Villa Signings and General Rumours Thread

Raekwon

I know the last few days have been great for Villa fans and I don't want to put a dampener on everything but don't you think the latest transfers have not made financial sense?

Okay it is no secret that we have paid well over the odds for Ashley Young, a figure of around £6m would have been more realistic. But the Baros & Carew swap deal just doesn't add up. I read that it was a straight swap with both players rated at £4.3m (that is a £2.2m lose on last seasons top scorer) but what happened to the clause in Baros' contract that would not let him leave for less then £14m? Plus only a few weeks ago Chelsea were reportedly interested in swapping him for Wright-Phillips in a deal that would have seen the player worth around the £10million mark.

Don't get me wrong, I am delighted to see Young and Carew come to Villa but I am just concerned that we lost money on probably our most prized asset, money that could have softened the blow of the £9.6 paid to Watford for Young and money that we could have put towards a holding midfield player that we badly need. But then again, Villa usually do this sort of thing unfortunately (think Crouch & Milosevic)

Xavi6

Raekwon wrote:

I know the last few days have been great for Villa fans and I don't want to put a dampener on everything but don't you think the latest transfers have not made financial sense?

Okay it is no secret that we have paid well over the odds for Ashley Young, a figure of around £6m would have been more realistic. But the Baros & Carew swap deal just doesn't add up. I read that it was a straight swap with both players rated at £4.3m (that is a £2.2m lose on last seasons top scorer) but what happened to the clause in Baros' contract that would not let him leave for less then £14m? Plus only a few weeks ago Chelsea were reportedly interested in swapping him for Wright-Phillips in a deal that would have seen the player worth around the £10million mark.

Don't get me wrong, I am delighted to see Young and Carew come to Villa but I am just concerned that we lost money on probably our most prized asset, money that could have softened the blow of the £9.6 paid to Watford for Young and money that we could have put towards a holding midfield player that we badly need. But then again, Villa usually do this sort of thing unfortunately (think Crouch & Milosevic)

In fairness I don't think a couple of million here or there is going to worry randy. Villa are now in the position to be able to afford an extra million or two to clinch a deal such as that of Young. It guarantees them a hot prospect that was wanted by several other clubs.

As for Baros, Villa would never get £14 million for him from anyone. They've gotten rid of a big disappointment and got a ready made replacement. Saves any extra hassle of trying to find one somewhere else. I don't see any negatives to either deal.

Magic Pips

*cough* bosko balaban *cough*

ok we shouldn't mention that name ever again!

Yes i agree with you raek, but i think if i was in MONs position, i'd want to get rid of the players i dont want and draw a line in the sand.

We arent that attractive to players - Saviola turned us down, when he wasnt playing at all. If we can get into europe next season we can build properly

Savman

No point mentioning previous transfers such as Milosevic, Balaban etc. That was all under the fat cat Ellis.

The main positive for me is that we're finally rid of Baros, a player who never once showed any passion for the jersey whatsoever. I went over to a few games last season and it's only then you can really see first hand how he just wanders aimlessly thru the game waiting for something to happen. Good riddance Milan.

We've just covered our weak spots with Young, Carew and Bardsley but make no mistake it doesn't make us contenders for silverware, I think the summer will be interesting.

MrJoeSoap

eirebhoy wrote:

I'm not a big fan of Carew tbh. Maybe the premiership will suit him though.

His performance in the CL this season against Real Madrid is still the best I've seen all season, and possibly even longer than that.

If he can do that fairly consistently for Villa they'll be laughing.

Chucky the tree

Savman wrote:

So eloquently put, thank you for your helpful contribution. Repressed memories?

oh sorry, didnt realise you were so sensitve. That villa team will concede alot of goals, happy now?


Cant see Carew doing well either.

Time Magazine

From BBC Website:

Poland international Radoslaw Matusiak has told Aston Villa he is too good to go on trial with them.
Villa offered the GKS Belchatow striker a trial last week but the 25-year-old says the Premiership club must travel to Poland if they want to sign him.

"I'm confident of what I have to offer and as a national team player I need to respect myself," he told BBC Sport.

