Summer Transfer Window (2024/25)

[OutByEaster?]

@JAMAICAN-VILLAN

Agreed at LB,

Can't agree on left CB - that's weaker - right now if you include Mings, you can include him in last season's too - he's injured now, he was injured then -whichever way you go, we're one Lenglet short.

I'd say RCB is weaker too - losing Chambers gives us a little less back up - not a lot weaker, but not neutral - Gertie makes it stronger.

RB definitely stronger - agreed.

DM - weaker than the start of last season  - we started with Kamara and Doug and ended with Doug and Tielemans. I'm hopeful that Onana could be at the same level as Kamara, although that is a big ask and Doug was better than Tielemans - in the second half of the season, when Kamara is back, we'll be defensively stronger - but they'll need help from further forward to link things up.

CM - stronger, I'd agree - of course we'll miss Doug's ability from deep to get us moving forward and control tempo, but we've got a good mix and really good depth and I think the blend can still give us some control and threat going forward. 

LM - Agree again - stronger I think, because we'll have a whole season of Rogers, and Ramsey is now fit - those two are excellent. 

RW/RF/ACM - on balance, probably stronger I think - we've lost Diaby but gained Buendia and Philogene-Bidace, both of whom will be excellent in terms of backing up Bailey. I notice you split this into two positions - personally, I think the RM position (which will most likely be McGinn) belongs in the CM group. 

ST - neutral at the moment - much depends on Duran - if he stays and isn't disruptive, then we're neutral, if he doesn't stay we'll need a replacement and if he's a pain it won't be helpful.

[OutByEaster?]

18 minutes ago, CarryOnVilla said:

Have you not seen him play at CB? The kids great 

I have, a number of  times - he struggles a bit at times. He was great for a game and a half in pre-season, but even at U21 level you can see that he's not a natural CB.

Two pre-season performances seem to have given a lot of people the idea that he's going to be a great CB.

[Leeroy]

52 minutes ago, The_Steve said:

Imagine writing this sheer nonsense after qualifying for the Champions League. 

Yes but unlike you it seems I actually want us to go far in the Champions League and get out the group. Not just take part, look out of our depth, and never play in it again for another 40 years. 

[Marka Ragnos]

Have Emery and Monchi stumbled? Yes, that's a bit of a troll, but maybe not, too.

I like to complain about the media as much as the next person, but I don't think Tom Collomosse is a nervous nellie or crackpot. He's a good, serious football reporter, and I have to admit, he's not completely unpersuasive here in suggesting we're heading out onto thin ice. I don't think anything bad has happened at all -- it's just football, and we have lots of options -- but I must admit, I'm beginning to suspect we've taken some chances that aren't working our way. The long pursuit of Felix seemed like a big waste of energy and focus. Not our fault, but again, I'm wondering if we're a little too risk-happy? It's a good, thorough, fair article that shoes Collomosse does his homework and has candid sources -- a nice break from the nonsense world of the Muskiverse. 

Quote

 

When he is not marching across the pitches delivering instructions, Unai Emery likes to watch first-team training from the balcony outside his office at Aston Villa’s Bodymoor Heath base.

Key allies like transfer chief Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo – known as Monchi – and director of football operations Damian Vidagany will often drop by to take in parts of the session and for most of his time at Villa, Emery has enjoyed the view.

Yet towards the end of last season, storm clouds were gathering. Even with the club heading for Champions League qualification, there was a sense of anxiety – even panic – among the hierarchy.

 

 

Edited August 13 by Marka Ragnos

[Leeroy]

52 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

We have so many weird fans.

Speak for yourself.

[romavillan]

7 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Have Emery and Monchi stumbled? Yes, that's a bit of a troll, but maybe not, too.

I like to complain about the media as much as the next person, but I don't think Tom Collomosse is a nervous nellie or crackpot. He's a good, serious football reporter, and I have to admit, he's not completely unpersuasive here in suggesting we're heading out onto thin ice. I don't think anything bad has happened at all -- it's just football, and we have lots of options -- but I must admit, I'm beginning to suspect we've taken some chances that aren't working our way. The long pursuit of Felix seemed like a big waste of energy and focus. Not our fault, but again, I'm wondering if we're a little too risk-happy?

 

I'm not paying to read the **** mail, I'd rather take a hammer to my balls. Care to explain why the anxiety and panic in the hierarchy?

