Summer Transfer Window (2024/25)

[El-Reacho]

Think all the wheeling and dealing with youth players and squad players is where clubs like us can make significant profits quickly - far more so than shirt sponsors or match day income. In that context the Luiz deal and swap deals etc make a lot of sense. If SIJ or Enzo come good this season that could be worth more money to us than qualifying for the CL.

[Tubby]

A very solid window in my opinion:

1. Navigated the farce that is PSR beautifully with the DL deal
2. The two players bought in exchange will either make it here or offer additional PSR profits, further improving the Doug deal
3. Onana is a beast and fills a massive physicality gap that we've had for a while. He plays at a top level and will make others better. Onana and Kamara will be a special pairing.
4. Maatsen will break into the first team in no time, but it's good to see Digne relishing the competition.
5. After Duran chose to stay/teams withdrew offers, we didn't need any business up front and in OW and JD we have a good combination for all eventualities.
6. 10 was always a pressing need after Diaby left, but Rogers is emerging as a real talent and Emi offers a nice alternative. JPB is good business in rotation with Bailey.
7. Barkley was a value pickup that adds experience and enough quality to the rotation. Unless there are injuries or particular rotation requirements, he won't be starting in the Premier League, but he strengthens the bench.
8. Dobbin is and always was, a PSR makeweight.
9. The only area we didn't strengthen and perhaps should have is in defence, specifically CB and RB (although Kosta looks like he could be a top player and Mings will hopefully come back and play his part as we know he can).
10. The outgoings have been sensible; Sanson wasn't part of UEs plans, the same for Coutinho; Moreno hasn't got back to the levels we previously saw and is in a crowded spot; the young players sent out on loan are the ones with potential to play a part in the first team squad or generate PSR value.
11. The only disappointment is that the Donk is still kicking around, equally the inability to shift Carlos for funds is an indication of the cost of the business previously done.

We'll make more moves in January for sure, but this squad isn't far off what UE wants and needs, to win trophies for Aston Villa.

UTV!

Edited August 31 by Tubby

[TheMightyVillans]

56 minutes ago, nick76 said:

Transfer window taking into consideration PSR/SCR - 7 out of 10

Transfer window ignoring PSR - 5 out of 10

Logically and my brain is with the top one.  I should be satisfied but feeling like the second one to be honest.

 

i agree. if we managed to get geertruida in then would have been 9/10 considering PSR/SCR

[Leeroy]

1 hour ago, eholm said:

We’ve never played a genuine wide left player though have we?  Maatsen will soon be our attacking left side player once he replaces Digne. JJ will eventually be our left hand side no10 with Buendia and Rogers able to play both the left 10 role as well as the SS role. 

We play an inverted left winger. We've got enough players I'm just not convinced of the quality. Buendia wasn't great even before his injury. If Ramsey gets back to his best he'll be an asset, but still lacked consistency in his first 2 seasons. Rogers could be fantastic but needs to add end product. 

 

But be honest, compared to our rivals, our attacking options are limited. Man Utd, Chelsea, Spurs all have better quality depth. Maybe not Newcastle but they like us are struggling to break through the Sky 6 advantages.

[The_Steve]

2 hours ago, CVByrne said:

If we can move on the big costs from the club permanently next summer. 

Carlos, Digne, Coutinho, Dendonker. We look to move on Buendia and Cash also. This gives room to solve at RB, RCB and SS. 

Would be interesting if we could do something in Jan with Carlos to get in Joe Gomez possibly.

I wonder where Iling Jinior plays for Bologna, I assume one of the wingers as they play 4231/433. So we'll need to recruit a LB unless we want to keep Moreno 

I agree with this - I think next summer will be our biggest, most transformative window when we get those older higher earners off of the books. We would also move the likes of Olsen too. It would dramatically shift the age of the squad too. Regardless of where we finish next season, if we can keep a European place (and I see no reason why we won’t), SCR is 70% and the rules are changing around PSR a little. I think they’ve done a great job with all the restrictions but also because of the limitations placed on us with such previous purchases (though for me nobody at the time would have foreseen the radical improvements under Unai). We’d have Enzo and Samuel back next summer too as more experienced players and I imagine we will look to make more PSR moves with some of our younger names. But with the likes of Louie, Kaine, and Bogarde all getting new contracts too, there’s many exciting names Unai rates. I just hope we can keep some of our big youth names too - but we’ve shown with the likes of Mosquera and Kane, we are still more than happy to invest in youth players. 

[jacketspuds]

Thinking short-term, this window feels like a good one but could have been even better.