"If somebody is interested in buying me, I invite them to Belchatow so they can see me playing for local team."

Matusiak is the hottest property in Polish football after scoring nine goals in 17 games for minnows GKS Belchatow.

The forward has a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for £200,000 but has an agreement with Belchatow that he will not leave for less than £1.3m.

Matusiak has attracted interest from PSV Eindhoven, Celtic, Spartak Moscow, Sampdoria, Livorno, Chievo and Roma but says he is keen to move to the Premiership.

"The opportunity of playing in the English Premier League would be a massive challenge for me," he said.

"There is no doubt it is one of my favourite leagues in the whole world.

"The final decision about my future should be made in the next seven days."

Both Fulham and Villa told BBC Sport that their interest in the forward had cooled.

Do we need another forward?

Chucky, a back four of Laursen, Barry, Ridgewell and Mellberg in front of Sorensen is pretty strong. We haven't had a major problem with defence this year thus far.

I'd rate Carew far higher than Baros, wouldn't have minded spending £2-3m on top of Baros to get him, which brings Young's fee down to about £6-7m, which isn't mad. Great bit of business.

Raekwon

Ibid wrote:

I'd rate Carew far higher than Baros, wouldn't have minded spending £2-3m on top of Baros to get him, which brings Young's fee down to about £6-7m, which isn't mad. Great bit of business.

Strange bit of business more like.

So your saying that you would have spend £2/3million plus Baros to get Carew? That is a £6.2/7.2million for Carew (a player that never went for more then £5million before). How does that bring Young's fee down?

My point was Baros was, to quote Jacobim Mugatu; 'So hot right now' and there was a rake of clubs after his signature. If Villa were smart they would have flogged him for around £8million (making £1.5mil profit) then sign Carew (who was on his way out of Lyon anyway) for £4.2 million. That is £3.8mil profit and brings Young's transfer fee down too £5.8mil.

Now that is good business (or would have been!)

Anyway, what's done is done, I really hope that John Carew will be a roaring success at Villa and score a bag load

Time Magazine

Raekwon wrote:

My point was Baros was, to quote Jacobim Mugatu; 'So hot right now'

One goal in seventeen league appearances constitutes hot? Jeez, Kevin Doyle must be an inferno .

In terms of value to our club, I'd rate Carew as worth a good bit more than Baros.

Raekwon

Ibid wrote:

Jeez, Kevin Doyle must be an inferno

Where have you been? Kevin Doyle is an inferno (until he pulled a hammy that is)

But seriously, losing money on players is one of Villa's annoying habits. Buy Baros for £6.5 million then letting him go for £4.2 million 18 months later is acting the b*****ks IMO.

But as I said, what's done is done, so hopefully 'Big John' he can torment a few defences and help Villa move up the table.

eirebhoy

Apparantly Young will be earning £30k a week. Is he that good? £30k is the wage limit at Celtic.

Raekwon

From MSN News

Greater Manchester Police are investigating claims that Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie yelled abuse at a disabled fan during their 3-1 Premiership defeat at Manchester United.

Hendrie, who was an unused substitute for the January 13 clash at Old Trafford, is alleged to have made insulting comments to a wheelchair-bound fan while he was warming up.

It is claimed the 29-year-old England midfielder became involved in a slanging match with United fans in the area before making abusive comments and gestures towards a fan.

A police spokeswoman, who refused to comment on the specific nature of the alleged comments, said that a formal complaint was made following the game and an investigation was launched

She said: "Police are continuing to investigate reports of abusive comments and gestures at the Manchester United versus Aston Villa match at Old Trafford on Saturday, January 13. The reports were made shortly before 7.10pm that night and investigations into the incident are ongoing."

Hendrie has not been interviewed by police, who described the inquiry as at an "information-gathering" stage and a spokesman for Aston Villa Football Club said: "We have spoken to Lee about the allegations and he vehemently denies them."

Time Magazine

Raekwon wrote:

...It is claimed the 29-year-old England midfielder...

That's really unfair to the Engilsh team.

V1llianous

Raekwon wrote:

From MSN News

I can see his testimonal hopes fading drastically now !

