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

Esse85

Traore rumoured to be training with u23s, sounds like Gerrard wants rid.

Wonder how much the bloated squad is impacting his ability to bring in players.

Hause, Gilbert, Sanson, Carney, El Gazhi, Davis, Traore all with no future at the club it seems.

Esse85

Garbage from Watkins. Genuinely depressing thinking this guy will start most games as striker for the club.

Esse85

Carlos puts us in the lead with a header, Young's cross made it easy for him.

Esse85

Finished 2-1

Positives, the result, Bailey scored again, Carlos looks solid, Kamara slotted in like a natural at CB in the second half.

Not so positive, Watkins, McGinn and Coutinho contributed nothing yet again. I'd happily drop all three for the opening 6 games.

JPA

Carney to join Chelsea. Disappointing and such a bad move for him

Bounty Hunter

Yeah was about to post that, not sure what he will get there outside of more money than Villa were going to offer him as surely he won't be starting there.

He should end up worth more but actually getting close to 20m for a player his age with such little first team football isn't a bad deal when it was obvious he was not going to sign a new deal. Can't blame the club really despite us all hoping he would have stayed with Villa

That's one of two though, there was more positive talk about Luiz potentially signing a new contract recently but if he too is sold then I think we will move for a new CM if not as said previously I could see us getting the quality we wanted wasn't available line.

Esse85

LOL

He'll end up like Lofthouse, Barkley, Hudson Odoi etc.

At least he'll get a few quid from it and hopefully we'll invest that £15m straight away.

JPA

Where is the fee reported?

Bounty Hunter

A few places seem to be saying 15m, others 20m. Either way I am disappointed but he wasn't in Villa's first team and I am still hoping we look for a new midfielder who will be.

Birmingham mail are quoting the sun of all places so who knows how accurate any of it is but they claim that Chelsea will be paying £15million up front, with a further £5m in add-ons which is believable.

sc86

What a deal for us , player nearly out of contract.

Makes his excuse of lack of first team football a total joke

sc86

15 million rise to 20 for a experienced international nearly out of contract is good business , nevermind a unproven young fella

artanevilla

In fairness he might get a bit of first team football in the twenty clubs he'll play for on loan from Chelsea for the next ten years. No point in keeping him if he doesn't want to play for Villa.

CSF

I guess we should be hoping he does well so we get that 5 million in add ons.

Will be hard to root for him, but it’s a genuine reason to.

Bounty Hunter

Archer signs a new 5yr deal

Aaron Ramsey linked to a move to Norwich on loan

OneColdHand

Probably a good move for Ramsey, he wont be getting any first team football this year.

Esse85

Predictions for this season:

I'd take 10th now given the squad and lack of reinforcements in the key area's. I think the defense will be solid, but CM hasn't been resolved and while I think we'll create chances, I think we won't put the ball in the net regularly enough to win enough games.

I don't think 10th is good enough for a club like Villa.

CSF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119434058#Comment_119434058

Definitely not, given the investment and age profile in the squad.

But I still wouldn’t predict any higher than you’ve said.

pavb2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119434058#Comment_119434058

My take is that City,Liverpool, Chelsea, united,Spurs & Arsenal will get top 6 we saw how difficult it was for West Ham to sustain a challenge over the full season.

I agree that the minimum we should be targeting is 10th I think that would be ok but the best we can hope for I think is 7th which would be real progress.

OneColdHand

I agree with the above. When i look at the teams outside the top 6, I don't see any reason why we couldnt be top of that pile. But also a few teams could come through (Newcastle?) so also wouldn't be surprised if we finished 9th or 10th. But agree 10th should be a minimum.

Doodee

Nice article on Bailey in the guardian.

https://amp.theguardian.com/football/2022/aug/05/leon-bailey-aston-villa-premier-league

Bounty Hunter

Definitely being touted as our "Like a New Signing" this season - hopefully he can have a real impact now.

There are a group of clubs below the "Big 6" - Villa, West Ham, Newcastle, Leicester... You could argue Brighton or Wolves but I feel they might be regressing a bit. Same could be said for Leicester too but they had a lot of injuries and bad form at the start of last season and still came 8th so unless they do lost another 1/2 (Tielemans/Madison/Fofana linked away) they should still be involved.

The aim has to be to try and be the top and most consistent of this group of teams. If I am predicting I am going to go for 8th but I am always an optimist. That said If Villa don't finish in that 6-10th group, this season will have been a failure imo

Panrich

I’m still worried that we don’t create enough chances and we’ll struggle to score enough to finish top half.

Our main attacking outlet is out wide via the full backs. We don’t have enough variety to our play.

Nothing I’ve seen in pre-season gives an indication that we’ve improved in this area. I hope that Critchley will address how we go about breaking down the opposition especially ones who sit deep.

OneColdHand

No Watkins, Mings or Luiz. Interesting.

artanevilla

Bit of an odd one. Interesting to see how they set up.

