Summer Transfer Window (2024/25)

[Jas10]

1 hour ago, jacketspuds said:

Ideal situation for us, if we are still looking at signing Felix, would be to do a deal with Atletico that sees Duran going there as part of a PSR fudging swap.

That would’ve been great but I think that possibility died a long time ago…

They are signing an exceptional player in Alvarez now… we can help them out with what we pay for Felix  

[Jas10]

6 minutes ago, El-Reacho said:

There’s no way he’d drop £40m on maatsen as a new LB when we’ve got two good quality starters in that position still at the club - but still consider us to have enough starting quality CBs. He’s definitely doing some spin there I reckon.

Again, when asked about our summer activity he said it would be quiet… it’s been anything but.

He doesn’t have to be transparent to the media… our business is none of their concern.

[MSvillain]

Forget Felix if he wants to mess around, lets get Fermin Lopez in:

 

[Jas10]

6 minutes ago, MSvillain said:

Forget Felix if he wants to mess around, lets get Fermin Lopez in:

 

[Leeroy]

10 minutes ago, nick76 said:

Just talking to my Chelsea mates and seeing their signings they all see it being worse currently with Conor being pushed out, their captain and engine, they believe Chalaboh is better than the likes of Desei and Batsheille (however you spell his name).  The players they have brought in like KDH and Guiu aren’t of the quality for the top end of the table and may not get game time.  So losing Silva, Gallagher and Chalaboh being pushed out has weakened them.  Added to that another season of loads of purchases, time to bed in, a massive squad and an unknown quantity of a manager compared to Poch getting Chelsea playing at the end of the season makes me say they are weaker going into the season.  The Chelsea fans hate what Boehly and co are doing to the club, it’s not about on the pitch at all, just profit centre.

Our profit centre push was because of PSR but we’ve still added two first team players in Onana and Maatsen.  Barkley and Barrenechea gives us depth in the centre of the park which we were struggling with in parts of last season.  We are obviously linked with Felix for that forward position so that’s good, while Jayden and Iling Jnr gives us more depth on the wide areas.  So if we got Felix and another defensive player we are started to cook and that seems likely.

Yeah I’d probably agree on Chelsea, they have some excellent players but not impressed by their window. Think they could be one of the top 8 who finish below us. 
 

I think most of us would agree two quality players - a defender and a second striker - would really give us a huge boost. Let’s see if we bring them in but time is running out if they are going to be here and ready for the first game. 

[Leeroy]

1 hour ago, Jas10 said:

That’s fine, it’s ok to have some concerns and point things out but we’re not near the end of the window. Don’t see the need to fret or expect failure or regression.

I wasn’t attacking you btw, just responding to the general wave of negativity and pessimism. Not just on here, there’s a lot on places like Twitter too. It’s quite surprising, to me at least. Yeah, you’re not the most negative.

I think the club and Unai have done everything to win our trust and faith after all they have achieved on the pitch so far… 

It would be nice for more of us fans to appreciate what we have done, how good we actually are and not keep writing us off. We have showed we can compete with anyone on our day, we have an incredible manager.

There is nothing to suggest that we won’t be doing more business, so let’s just see how things pan out. The time for judgement calls on that is when the window has closed.

That’s fine mate, I’m just voicing legitimate concerns. I’m not as negative as some, people saying we’ll lose our first 5 games (wtaf?) who I’m sure are just trolling for attention.
 

I think we’ll be fine and challenge for Europe again but think we’ll slide a few places from last unless a couple of top quality players come in. Stronger squad yes, stronger team no.  

[Pez1974]

56 minutes ago, Dodgyknees said:

Had the same the other day, a group of people I was with kept saying Villa could win the league, I was shocked to hear that.

I think people who are taking notice of Villa since Unai arrived realise that we were possible title contenders (almost went top at Christmas but for Archer's goal) until the squad depth issues hit us hard - and they can be dispassionate enough to recognise that we've added depth to the squad we needed.

For the starting 11 - Maatsen is probably an upgrade; Rogers is developing; Ramsey is back, as will Buendia and Mings (who I believe is better than Lenglet and Carlos). 
The downsides are Kamara's injury, plus the loss of Dougie - but I think the team might benefit overall from the physicaliy of Onana compared to Dougie, and we have the players to replace his creativity. 