V1llianous

Young has finally signed:

http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/HeadlinesDetail/0,,10265~968602,00.html

Re Matusiak:

Wouldn't do any harm giving a bit more competition, could be worth a gamble - where else would you get an international striker who has scored in half his international matches for 1.3 million?

Villain

From AVFC.co.uk:

The Search Goes On
Martin O'Neill's player hunt goes on - despite
the double capture of John Carew and Ashley
Young.
And, with a week to go before the deadline,
the Villa boss insists efforts are ongoing to
further bolster his squad before the end of
January.
O'Neill, who has also drafted in on-loan
defender Phil Bardsley, commented: "We've
been working very hard to try and do
something. I'm delighted and obviously with a
few days left, you never know what might
materialise.
"We certainly haven't stopped trying to improve the team and, as I've said
often enough in the past, the very good players at this football club would
I'm sure welcome a bit of help. That's what we're trying to do."
He concluded: "I'm hoping that Carew and Ashley coming in will give us
a bit of a boost, and obviously we would want to be adding a bit more to
the squad if we can possibly do so.
"I am not sure what we are going to do, but we certainly have some days
left yet and we are looking at some other possibilities. We are trying to do
something."

So the buying may not be over yet.

Raekwon

irish1 wrote:

So the buying may not be over yet.

Interesting. I hope O'Neill is in the market for another central midfielder to play along side Petrov?

In other news, Baros has claimed that he was infact on the verge of moving to Chelsea and aimed a swipe at Villa in the process. Tw*t :mad:

From Sky Sports News

Baros admitted he was interested in a move to Chelsea after being approached by Mourinho

"We just spoke about the match," added Baros.

"Just after the game in the tunnel he told me that he wanted me to join the team and asked me if I was interested. I told him so. But it did not happen in the end."

When asked if he was sorry the move did not come off, Baros replied: "I would be sorry if I went to a worse club, but now I am at Lyon."

Baros also aimed a swipe at Villa saying he was happy he had left the club after struggling to find his best form during his time at Villa Park.

"I was injured, the club fought against relegation in the first season," said Baros."They are close to the bottom again.

"This does not help an individual and it is difficult to shine. And we did not play in Europe.

"I do not want to make excuses, Aston Villa was not a good contract for me and I am glad it is over."

Villain

Ah he can say what he wants he didn't peform this season, agree with about another center midfielder but I think we need a right back too.

Currently I would go with:

---

Sorresen

---

Bardsley

---

Mellberg----Cahill

---

Barry

---

McCann

---

Young

---

Petrov----Davis

---

Gabby

---

Carew

---

Savman

Goodbye Baros, you won't be missed.

Interesting Q&A with Villa's new CEO here...
Link

eirebhoy

Baros scored for Lyon tonight.

eirebhoy

A few of tomorrow's papers say Maloney has signed for Villa on a pre-contract. If this is true I'll be gutted but he'lll be a star at Villa. Petrov rarely performed in Europe so I had doubts over him in the premiership but I've no doubt Maloney would be a big success.

shoutman

Shaun Moloney??

Villain

This story has been going around for a while, Villa are interested if you believe rumours, but I don't know if he will cut it. Petrov will come good, his performances haven't been bad he just hasn't set the league alight but the team hasn't been playing well.

eirebhoy

irish1 wrote:

This story has been going around for a while, Villa are interested if you believe rumours, but I don't know if he will cut it.

He would more than cut it.

Raekwon

Yeah I have heard the Maloney rumours before also, another rumour is that O'Neill is interested in taking Alan Smith off Man U for the rest of the season onloan. I haven't seen him for awhile but he used to be a decent player.

As for Petrov, I've been pretty impressed with him (in flashes) so far, obviously he needs time to adjust to the pace of the premiership, but once he does he will be a big player for Villa.

Villain

Villa offered Smith a loan deal according to reports but he turned it down.

V1llianous

According to BBC Scotland - Shaun Moloney has signed and it will be announced after the Newcastle game.

Looks like he had signed a Pre-contract for the summer but a token fee has been agreed with Celtic to get him now.

