**Summer Transfer Thread: News, Rumours and Speculation**

Tunney said:
They were the biggest net spenders in the Premiership, or at least they were before Man Utd bought Berbatov.
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A couple of things you have to take into consideration.

1. Villa's squad when O'Neill arrived was:

Thomas Sorensen (Goalkeeper)
Jlloyd Samuel (Defender)
Olof Mellberg (Defender)
Martin Laursen (Defender)
Gareth Barry (Midfielder)
Lee Hendrie (Midfielder)
Gavin McCann (Midfielder)
Juan Pablo Angel (Striker)
Milan Baros (Striker)
Steven Davis (Midfielder)
Stuart Taylor (Goalkeeper)
Eric Djemba Djemba (Midfielder)
Ulises De La Cruz (Defender/Midfielder)
Wilfred Bouma (Defender)
Aaron Hughes (Defender)
Liam Ridgewell (Defender)
Kevin Phillips (Striker)
Gary Cahill (Defender)
Luke Moore (Striker)
Patrik Berger (Midfielder)
Wayne Henderson (Goalkeeper)

One of the smallest and arguably one of the weakest in the premiership, and suffering from years of under-investment.

2. O'Neill arrived too late in his first season to spend his summer transfer budget, so we went from years of non-investment (due to Doug's pending intention to sell) through another summer with no significant squad rebuilding. Plus the wage bill for that squad was low for the top flight (certainly for what Villa wanted to achieve) and had been for a while.

So last summer's big spending should be seen in that context. It was not business-as-usual for Villa, and we won't be able to repeat it. It was made possible by necessity and by the dictates of what hadn't been spent before.
 
tripitaka said:
I'm pretty sure that Villa were amongst the highest net spenders in Europe last summer...
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Villa had barely a skeleton squad left last summer. The stand in left back dislocated his ankle, the stand in right back left for Juve, Berger left, Cahill left for first team football, a first choice centreback had a long term injury, Luke Moore was **** and they let go two out of three goal keepers. There was little cover on the bench too. The spending was neccessary to make up for underinvestment in previous years and even now the squad isn't exactly large.
 
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strumpusplunket said:
A couple of things you have to take into consideration.

1. Villa's squad when O'Neill arrived was:

Thomas Sorensen (Goalkeeper)
Jlloyd Samuel (Defender)
Olof Mellberg (Defender)
Martin Laursen (Defender)
Gareth Barry (Midfielder)
Lee Hendrie (Midfielder)
Gavin McCann (Midfielder)
Juan Pablo Angel (Striker)
Milan Baros (Striker)
Steven Davis (Midfielder)
Stuart Taylor (Goalkeeper)
Eric Djemba Djemba (Midfielder)
Ulises De La Cruz (Defender/Midfielder)
Wilfred Bouma (Defender)
Aaron Hughes (Defender)
Liam Ridgewell (Defender)
Kevin Phillips (Striker)
Gary Cahill (Defender)
Luke Moore (Striker)
Patrik Berger (Midfielder)
Wayne Henderson (Goalkeeper)

One of the smallest and arguably one of the weakest in the premiership, and suffering from years of under-investment.

2. O'Neill arrived too late in his first season to spend his summer transfer budget, so we went from years of non-investment (due to Doug's pending intention to sell) through another summer with no significant squad rebuilding. Plus the wage bill for that squad was low for the top flight (certainly for what Villa wanted to achieve) and had been for a while.

So last summer's big spending should be seen in that context. It was not business-as-usual for Villa, and we won't be able to repeat it. It was made possible by necessity and by the dictates of what hadn't been spent before.
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you almost sound like a liverpool fan ;)
 
strumpusplunket said:
A couple of things you have to take into consideration.

1. Villa's squad when O'Neill arrived was:
(hardly anything..)

One of the smallest and arguably one of the weakest in the premiership, and suffering from years of under-investment.

2. O'Neill arrived too late in his first season to spend his summer transfer budget, so we went from years of non-investment (due to Doug's pending intention to sell) through another summer with no significant squad rebuilding. Plus the wage bill for that squad was low for the top flight (certainly for what Villa wanted to achieve) and had been for a while.

So last summer's big spending should be seen in that context. It was not business-as-usual for Villa, and we won't be able to repeat it. It was made possible by necessity and by the dictates of what hadn't been spent before.
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Finally, someone that actually speaks bloody sense. :eek:

BaZ87 said:
I hope that wasn't aimed at me you cheeky **** ;)
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No dear :D
 
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Shicky said:
I'd adore it if Roque went to Liverpool!
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If the fee was right (no more than £13m) then he'd be a decent addition to our squad. He could play alongside Torres and unlike Keane, he would naturally slot into the 4-2-3-1 formation if Torres was out.

Providing City aren't in for him (in other words, if Mark Hughes is sacked) then it could be possible but if they're still after him then the fee would be way too much for what he's worth.
 