Long-term however this was a great window. The age of the squad has come down and we’re nearly at the point where everyone in the squad can add value throughout the season. We’re really down to Dendoncker and Hause as the players that take up squad and / or financial space and don’t really have an impact.

Back to the age of the squad, most of the players we have brought in could be here for the next 10 years if things work out. We are moving away from signing older players on long contracts with high wages, who we inevitably loan out until their contracts run down.

Rogers is proving to be a more than adequate replacement for Diaby in that support striker / number 10 role, and Philogene is a cheaper option to provide backup on the right.

PSR might actually force us to throw a few more younger players into the mix, such as Bogarde, Swinkels and maybe even Rory Wilson, which could be a good thing.

I’m probably being overly positive, but I’m delighted at where we are as a club right now and, despite my terrible memory, even I can remember where we were 5 years ago.

 

[The_Steve]

1 minute ago, jacketspuds said:

Thinking short-term, this window feels like a good one but could have been even better.

Long-term however this was a great window. The age of the squad has come down and we’re nearly at the point where everyone in the squad can add value throughout the season. We’re really down to Dendoncker and Hause as the players that take up squad and / or financial space and don’t really have an impact.

Back to the age of the squad, most of the players we have brought in could be here for the next 10 years if things work out. We are moving away from signing older players on long contracts with high wages, who we inevitably loan out until their contracts run down.

Rogers is proving to be a more than adequate replacement for Diaby in that support striker / number 10 role, and Philogene is a cheaper option to provide backup on the right.

PSR might actually force us to throw a few more younger players into the mix, such as Bogarde, Swinkels and maybe even Rory Wilson, which could be a good thing.

I’m probably being overly positive, but I’m delighted at where we are as a club right now and, despite my terrible memory, even I can remember where we were 5 years ago.

 

With Unai here for the long run and NSWE so committed, our future is very bright indeed. I am just as frustrated as many about the restrictions, but we are such a well-run machine now and we won’t be making the mistakes of old. We are of course correcting that, getting better at selling names and building a younger more dynamic squad. It won’t happen overnight, but whatever happens in the next 12 months, we will be moving in the right direction. 

[cb_82]

Come along way since we were waiting for ratification on a deal for Tom Cleverly the following morning

 

[Kiwivillan]

9 minutes ago, jacketspuds said:

I’m probably being overly positive, but I’m delighted at where we are as a club right now and, despite my terrible memory, even I can remember where we were 5 years ago.

8 years ago

[jacketspuds]

4 minutes ago, Kiwivillan said:

8 years ago

Those were the days.

That’s a well balanced transfer window and at least they managed to sign someone that can play anywhere across the back 4 in De Laet, unlike the clowns running the club now.

Give me those thoroughly planned deals over the likes of Maatsen, Onana and Rogers any day of the week.

[Captain_Townsend]

9 minutes ago, cb_82 said:

Come along way since we were waiting for ratification on a deal for Tom Cleverly the following morning

 

Indeed. Those were awful days.

We have done well. Yesterday felt like 6/10, today feels like a 7/10 window.

[david-avfc]

Really disappointed with not signing a right back, it was a priority position for us to strengthen. I like Matty Cash but I have doubts he is truly a top 5 club starting quality player which is what we need to be aiming for long term, and tactically he is not the defensive profile we regularly try to utilise on the right side of defence. Nedeljkovic is a good prospect but relying on an 18 year old from the Serbian league this quickly surely cannot have been the plan.

[AV82]

I'm not too concerned about RB. I'm not saying I'd turn down a new player like a Frimpong or a Geertruida but there is another way to look at it. Our team last season drastically needed a new, attacking full-back and the capture of Maatsen perfectly fits that profile of player. Moreno was flagging and on the wrong side of 30 and while Cash is no superstar we can all agree Konsa looked very comfortable at RB and gives us an intriguing balance when paired in that position with a marauding LB on the opposite side.

It works. A brand new attacking LB replaces Moreno, allows us to lean on Konsa at RB (as well as the capable Diego Carlos) and pave the way for Mings to return. We also have an emerging youngster in Nedeljkovic. I can confidently say I'd much rather replace Cash with Konsa (and likewise him with Carlos/Mings) than sign a new flashy RB and be stuck twiddling our thumbs if Digne got injured and we were left relying on a lacklustre Moreno or an out of position Pau/Mings.

With our financial constraints we might not have signed a new, sexy RB but we have managed to find and successfully sign a LB who, for all we know, is better than any RB we could have realistically signed this season. All while having capable, diverse options at CB/RB. If we were limited to signing only one fullback this summer, which I think is the case, I am over the moon with Maatsen.