Re Newcastle game - 2-0 down :eek: in 7 minutes but Ashley Young has scored on his debut to pull one back, Young nearly scored a second just as I typed this. Carew equalisher harshly ruled out before Siberski added a third in added time, quite a bad result 3-1 loss but the signs of Young and Carew look like a good strike pairing in the future.

Raekwon

V1llianous wrote:

According to BBC Scotland - Shaun Moloney has signed and it will be announced after the Newcastle game.

Looks like he had signed a Pre-contract for the summer but a token fee has been agreed with Celtic to get him now.

Re Newcastle game - 2-0 down :eek: in 7 minutes but Ashley Young has scored on his debut to pull one back, Young nearly scored a second just as I typed this. Carew equalisher harshly ruled out before Siberski added a third in added time, quite a bad result 3-1 loss but the signs of Young and Carew look like a good strike pairing in the future.

That's good news about Maloney

Tonight's result is shocking, espcially because it was against a team with a poor defence (13 goals conceded this month alone before tonight's game!). The only consolation is that Young scored. Btw where you watching the match V1llianous?

Villain

Maloney has signed for 1 million, not sure what impact he will have though.

eirebhoy

I'll risk any credit I have to say that Maloney will be an absolute star! :cool:

Raekwon

According to Sky Sports Villa have signed a lazy lumbering forward in John Carew :rolleyes: Well wait until they get aload of Milan Baros..........they are in for a big surprise!

Aston Villa have signed a lazy, lumbering forward in John Carew, according to the player's former club Lyon.

Carew has wasted no time in making an impression at Villa - after a lively contribution on his debut at Newcastle, the Norwegian then claimed the winning goal on his home debut against West Ham on Saturday.

Martin O'Neill's decision to swap Carew for misfit Milan Baros has already borne fruit, but L'OL official Bernard Lacombe is in little doubt that his club got the better end of the deal.

"John wasn't always the best when it came to reading the game. He was a bit too static," said Lacombe.

"He would be slow getting to the ball, so he'd use his arms to prevent his opponents getting there ahead of him.

"Lyon are a team who work like hell in every training session and play to win every game - and there was sometimes a difference between John and the rest of the team."

Helix

ahah yeh saw that meself

god love them

tho ive always said it baros has the potential to be amazing, he just needs to look up once in a while

shoutman

Agreed, obviously Baros has the ability to be the player he was during the euro champs'. He didnt show it at pool and he didnt show it at Villa.

I think the swap was a great deal for Villa, we got a player who I think is definately suited to the english game and offloaded a guy who just wasnt suited, he couldnt finish his dinner a lot of the time, but that said I wish the lad well, he always seemed to try.

Raekwon

From the Official Aston Villa website

Aston Villa has today announced a new partnership with Nike, the world's leading sportswear brand, to become the club's official sportswear partner from the 2007/8 season.

The long-term deal will see Nike supply the club's playing and replica kit in addition to a full range of branded sportswear, fanwear and accessories.

Speaking of the new deal, Aston Villa Chief Executive, Richard FitzGerald told [url]www.avfc.co.uk:[/url] "This is a significant step forward for the club off the field and we're delighted to have Nike partnering with us.

"Nike brings with it vast experience in technological innovation in terms of kit and the association will help us to drive the club forward. The brand sits perfectly with the new board's vision for Aston Villa and we're looking forward to working with Nike in the future."

Jim Allaker, Vice President and General Manager of Nike UK, commented: "Aston Villa is a major club with a fantastic history and a massive fanbase.

"We're delighted they will be joining the Nike family, which already includes national teams such as Brazil and The Netherlands and clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Celtic and FC Barcelona.

"We're very excited to be part of the club's future and we anticipate a long and successful partnership."

Villain

Finally might get a decent Jersey now we just need a decent sponsor, so long cheap Hummel.

Raekwon

I am delighted by this news, and as Irish1 says, we might finally get a decent kit now. Villa's jerseys have been awful for years in fairness (the last good one IMO was the Reebok, AST Computers sponsor, and that was over 10 years ago). As for the sponser, 32Red.com is cack and I think another sponsorship deal could be on the cards. Any bets that it could be Randy Lerner's *credit card company MBNA???