Panrich

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119437127#Comment_119437127

And no Sanson in the squad at all. He must really have pissed off Gerrard as he looked very sharp in pre-season. He's just posted that he's 100% fit and ready on instagram as a dig as well so that might be the end of him but realistically he hasn't had a run at it at all under two different managers. Very strange considering we went out and spent a lot of money on him yet never gave him two starts in a row.

Esse85

The CB position really could if went to either Mings, Konza or Chambers.

Glad he's started with Ings.

Need Coutinho to hit the ground running from the off.

I'll take 2-0, with Bailey and Ings getting the goals, Carlos with a clean sheet on his debut.

Bounty Hunter

Konsa is a more than able deputy for Mings, Ings and Watkins doesn't seem to work so Bailey has a chance to show what everyone has been talking about in pre-season and tbh Luiz has been on the bench most of pre-season (perhaps due to his contract situation) so I'm still confident although maybe some of that might be because I don't rate Bournemouth too highly but hopefully our lads don't underestimate them.

Strong options to come off the bench for Villa in this one too with the likes of Watkins, Beundia, Luiz

and it looks like the bookies agree with me about Villa potentially coming 8th this season ha

and.... we are losing

ha

artanevilla

That didn't take long.

LeBash

Ahh the aul early season shattering of expectations.

JPA

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119437414#Comment_119437414

That old familiar friend. :(

sc86

What channel is this on?

sc86

Found it sorry

Bounty Hunter

So much ball so few chances. Maybe Villa’s options from the beach can help create a few more opportunities- Beundia & Watkins for example should Be desperate to get onto that pitch in this half.

artanevilla

Buendia should have started, he's our best player.

sc86

Awful stuff

artanevilla

Immediate pressure on the manager now. If you want a top 10 and a euro challenge, these are the games you need to win.

Bounty Hunter

It's just one game but I am definitely feeling a lot of my enthusiasm for the season eeking away watching this

sc86

They score from a cross , u couldn't make it up

fullstop

Villa at home is just the dream opening game for any newly promoted side.

JPA

Just a total disconnect between all the players, same as last year, very little pattern to the play. And can't defend.

It's a real struggle to keep following this ****.

sc86

Gerrard will be under pressure from the off this season

remoteboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119437845#Comment_119437845

Rightly so. Other than being famous he’s contributed sfa.

sc86

What exactly is our tactics, put loads of bad cross in the box for 90 mins?

Panrich

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119437845#Comment_119437845

And rightly so. He's picked a lot of the same players who were out of form in pre-season. The biggest worry from that game though was the lack of any guile in breaking down a Bournemouth team of pedestrian cloggers. Our only tactic was get it out wide early and often and lob in crosses for their 3 centre backs to show us how to clear crosses.

On a positive note, I though Kamara looked quite good but he'll soon get fed up mopping up after our other players lose possession time and again. Carlos' first game but a worry to see how we defended especially in the air. His passing out was on a par with Mings so we gained nothing there either.

LeBash

I thought I heard Jeff Stelling say no wins in 12 for SG. Is that true?

sc86

2 from 12

Stats are worse than smiths last year

pavb2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119438004#Comment_119438004

My concern was that last season Cash and Martinez were the only two consistently good players, Ramsey was OK and it was his break out season, Buendia came good towards the end but apart from that nobody else really stood out. We can’t just rely on the new additions this season the others really need to step up. I remember after one game SG slated the team, said there would be major changes and proceeded to play near enough the same 11 the next week.

He’s had the summer so no excuses this season.

Early days but not a good start hopefully a home game against Everton will give us a win.

Esse85

The changes need to keep happening.

Coutinho has to be dropped, like a fella in a retirement home since we signed him bar an occasional flash of 5 minutes.

McGinn is another awful player, similar to Watkins, full of heart and effort but really poor this level and to make him captain which means he's harder to drop is criminal.

I've never taken to Gerrard, but have been happy to give him a fair chance, starting to think he's on par with Lampard. Would be really disappointed if we stick with him while another struggling club cuts their losses and sacks their manager and lands Potchetino.

CucaFace

McGinn and Ramsey are in reality not top PL standard CM/s. Games pass both by in most games. Ramsey skills are what wingers have, not what you want in a CM and McGinn since the day he joined us is as inconstant as you can get.

The major issues have been in CM for years now for this team.

Panrich

Yesterday was terrible. The worst part for me though is the way that our manager has treated some of our players.

El Ghazi playing under 21. Traore in the bomb squad, Sanson looking like he’s joined them. Mings has to look the manager in the eye now to get another game.

I saw a list of fines imposed by management for being late or not clearing up tables in the canteen that show a regimental authoritarian regime in place and our play on the pitch seems stifled as well. There is no spark or spontaneity.

This can not be a happy dressing room. Out of form favourites getting constant game time will breed discontent among others who see no path to playing time.

How much damage will be done to squad morale and cohesion before he is inevitably sacked? Not to mention that his legacy will be leaving a captain that most think should only be a rotational player at best. Any new manager will have to deal with a lot of problems.

I think that the sooner he is sacked the better to salvage what is left of a united dressing room.