Pending the return of Mings (some risk, yes, possibly covered by the emergence of Bogarde) our backline isn't as bad nor as neglected as some seem to think.

Edited August 31 by AV82

[CVByrne]

26 minutes ago, The_Steve said:

I agree with this - I think next summer will be our biggest, most transformative window when we get those older higher earners off of the books. We would also move the likes of Olsen too. It would dramatically shift the age of the squad too. Regardless of where we finish next season, if we can keep a European place (and I see no reason why we won’t), SCR is 70% and the rules are changing around PSR a little. I think they’ve done a great job with all the restrictions but also because of the limitations placed on us with such previous purchases (though for me nobody at the time would have foreseen the radical improvements under Unai). We’d have Enzo and Samuel back next summer too as more experienced players and I imagine we will look to make more PSR moves with some of our younger names. But with the likes of Louie, Kaine, and Bogarde all getting new contracts too, there’s many exciting names Unai rates. I just hope we can keep some of our big youth names too - but we’ve shown with the likes of Mosquera and Kane, we are still more than happy to invest in youth players. 

The new format for Europe and the fact the big 6 in England with their big squads are the ones who've qualified (plus us). I feel this makes it highly likely England have 8 teams in Europe next season, making it most likely ending in top 8 is enough to qualify. Now Conference League would be absolutely crippling for us to comply with the 70% squad cost rule and get pennies in added income, instead of not being in it and having 85% squad cost rule. 

I see 5th to 7th as realistic for us. Europa or Champions League next season would allow us to finish the squad, to have only players Emery wants and has signed or resigned to new contracts here. That will be a good moment in our development. It's crazy that we're under 2 years into the emery project and still working hard to undo the legacy of damage Gerrard and Purslow did.

[sne]

I felt RB was our weak link last season and it likely is this season too. If Konsa moves to RB then it might be CB that's the weakest position. Kosta might turn into a top half RB already this season and then things chance, likewise Mings might come back in top shape and again if so things change. I doubt Carlos will be more than just OK and the same with Cash.

Considering the number of (difficult) games we'll be playing this season I think the squad looks thin and I wouldn't be surprised if we fade towards the end just like last season. It's happened to loads of clubs going into their first CL season. Hope we are still in the fights come January and maybe we can find room to add something to help us finish the season strong.

[Pez1974]

10 hours ago, R.Bear said:

Going into a season with Champions League football with two recognised strikers is insane to me.

We've got a star striker, who anyone in the League (except Man City) would love to have as first choice. 

We've got a £35m striker, based on bids, who Chelsea and West Ham were keen to sign to lead their line.

And we've got a wunderkind who could player as a striker, but is better deployed as a no10 it seems, in case of emergency.

I think we are insanely well stocked in that position, given we play a single striker, and the massive limitations placed on us by PSR, and the UEFA one.

[Pez1974]

10 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

I find it bizarre that Ivan Toney ended up in Saudi for 40 mill.

No PL team or European team wanted him at the price? Very strange.

Unless he was offered a shit load of money.

I think this is a sign of PSR biting down hard.

He's good, but didn't tear up any trees when he came back last season.

£40m for a player of 28, so will have no resale value to speak of. If it doesn't work out, you have the equivalent of Raheem Sterling on your hands - a huge annual PSR amorisation, and having to pay a load of their wages to let him play for your rivals. 

PSR is awful - but it does seem to have at least stemmed the bonkers deals at the higher end of the market. 
 

[AshVilla]

Should have been our biggest transfer window ever.

Best season for 20 years, CL football and finally able to attract the calibre of player to stay at that level.

But no, not allowed get back in your box says PSR.... Meanwhile teams like chelscum and manure finishing in the conference/europa league gaming the system spending whatever they like.

The system is broken and it's killing football and my appetite for the game as a fan.

Edited August 31 by AshVilla

[duke313]

Transfer window champions West Ham only have three senior centre backs (I’ve been told that is an issue), two of which they signed this transfer window. 

[The_Steve]

6 minutes ago, Pez1974 said:

I think this is a sign of PSR biting down hard.

He's good, but didn't tear up any trees when he came back last season.

£40m for a player of 28, so will have no resale value to speak of. If it doesn't work out, you have the equivalent of Raheem Sterling on your hands - a huge annual PSR amorisation, and having to pay a load of their wages to let him play for your rivals. 

PSR is awful - but it does seem to have at least stemmed the bonkers deals at the higher end of the market. 
 

He's allegedly earning more than Grealish in Saudi. Utter madness.