Edit: That should be Lerner's former credit card company, MBNA were acquired by Bank of America last year.

In other news, anyone else here the rumour that Liam Ridgewell could be going to Birmingham on loan?

shoutman

I cant see ridgewell leaving tbh, and as for the nike deal i'm just hoping that now we'll be able to get the jersey in Ireland instead of having to order it off the net!

(I know you can get them some places but it is an effort)
Thinking of waiting till next season my current one with barry on the back was signed by Stan Petrov and Didi Agathe(I felt bad for him so asked him to sign it too)

Time Magazine

shoutman wrote:

(I know you can get them some places but it is an effort)

I got mine in Elvery's on the street just off Grafton St/Molly Malone. The street with Pizza Hut on it.

Raekwon

Ibid wrote:

I got mine in Elvery's

Same place I got mine, and the only place that it can be got in Dublin afaik (although I did see the away jersey in The Soccer Shop on Georges Street). They actually did last seasons jerseys in Lifestyle Sports but for some reason they don't stock the latest one. Anyway, I'm sure the new Nike one will be readily available in the likes of Champion Sports etc.

I don't think the Hummel jersey's will be missed, considering the price, their quality was on par with the likes of the O'Neill's GAA jersey's IMO.

shoutman

Where have all the Villa fans gone to?

---

Obviously Villa are going through a quiet period at the moment and most of the time it seems they can only play one half of decent football.
One thing that is getting to me is why MON doesnt go back to the formation he used at the start of the season where he had Gaby in a AMR role with Moore in a AML role supporting a striker, Carew would be an ideal man to have as a target man, he is tall good with his head, good at taking the ball on his chest... MON resorted back to it slightly in yesterdays game vs everton by bringing Berger on at half time and the difference was remarkable, Villa held onto the ball and really just controlled the game for long periods.

Is there any reason people can think of why Luke Moore isn't back in the squad? I know he was in the match day squad of 18 yesterday but was left off the pitch. From all reports he has been banging the goals in for the reserves and I would like to see him on the bench... Maloney did do well when he came on in replace of the uninspiring young, he seemed lively with pace and wasnt afraid to have a crack at goal but I couldnt help but think that if Luke Moore was on the bench he could of come on for Agbonlahor who other then his goal looked sluggish and tiredd (which can only be expected considering he has been overplayed for such a young and developing player).

---

Also it seems all transfer rumours concerning Villa at the moment involve strikers, but in my mind it is not strikers that we need, obviously it looks like Angel could be on his way out but that would still leave Carew, Moore,Gaby, Maloney. I think what villa need to look for is someone in the vain of Evertons Arteta, obviously he had a stormer yesterday but someone who can hold up the ball and find that killer pass to set our pacey front line free would be ideal. Also someone at Centre back would be great as at the moment our back line is shakey enough....

Any other thoughts?

eirebhoy

Maloney will be the star of that team before too long. Extremely intelligient player.

Raekwon

Ah this thread has resurfaced
(I looked for this thread a few weeks ago but I couldn't find it..............not even in search).

I watched the game last night, very entertaining, but the same old story from Villa, they never got going until the second half and thus were left chasing the game.

I think there is a seriously lack of invention in the central midfield positions, with only the off-form Petrov trying to provide a platform for an attack (Mc Cann is cack & Davis seems short of confidence). Young looked out of his depth yet again and he seems to be weighted down by his inflated price tag. Also using Carew as the lone target man without decent support upfront isn't really the best tactic playing at home (Although it might be okay playing like this away from home on occasion).

Thankfully Young & McCann only played in the first half.

In the second half, I think our wide attacks from the left were encouraging with Berger, Maloney and Bouma all doing well and they were complemented by Bardsely's decent crosses from the right. The only trouble was, again that Carew struggled to find any space and attack after attack was dealt with by the Everton defence. I would agree with 'shoutman', I think Luke Moore should have been added to the squad so he could be brought on to add an extra dimension to the an attack that looked very static (Unlike Johnson & Vaughan for Everton, everytime they got on the ball they made me nervous).

