Aston Villa Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours/Champions League Thread 2024/25

Panrich · 04-01-2020 7:28pm

pavb2 wrote: »

Same as when we played Wolves and Liverpool in the Carabao cup the squad players just don’t impress, you never come away thinking any of them should be a starter

Norwich played a young lad today and he got a hat trick. Smith gave Ramsey 5 minutes. It was an ideal opportunity to give at least one or two young lads a run.

LeBash · 04-01-2020 7:40pm

Panrich wrote: »

Norwich played a young lad today and he got a hat trick. Smith gave Ramsey 5 minutes. It was an ideal opportunity to give at least one or two young lads a run.

Irish U21 as well.

CSF · 04-01-2020 8:52pm

We’re a weird club. There’s a lot of players earning more than they could ever aspire to otherwise and when players don’t feel they could seek to earn more elsewhere or win things at Villa, they seem to stagnate.

Smith doesn’t appear to be a fire in the belly type motivator and we do appear to have signed quite a few players who don’t seem to naturally have that fire in their belly.

artanevilla · 04-01-2020 9:07pm

CSF wrote: »

We’re a weird club. There’s a lot of players earning more than they could ever aspire to otherwise and when players don’t feel they could seek to earn more elsewhere or win things at Villa, they seem to stagnate.

Smith doesn’t appear to be a fire in the belly type motivator and we do appear to have signed quite a few players who don’t seem to naturally have that fire in their belly.

I feel a lot of the players stagnate because they've reached a big a club as they could ever hope to play for, there's probably only two in the current squad that would walk into any other Premier League team, the rest are playing at the highest level they could ever hope for.

LeBash · 05-01-2020 5:02pm

Being linked with Britt Assombalonga and Darren Randolph. 2 good signings if we get them imo. Randolph has been really good for a long time, not a flapper, never panics.

Assombalonga is probably one striker that is super suited to the way we are playing since we got into the PL. Good at holding up long balls, big lump who knows how to use his physicality and other than a couple of brilliant through balls by Jota this season, we dont really play that way.

GHOST MGG · 05-01-2020 11:03pm

Giroud negotiations apparently favourable to villa,but chelsea want to sell him and not loan which poses a problem for villa,villa have plans to purchase a second striker later in the window

sc86 · 06-01-2020 6:47pm

Talk of glenn murray on loan
Good man for 10 or 15 mins
Hope hes not our main target
Fcukin hell

CSF · 06-01-2020 7:55pm

sc86 wrote: »

Talk of glenn murray on loan
Good man for 10 or 15 mins
Hope hes not our main target
Fcukin hell

Jesus that is a grim shout

JPA · 06-01-2020 8:02pm

I'm sure we were in for a striker anyway, now we need 2. An experienced player was probably on our agenda already.

Glenn Murray wouldn't be too exciting though.

Esse85 · 06-01-2020 8:16pm

If Murray was the secondary striker we signed I wouldn't mind too much, he's well capable of playing a role in the last 20 mins, he's a better version of Wesley attacking wise.

Id not be happy if Murray was the primary striker, relegation would be fairly certain if that's the case.

Patser · 06-01-2020 9:46pm

Fulham drew City away in next round, so our FA cup adventure would have been short lived anyway if we'd progressed

LeBash · 07-01-2020 1:15am

I think Murray has 1 too many seasons in the legs. It would be like the Grant Holt deal imo.

If it was for 10-15 mins as a second striker, yeah. But I cant remember us having 2 strikers on the pitch under Smith except the game Mings got sent off in last season.

Reality is, he will probably be 1 of 2 strikers at the club plus Davis, so if the other striker gets injured, a ban or is out of form, who plays for a full 90?

CSF · 07-01-2020 11:38am

Drinkwater apparently having a medical today. Not sure I’d have him start ahead of Luiz given he is a few years since he has done anything of note on a football pitch.

Esse85 · 07-01-2020 11:55am

CSF wrote: »

Drinkwater apparently having a medical today. Not sure I’d have him start ahead of Luiz given he is a few years since he has done anything of note on a football pitch.

And his fitness levels must be way off.

He's on over £100k weekly at Chelsea, not a good role model with his off field antics.

It's a body but not exactly in a priority position.

Esse85 · 07-01-2020 12:05pm

I'm reading that if Drinkwater signs on a loan, Giroud or Batshuayi can't then join us on loan as you cannot have 2 loan players from the one club.

Probably never gonna get either player anyway.

CSF · 07-01-2020 12:18pm

Esse85 wrote: »

I'm reading that if Drinkwater signs on a loan, Giroud or Batshuayi can't then join us on loan as you cannot have 2 loan players from the one club.

Probably never gonna get either player anyway.

Was it not 2 max?

matrim · 07-01-2020 12:23pm

Murray and Drinkwater. It's like Holt and Sylla all over again.

CSF · 07-01-2020 12:28pm

Except Drinkwater doesn’t even seem to be a cut price option.

Praying these guys are seeing something we’re not.

Esse85 · 07-01-2020 12:37pm

CSF wrote: »

Was it not 2 max?

My understanding is 2 loan players allowed at the one club but they cannot both be from the same club.

Esse85 · 07-01-2020 12:40pm

Murray is 36, hasn't scored or assisted in 13 games this season. Hopefully Steve Bruce signs him, we seem to be linked with the same players as NUFC

Panrich · 07-01-2020 1:02pm

Some rumours that we are also looking at Piatek from Milan. Sounds too good to be true.

CSF · 07-01-2020 1:18pm

Panrich wrote: »

Some rumours that we are also looking at Piatek from Milan. Sounds too good to be true.

From speaking to Polish friends he’s meant to be a real poacher type. We’d need to change our game up to create the chances for him to be as effective as he has been.