So, in my opinion, the first 11 might be a little bit better, overall. But the players we can cover and rotate are much improved. 

So far - it's been a great window and there are a few weeks to go.

 

[macandally]

2 hours ago, Leeroy said:

No I love this club which is why I don’t want us going backwards.

 

Plus it’s a forum so I will raise concerns where I see fit.
 

I’m not going to be in denial that this transfer window has been all rosey when it clearly hasn’t been. 

Yeah we get it mate, you have said it throughout this thread.  It’s arguably just repetitive 

[VillaChris]

So if Carlos is leaving to Fulham in next few weeks we need at least one decent and experienced CB in, any reasonable links?

[Condimentalist]

57 minutes ago, Leeroy said:

That’s fine mate, I’m just voicing legitimate concerns. I’m not as negative as some, people saying we’ll lose our first 5 games (wtaf?) who I’m sure are just trolling for attention.
 

I think we’ll be fine and challenge for Europe again but think we’ll slide a few places from last unless a couple of top quality players come in. Stronger squad yes, stronger team no.  

I agree. 

Doug was one of our best and most important players. He gave us what Unai and most top managers crave, which is control. We will miss him. 

Diaby I also liked a lot but his contribution last season is, in principle, easier to replace.

At the moment though our first XI is definitely weaker, even if the squad has more depth. I can't see us signing again in midfield, so I hope Youri/Barkley/Onana step up - but I imagine we might pick up a defender if Carlos goes, and I do think Felix will happen. 

[TRO]

5 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

So if Carlos is leaving to Fulham in next few weeks we need at least one decent and experienced CB in, any reasonable links?

If Carlos is leaving to go to Fulham, I think it's fair to assume that the manager has seen a few things, some of us have.

[JPAngel]

1 hour ago, Pez1974 said:

I think people who are taking notice of Villa since Unai arrived realise that we were possible title contenders (almost went top at Christmas but for Archer's goal) until the squad depth issues hit us hard - and they can be dispassionate enough to recognise that we've added depth to the squad we needed.

For the starting 11 - Maatsen is probably an upgrade; Rogers is developing; Ramsey is back, as will Buendia and Mings (who I believe is better than Lenglet and Carlos). 
The downsides are Kamara's injury, plus the loss of Dougie - but I think the team might benefit overall from the physicaliy of Onana compared to Dougie, and we have the players to replace his creativity. 

So, in my opinion, the first 11 might be a little bit better, overall. But the players we can cover and rotate are much improved. 

So far - it's been a great window and there are a few weeks to go.

 

Can someone delete this post please? It’s far too balanced and positive.

[TRO]

2 hours ago, CVByrne said:

Hear me out on this one.

Lukaku would be an excellent signing for right price and wages. He is perfect profile for strike partner with Watkins. Especially the role he played at Inter for Conte. 

What people need to know about Lukaku is he's a player who drops deep on the right half space to link play. His physicality means he can drop into midfield and take ball under pressure and then find a teammate then get into the box. He's also an excellent finisher. 

Kane does this incredibly well also. Drops deep and has had Son there to find with passes. Watkins and Lukaku would be our Son and Kane. 

Additionally given his talents he will be a high class performer well into his 30s. He's just turned 31 a couple of months ago. 

Finally we know Emery is a huge fan and has been for years. Also Emery has a track record getting the best out of older players and seeing them as undervalued because of no sell on value. 

It's not crazy in terms of us being interested in him. I just don't know if he wants to play anywhere other than Italy. 

it seems, first teamers, who have played for WBA don't want to play for us.

[allani]

3 hours ago, nick76 said:

Every day I get more excited about what Onana can become, he has everything for that central midfield and with Emery’s coaching…

I think he's going to end up being one of the signings of the window (for the entire league not just us).  Just feels like we're the perfect club for him, he'll bring an awful lot to us too and under Emery and his coaching team, Onana's going to get better.  He brings an awful lot of balance to the squad - plus helps address big weaknesses in midfield, defending our own box from set pieces and creating chaos in the opposition box from set pieces.

[DakotaVilla]

1 hour ago, Condimentalist said:

I agree. 