I also think the centre backs looked edgy. Cahill is a decent prospect & still learning but I expect more from Mellberg, he should be reading the game alot better for a player of his abilitiy and experience. Also Sorensen didn't really inspire confidence either with some dodgy clearances, the one that went straight up in the air and landed outside the box in a very dangerous position was cringe inducing.

I think MON needs to really work hard over the summer with the players that he has and hopefully bring in some really quality in the weak positions (ie: defence and central midfield) and weed out some of our players that haven't cut it over it the last few seasons.

Savman

I'm just back from Birmingham, Villa Park in particular. The 2nd half V Everton was great (from the Holte End :D) but from what I could see Mellberg had an excellent game as did Cahill bar the odd slip up.
First half was dire and the boos around me at half time was quite feirce. Maloney looked a real spark plug, Bardsley doesnt instill confidence, McCann was absent, Petrov did well 2nd half in the deeper role, Barry usual busy self, Carew super but isolated and Gabby very very quiet all night.

First half the fans were chanting for Steven Davis and the absence of Luke Moore raised questions too. I'd expect a summer clearout at VP to finally get rid of the old deadwood.

I can see MON getting Bellamy which would be a handy addition, we cant aim any higher because there's no top class players who would fancy bottom of the table football. We've a long way to go to convince the better players to come, ideally we have to be able to offer European football.

shoutman

By the old Deadwood who are you talking about??

The likes of hendrie and Angel who arent playing? I know its not McCann as he's being offered a new contract if the media is anything to go by.


I dont think Bardsley had a bad game last night, where as I did think Cahill was shaky enough and dont remember him doing anything of note other then slopily giving away posession with bad passing.

Savman

shoutman wrote:

By the old Deadwood who are you talking about??

Hendrie, Angel, Hughes, Delaney, Laursen, Samuel, Sutton, Berger offhand. Word from official site is that McCann is to be offered new contract, one can only hope it's merely as a squad player. There has to be an entire shake up so that even the likes of Barry are fighting for a place rather than knowing they're starting all the time. MON has already said there will be casualties.

I dont think Bardsley had a bad game last night, where as I did think Cahill was shaky enough and dont remember him doing anything of note other then slopily giving away posession with bad passing.

Well from where I was it looked like Bardsley was given the runaround by Arteta. Cahill won his headers and did what he had to do and apart from one dangerous mistake didnt really do much wrong. He's also keeping Ridgewell in the reserves so he must be doing something right, remember Cahill's only 22 and had Andy Johnson running at him all night. He's doing well all things considered.

shoutman

No doubt the lad has great potential, but I think had Laursen been fit and not had his ongoing injury problems then he would be the undisputed partner for mellberg at the back.

As for the old deadwood I have to agree with you, all the players you have listed with the exception of a injury free Laurson should not have a future at Villa park if we are to achive the aims of the new board and manager at Villa Park. I would also like to see a better replacement for McCann, even last night you could see that Carsley looked like a better version of McCann, ie. breaking up counter attacks etc.

Savman

Even though he looked a class act in any games I seen him, I think we're kidding ourselves if we think we're ever gonna have a fit Laursen. Shame.
McCann wouldn't get into the starting eleven at United, Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal, so no thanks.

O Neill has openly stated his admiration for Bellamy, that could be a runner ('scuse the pun). He also said he tried for Wright Phillips in January which could be interesting if he ever stops kidding himself thinking he has a future at Chelski. Even with those 2 additions (which aren't beyond us, to be fair) it would make for a decent squad capable of grabbing a UEFA spot at least. Obviously we do need more cover in defence & Centre Mid (a playmaker, for christ sake gimme a playmaker)

V1llianous

Gabby has just signed a new 4 year deal.

Source: http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/HeadlinesDetail/0,,10265~1006049,00.html

Passport

Seems like he is not moving to chelsea after all.

Savman

He was never moving to Chelsea
Not a bad first season for him though, scoring at Stamford Bridge, Anfield and Old Trafford. Think he's looking worn out though.