Corholio · 07-01-2020 1:25pm

Will reserve judgment on Drinkwater until seeing him play tbh. There was/is a good midfielder in there. The off the field thing seemed to skew his loan at Burnley and had an injury too, so hard to judge playing wise I think. You'd think he'd be raring to go after that.

Chelsea paying most of his wages too so it doesn't seem like a financially hefty loan move for Villa.

artanevilla · 07-01-2020 2:00pm

In lighter news, City due another points deduction.

CSF · 07-01-2020 2:21pm

artanevilla wrote: »

In lighter news, City due another points deduction.

That kind of thing actually makes me more nervous than happy. God knows what situation we’d be in if we went down.

Corholio · 07-01-2020 2:26pm

Piatek and Defrel the striker names mentioned today. Hard to properly judge anyone on that awful Milan team but he does have fair bit of quality. He shoots a lot which would be a plus from Wes imo. Defrel was good at Samp a little while back but has struggled at Sassuolo.

Corholio · 07-01-2020 2:43pm

Drinkwater officially announced anyway. Seems to have been done pretty quick.

CSF · 07-01-2020 2:50pm

Corholio wrote: »

Drinkwater officially announced anyway. Seems to have been done pretty quick.

No use worrying about the money side of it now, just hope he can contribute something.

matrim · 07-01-2020 3:25pm

I had completely forgotten that we had signed Tom Carroll and Jermaine Jenas in similar deals a few years ago, until I read it on the reddit thread about the drinkwater deal.

artanevilla · 07-01-2020 3:40pm

Jaysus Tom Carroll...

Corholio · 07-01-2020 4:13pm

One interesting move that seems to be happening is the signing of young striker Louie Barry from Barcelona. They signed him from West Brom a little while back but it seems Villa are set to sign him and beat a few bigger clubs by the sounds of it. I think he's from Birmingham as well.

Bounty Hunter · 07-01-2020 4:16pm

Giroud wants Inter apparently and Michy wants to stay at Chelsea and although that could change later in the window if Chelsea bring in another striker Villa don't want to wait around so have decided to look elsewhere and bring in Drinkwater which means no more Chelsea loans.

They have to get someone in though and surely they would know the gulf in class between the Chelsea lads and Murray at this stage. Don't believe the Piatek stuff at all though

matrim · 07-01-2020 4:19pm

Corholio wrote: »

One interesting move that seems to be happening is the signing of young striker Louie Barry from Barcelona. They signed him from West Brom a little while back but it seems Villa are set to sign him and beat a few bigger clubs by the sounds of it. I think he's from Birmingham as well.

Hopefully he's as good as the last Barry we signed as a youngster.

artanevilla · 07-01-2020 4:27pm

Corholio wrote: »

One interesting move that seems to be happening is the signing of young striker Louie Barry from Barcelona. They signed him from West Brom a little while back but it seems Villa are set to sign him and beat a few bigger clubs by the sounds of it. I think he's from Birmingham as well.

Looks like he is from Aston itself. Called up to Ireland U16s, but also capped for England at underage level.

Corholio · 07-01-2020 5:53pm

The former head of West Brom's recent successful academy is at Villa now as well, so that's probably another factor

sc86 · 07-01-2020 6:20pm

Whst off field antics has drink water been at?

Strange hes gone from england international to cant get game at burnley
Its risky

JPA · 07-01-2020 6:43pm

sc86 wrote: »

Whst off field antics has drink water been at?

Strange hes gone from england international to cant get game at burnley
Its risky

He doesn't just Drinkwater.

GHOST MGG · 07-01-2020 7:24pm

Major gamble for me..he is either going to be another mings type who resurrects his career or else he is going to be a alcoholic version of Mc cormack.

Knowing villa they will probably sign people we have either never heard of,or have not being linked too.

The general consensus lately was that we needed 2 strikers,a midfielder and a winger to stay up..Well thats one down and 3 to go.

Brian201888 · 07-01-2020 7:59pm

Been plenty of talk of another centre back so I'd assume Smith is looking for another body to give him options in a 3 man

CSF · 07-01-2020 10:05pm

Not gonna lie, beating Leicester over 2 legs probably wouldn’t be a good thing for the relegation battle.

With City all but through, I want Grealish nowhere near that pitch tomorrow night. Wrap him up in cotton wool.

Esse85 · 07-01-2020 10:10pm

CSF wrote: »

Not gonna lie, beating Leicester over 2 legs probably wouldn’t be a good thing for the relegation battle.

With City all but through, I want Grealish nowhere near that pitch tomorrow night. Wrap him up in cotton wool.

Suppose Leicester will play a full strength team will they?

CSF · 07-01-2020 10:17pm

Esse85 wrote: »

Suppose Leicester will play a full strength team will they?

That would be my guess. Like when I’m watching the game I’ll obviously want Villa to win but it is not lost on me that the best scenario is that a 2nd string get beaten and the tie put out of sight tomorrow, allowing focus to be put back on what is really important.

If United were in the final it would be a chance of silverware, but I don’t think we can beat Leicester over 2 legs and Man City without that coming at a cost to the games around them.

Patser · 07-01-2020 11:03pm

Corholio wrote: »

One interesting move that seems to be happening is the signing of young striker Louie Barry from Barcelona. They signed him from West Brom a little while back but it seems Villa are set to sign him and beat a few bigger clubs by the sounds of it. I think he's from Birmingham as well.

BBC reporting it

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51026024

Corholio · 08-01-2020 12:08am

Sky Italy reporting that Villa have made a £30m offer for Piatek from Milan.

Some reports of Villa enquiring about signing Pepe Reina from Milan too.

The Piatek offer doesn't sound believable but who knows.