[Jas10]

10 minutes ago, Leeroy said:

Speak for yourself.

It wasn’t targetted (solely) at you. Tbf to you, you at least describe and explain your points but the doubt or panic is quite relentless tbh mate and that’s probably what’s annoying a few.

I’m talking about much of the fanbase since the season ended (even before it did, a lot of crying and fretting and major doubt over whether we would even get 4th).

I’m not asking for everyone to be 100% happy and positive or not to question anything at all but…

We’ve just completed the best season of modern times for this club (an incredible rise and achievement) and qualified for CL for the first time ever! We have one of the very best managers around and many excellent players. Wonderful owners who have overseen our rise and progress.

Our transfer business is not over…

But… there has been so much bitching, moaning, complaining, panic etc everywhere (I never refer solely to VT when I say “online”) and it has shocked me… I’m taken aback at the scale of it.

I expected a lot of excitement and enthusiasm in the main… the good times are well and truly back.

 

Onto you, to say that it will be a “forgettable season” is a really poor choice of words at least… we are going to be playing Champions  League football for the first time, it’s going to be absolutely amazing and wonderful. And we do actually have a great set of players that will be competitive.

I cannot get my head around the level of negativity… I sort of had a fear of the raised expectations (due to Unai’s incredible work and achievements) bringing out an uglier side of the fanbase… it’s happened sooner than expected from my pov.

Edited August 13 by Jas10

[Jas10]

2 minutes ago, romavillan said:

I'm not paying to read the **** mail, I'd rather take a hammer to my balls. Care to explain why the anxiety and panic in the hierarchy?

Excellent clickbait. Negativity and controversy sells… I doubt that journo has much insight at all either.

Where is the positivity and excitement? It’s going to be a BIG season!! CL!!!

[Marka Ragnos]

4 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

Excellent clickbait. Negativity and controversy sells… I doubt that journo has much insight at all either.

Where is the positivity and excitement? It’s going to be a BIG season!! CL!!!

Sorry, I disagree. Tom Collomosse is a good reporter and he clearly admires Villa. I think calling it clickbait is unfair, personally, but I understand the context of summer transfers breeds suspicion, so I don't blame you. It's not a silly article and if you're a sports journo, it's not actually that easy to get hired at a place like the Mail.

[Jas10]

3 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Sorry, I disagree. Tom Collomosse is a good reporter and he clearly admires Villa. I think calling it clickbait is unfair, personally, but I understand the context of summer transfers breeds suspicion, so I don't blame you. It's not a silly article and if you're a sports journo, it's not actually that easy to get hired at a place like the Mail.

Fair enough, let’s just agree to disagree. I think there has been too much negativity in general and many things that have been overblown.

The club exceeded expectations in every sense and have dealt with the obstacles or restrictions well…

What would have been our state or reaction if we didn’t get CL?

-

In general, most people are sadly attracted to negative articles and news… it does get a lot more clicks and attention. IMO anyway.

Maybe Collomosse is good but… what about the company he works for?

[grantholtgolazo]

Over Unai’s time here and our unprecedented success there’s been no small amount of talk about a long term strategy for the future, growing commercial revenue, villa park renovations, crashing the “sky 6” etc.

I think some anxiety exists due to this longer term project, instead of a pure focus on this new season and champions league there is a background uneasiness of how will we maintain and build on this position to further the project. It’s easy, and accurate, to say Unai deserves our trust, but it’s less easy for some to silence the concern about our longer term position. That concern can appear as negativity but I think it might be more accurate to call it anxiety. It can almost feel like we’re on an hourglass timer desperate to be successful while we have Unai on board.

We don’t like it but despite our finish last year many in football will still see Chelsea as a bigger club, larger revenue, stacked roster & the trophies and results from recent time to back it up. Villa aren’t there yet, we don’t necessarily need to exceed last years results but for the long term project to succeed we need to maintain the level we have reached. I’ll speak for myself and say I’m hopeful and believe we certainly can but I’m not without worry.

This transfer season has seen our squad grow stronger, it remains to be seen how our first team will function. I plan to enjoy this season regardless, I can’t ignore the importance of maintaining momentum with our project, but I’m trying to take it match by match as much as I can in order to savor the position we are in now regardless of our future.

[romavillan]

21 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

it's not actually that easy to get hired at a place like the Mail.