Not a transfer but it's a rumour of sorts:

Both Hicks and Gillett were at the game last night and interestingly they were sitting together along with Parry. Hicks' finance director from his sports group was also at the game and there have been suggestions that some Arabic looking guys were there too. There's a few reports saying that some kind of announcement could me made regarding the future of the club in the next 24-48 hours.
 
BaZ87 said:
If the fee was right (no more than £13m) then he'd be a decent addition to our squad. He could play alongside Torres and unlike Keane, he would naturally slot into the 4-2-3-1 formation if Torres was out.

Providing City aren't in for him (in other words, if Mark Hughes is sacked) then it could be possible but if they're still after him then the fee would be way too much for what he's worth.
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I don't think we'd be willing to let him go for a penny under 18 though. Wish we'd got shot of him in January to be honest. He's just been injured since then.
 
m0r94n said:
The obvious reason for me would be club stature. Getting a player like Kaka to Man U would be far easier than it would to get him to Villa. Clubs that aren't recognised on both the European and World stages have trouble attracting those big names.

That said, I also agree with your point about the larger budgets of certain clubs.
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People probably hate Manchester as much as they do Brum, even with club "stature" Utd have always found it difficult to attract those players who have already made it - Utd still have a lot more luck getting those who are good / great prospects (coming from a European club rather than EPL etc) rather than those already very well known
 
from the BBC:

Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham could join Tottenham when the 2009 Major League Soccer season ends in October to maintain his match fitness for the 2010 World Cup finals. The England star, currently on loan at AC Milan, grew up down the road from White Hart Lane in Chingford. (The Sun)

Manchester City defender Richard Dunne will join Sunderland this summer for £4m and the Black Cats also want West Brom midfield duo Jonathan Greening and James Morrison. (The Sun)

Tottenham striker Darren Bent is also on Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia's list of targets. (Daily Star)

But Sunderland are set to miss out on £6m-rated Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh, who says he is not interested in a move to the Stadium of Light. (The Sun)

Chamakh, 25, says a move to Premier League is his "priority", adding: "I target a club that is just under the big four. Tottenham could interest me but not Sunderland. (Daily Express)

Chelsea are set to sign highly rated Rapid Vienna striker Philipp Prosenik, 16, during the summer. (The Guardian)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill will make a new defender his top priority if Martin Laursen is forced into retirement. The Danish centre-back needs another knee operation and could be out for nine months. (The Sun)

Everton defender Joleon Lescott has emerged as a shock target for O'Neill, who has £10m to spend and is also considering a move for Manchester City defender Micah Richards. (Daily Mirror) Full story

Villa are being linked with a swoop for Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Maor Buzaglo. (The Sun)

Arsenal have been watching 17-year-old Paris St Germain full-back Chris Mavinga. (Daily Mail)

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola is giving a trial to Racing Santander teenager Lotam Zino. (Daily Mirror)

Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic are battling it out to sign Bristol City midfielder Marvin Elliott for £2m. (Daily Star)

Wigan are close to agreeing a deal for Rosenborg's Ghana midfielder Anthony Annan. (Daily Mail)

Sheffield Wednesday boss Brian Laws wants to sign Wolves midfielder Darren Potter, who has been on loan with the Owls since January, on a permanent deal. (Daily Star)

Swansea City are set to offer a contract to Queen of the South striker Stephen Dobbie. (Daily Mirror)

League One champions Leicester City will spend £400,000 on Liverpool's Jack Hobbs and £200,000 to land Hull City's Wayne Brown. The defenders are both currently on loan with the Foxes. (Daily Star)

West Brom have taken Livingston striker Leigh Griffiths, 18, on trial. (Daily Record)
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BaZ87 said:
Not a transfer but it's a rumour of sorts:

Both Hicks and Gillett were at the game last night and interestingly they were sitting together along with Parry. Hicks' finance director from his sports group was also at the game and there have been suggestions that some Arabic looking guys were there too. There's a few reports saying that some kind of announcement could me made regarding the future of the club in the next 24-48 hours.
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See, you're just as bad as me :p
 
FrankJH said:
People probably hate Manchester as much as they do Brum, even with club "stature" Utd have always found it difficult to attract those players who have already made it - Utd still have a lot more luck getting those who are good / great prospects (coming from a European club rather than EPL etc) rather than those already very well known
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I agree with that, especially on the talent front. United are generally very good with the youngsters they sign. Even so though, if given the choice i'd bet all the money I have that a player like Kaka would go to United over Villa.
 
m0r94n said:
I don't think we'd be willing to let him go for a penny under 18 though. Wish we'd got shot of him in January to be honest. He's just been injured since then.
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It'll all depend on who's after him. With him clearly saying he wants to leave then if City aren't in for him then there may not be much you can do. Unlike Villa with Barry, you're not in a financial position to hold onto a player who doesn't want to be there and then take a big hit on his transfer fee in 6months or a year's time.
Burned_Alive said:
See, you're just as bad as me :p
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:D

I saw it via TLW and i didn't say the source was reliable because SL certainly isn't depsite his godlike status. The guy talks in riddles and will never commit to a story so that if (more like when) he's wrong he can claim he never said that would actually happen.
 
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