his place more experienced and more reliable in possession.