You're right there, it takes a special kind of word removed to write for the mail.

[RicRic]

6 hours ago, pintpotvilla said:

Please let it be Goncalves I think he would be a top signing for us

I always wonder why no other teams are circling for his signature

[Monsieur Hazdazler]

35 minutes ago, romavillan said:

I'm not paying to read the **** mail, I'd rather take a hammer to my balls. Care to explain why the anxiety and panic in the hierarchy?

I've certainly not paid to read the full article, but I think the section continues to refer to the PSR hole we needed to fill, knowing we were going to have to make a decent sum in players sales and every premier league club knew it, so we'd struggle to make sales at good prices. It's probably fair in that the club were conscious if we didn't get Champions League, that would add to the selling requirement. Ultimately though we did get CL and we made the sales we needed to make while filling some gaps in terms of depth in certain areas. 

[RicRic]

6 hours ago, Leeroy said:

Even little old Fulham are signing players I'd quite happily take here. 

 

Being stuck with Carlos and Duran really will be depressing given they would have funded new signings. 

Wait until the window shuts thats all we can do for now we are forced to be patient, wouldn’t worry just yet, I had a strong feeling that this week we would press hard and sign at least one player, still on the cards but I don’t see no progression or speculation

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

8 minutes ago, RicRic said:

I always wonder why no other teams are circling for his signature

Seems he's quite expensive from what I've seen

[Jas10]

33 minutes ago, grantholtgolazo said:

Over Unai’s time here and our unprecedented success there’s been no small amount of talk about a long term strategy for the future, growing commercial revenue, villa park renovations, crashing the “sky 6” etc.

I think some anxiety exists due to this longer term project, instead of a pure focus on this new season and champions league there is a background uneasiness of how will we maintain and build on this position to further the project. It’s easy, and accurate, to say Unai deserves our trust, but it’s less easy for some to silence the concern about our longer term position. That concern can appear as negativity but I think it might be more accurate to call it anxiety. It can almost feel like we’re on an hourglass timer desperate to be successful while we have Unai on board.

We don’t like it but despite our finish last year many in football will still see Chelsea as a bigger club, larger revenue, stacked roster & the trophies and results from recent time to back it up. Villa aren’t there yet, we don’t necessarily need to exceed last years results but for the long term project to succeed we need to maintain the level we have reached. I’ll speak for myself and say I’m hopeful and believe we certainly can but I’m not without worry.

This transfer season has seen our squad grow stronger, it remains to be seen how our first team will function. I plan to enjoy this season regardless, I can’t ignore the importance of maintaining momentum with our project, but I’m trying to take it match by match as much as I can in order to savor the position we are in now regardless of our future.

We’ve put ourselves in the best possible position (much sooner than anticipated too) and are making moves away from the actual football side as well as on it. I don’t think there is any panic or anxiety at the club… for once, we genuinely appear to have proper and experienced professionals in all of the key areas. The only way is up…

The problem or obstacle are the rules and limitations (I keep pointing to Nassef’s fairly recent comments on PSR and his frustration at that) but they will change…

Our progress and trajectory has been stunning and remarkable… we’ve done and are doing better than anyone would have imagined but we are working and striving for more and better.

It is genuinely the best time at and following the club for me, I can say that with complete confidence and conviction. The owners have been amazing but I’ve never admired and respected a manager anywhere near to the degree that I do Unai and he has been given such a degree of control and freedom aswell as bringing in his own people… the foundations are excellent and it seems like the best approach there can be. 

We are making strides on the commercial/revenue side now too.

It feels so good. So I keep saying, let’s enjoy and experience this time while it is here because… everything is temporary.

Edited August 13 by Jas10

[Osirus]

Mukiele apparently available from PSG, can’t say I’ve seen him play but seems the kind of player we would be after 

[Captain_Townsend]

I think we have been too Conservative in shifting the deadwood. Deadwood is deadwood. You need to get the wages off the books and free up squad places for the newcomers. 

Obviously we Don't know the inds and outs but we seem to have played hardball on Duran and Carlos in particular. Like many others I would rather they were gone and replaced by two new players.

[Zatman]

2 hours ago, The_Steve said:

Imagine writing this sheer nonsense after qualifying for the Champions League. 

not as bad as the nonsense he said when we wouldnt get top four because we lacked ambition by not signing Timo Werner