Doug was one of our best and most important players. He gave us what Unai and most top managers crave, which is control. We will miss him. 

Diaby I also liked a lot but his contribution last season is, in principle, easier to replace.

At the moment though our first XI is definitely weaker, even if the squad has more depth. I can't see us signing again in midfield, so I hope Youri/Barkley/Onana step up - but I imagine we might pick up a defender if Carlos goes, and I do think Felix will happen. 

He gave us zero control from feb onwards and was the player that the club decided was most dispensable. We were physically dominated every single time a team decided to rough it up so I totally disagree. I think as long as we score most of the penalties that Dougie took we are already better in the first XI and definitely stronger as a squad. 

[allani]

3 hours ago, Jas10 said:

Not saying it’s gonna happen… but we were well up there with a depleted squad last season. The drop off after the City win was a shame and we weren’t great for most of 2024. We were special in 2023.

Hopefully, we’ve ensured we won’t suffer as much from injuries, suspensions and fatigue this time around…

I would like to see us close the gap… the top 3 ended up being miles ahead on points.

I’m pleased to see Unai getting more recognition and praise from out there… he is the key.

I still think we will finish lower than 4th this season but will have made a step forward to close the gap on the top teams.  That's because it will probably take 1 or 2 seasons for us to realise the potential in some of our younger players.  They'll all benefit from playing together and learning each other's strengths / weaknesses / etc.  I just hope that the fans show the patience that Emery, his team and the owners will and allow this team to develop.

[allani]

2 hours ago, Leeroy said:

Yeah I’d probably agree on Chelsea, they have some excellent players but not impressed by their window. Think they could be one of the top 8 who finish below us. 
 

I think most of us would agree two quality players - a defender and a second striker - would really give us a huge boost. Let’s see if we bring them in but time is running out if they are going to be here and ready for the first game. 

It's always difficult in summers with the big tournaments on.  The good players are usually concentrating on international competition and then getting a well deserved holiday and time to unwind.  It is notoriously difficult to sign players early (unless they are not involved in the later stages).  Emi and Ollie are yet to make it back into training with us.  So I don't think we are as far behind the curve as maybe you have suggested / implied.

[nick76]

4 minutes ago, allani said:

I still think we will finish lower than 4th this season but will have made a step forward to close the gap on the top teams.  That's because it will probably take 1 or 2 seasons for us to realise the potential in some of our younger players.  They'll all benefit from playing together and learning each other's strengths / weaknesses / etc.  I just hope that the fans show the patience that Emery, his team and the owners will and allow this team to develop.

I agree generally but think we’ll get fourth.  Our starting XI has basically only changed with Onana swapping for Luiz and the rest of the team being the same.  You can also swap in Maasten which is likely but our first XI numbers wise hasn’t changed much.  Our alternatives have of course changed with Diaby leaving and his goal involvements but generally we’ve strengthened elsewhere.  I don’t believe our competition have improved significantly so fourth still seems a reasonable prediction imo.  

[TRO]

It strikes me, there are some “pigs in pokes” kinda deals flying around, where clubs are trying to liquidate assets with big reputations, who have become non productive.

we need to be careful of this “ Quicksand”

big reputations can be misleading and “ old hat”

We need to be on our guard.

 

 

[DaveAV1]

6 hours ago, Jas10 said:

I agree… I’m astounded at how young he is and how good he seems to be already. Just imagine the development and improvement Unai can bring about in him. Could be special if he sticks around for the long term, he’s lucky to get to learn under this manager.

I think he and Youri will be our fist choice partnership and bring the best out in each other. I’m encouraged about Barrenechea too. Assuming they’re the 3 main players there but I could be wrong.

I really don’t know about Barkley but could be surprised…

We have options at least. It’s a shame about Dougie and what we have lost but I think our strategy is changing and the forward players will have to take on more of the creative burden while our midfielders make us much more formidable and tougher to beat or score against.

I’m excited about seeing us dominate and not be dominated…

I think your last sentence is the most significant. Matches are usually won or lost in midfield regardless of what happens at the pointy ends, which of course are ultimately the most important but only happen if what happens in the middle of the pitch is right. 

Edited August 3 by DaveAV1