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

Unless Man City get a world class striker and CB then I dont see them finishing higher than Aston Villa. Villa are well bank rolled aswell remember.
 
andy@moFo said:
Unless Man City get a world class striker and CB then I dont see them finishing higher than Aston Villa. Villa are well bank rolled aswell remember.
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not really, they have ok money, but their best defender, by a mile, actually mroe like a light year, and their captain is gone. Laursen was ridiculously cheap and unless you get a steal like him again, a similar quality CB to replace him will cost 20mil, which you won't buy. I don't see Villa's defence being anywhere as near as good as the first half of this season or year before, you're also losing out on a consistant goal scorer whose won them quite a lot of games.

AS for City, why can't they buy a world class striker and CB< thats the thing they can do it easily, but thats not who they need. They need wingers as they have no consistant wingers. Robinho early season was playing more as a the 2nd striker than the left winger, where he was more prolific. Elano, SWP, Zabeleta are fairly crap and they need first team players to take over those roles. Defensively, they looked brilliant with Bridge, Dunne, Kompany and Richards, but they only managed to put that line up out about 3 times this season. Kompany's toe should be fine by next season and De Jong will be fitter and available for the whole year aswell which gives them a lot more options. They'll only strengthen in the summer aswell as get people back from injury, the jury is still out on Petrov to see if he can regain form and get some consistancy. Belamy was fairly prolific when he played, needs to get injuries sorted.

But City's 3 best signings in De Jong, Bridge and Bellamy were all midseason and 2 had injury/fitness issues for much of the 2nd half of the season.

They are certainly an up and coming team and clearly have the cash to buy in who they need. Will be the next couple years before we see if Hughes is good enough. He rightly benched Vassell, moved Zabeleta out of defence and stopped playing Ball when he first got the chance to replace them. Will have to see who they bring in now. Remember they only had money and new owners for less than a day of the last transfer window, and Jan isn't really the easiest time to get players.

Barry's not a bad buy at all, cover for left back, left wing, attacking mid and when desparate Defensive mid. He might play in DM for england(and look crap doing so) but he hasn't played DM for Villa for years and gets forward constantly and runs the wing a lot to cross the ball. I can see him playing left side at City quite a lot, or playing where Zabeleta is playing now, the more attacking of the central midfield pair(because they had no one else fit all year).

City will start to have a team that is

Given
Richards, Dunne, Kompany(or a new CB), Bridge,
Petrov, De jong, Ireland, Barry

Robinho, Bellamy/Caciedo/new guy

WHich starts to look a very very good side indeed, or 4-5-1 with De jong in the centre, Barry/Ireland either side and Robinho/Petrov on the wings, its when they are forced to play Zabeleta, Onoura, Elano that they look toothless all over.
 
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So much for Barry wanting Champions League football. Last time I checked City aren't even in Europe, let alone the CL. Unless City qualify next year I think he'll have missed the boat.
 
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Good Luck to Gareth from a Villa supporter - he's given us 11 years good service, and £12m would be a decent fee considering he has one year left. At times towards the end of the season he made a number of "sell me" performances.

If his heart's not in it, I don't care where he goes, especially making a backwards step like he is.

I was more upset at Martin Laursen's retirement, and would be if Ashley Young left.

SOTC! Up the Villa!
 
Breeze said:
I doubt he will go to City tbh, though I hope he does. It will either be us (Liverpool), Arse or he will stay at Villa.
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Villa have said he's disusing terms right now. Why would he bother if he's not interested. It's not like City aren't going to comply with his wage demands.
 
Stretch said:
Villa have said he's disusing terms right now. Why would he bother if he's not interested. It's not like City aren't going to comply with his wage demands.
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He's with England at the moment I believe. City have agreed a fee so of course his agent will check out the contract. The final decision lies with him. Don't get me wrong I hope he goes to City I just don't think he will go to them unless us or Arsenal are not actually interested any more..
 
As much as I don't want to see him go, I wouldn't be disappointed if he went to City, better than him going to Liverpool.
 
Unless he's heard a definite "not interested" from Rafa and Wenger then I think it's clear to say Barry is a money grabber.

I bet O'Neil is fuming, he's got a better chance at the CL if he just stayed at Villa.

Really strange decision from Barry if you ask me.
 
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