You have to say Juventus got the bargain of this transfer window. The problem from this point onwards is that the level of players we now want all
want Champions league football. I doubt Zakaria would have been willing to come to Villa, the same probably applies to Kamara. It will be up to SG, Lange and Purslow to convince these type of players that the CL is realistic in the not too distant future.
Cough Philippe "Magician" Cortinho - for free Cough!!!!
I rest my case
Only a loan though for the moment whereas Zakaria was purchased for 4 million. 40 million for Coutinho in June is still a lot of money. He will have to play well between now and the end of the season to justify parting with that amount of money. Admittedly the early signs are promising though.
Cough Philippe "Magician" Coutinho - for free Cough!!!!
I rest my case
Who said anyone else was after him - we came, we saw, we signed him up . All done and dusted before anyone else was awake. Definitely the signing of the window for me and at £6m wages (or whatever it actually is) there was no risk attached.Special case, where we were willing to take a chance on PC regaining fitness and some form, other higher placed clubs were not. Understandable from their point of view I suppose, especially given his gigantic wage. Who could have guessed he'd be willing to take a near 50% pay-cut. And of course the clincher, the special relationship between PC and our manager.
It's very early to say on PC. A brilliant cameo v Yanited followed by a fairly anonymous 65 mins at Goodison. Judge him after say 6-7 games we might get a better pictureOnly a loan though for the moment whereas Zakaria was purchased for 4 million. 40 million for Coutinho in June is still a lot of money. He will have to play well between now and the end of the season to justify parting with that amount of money. Admittedly the early signs are promising though.
On a positive note,we have an exceptional group of youth players. Hopefully we can repeat the Fergie Flegelings with that amazing crop of talent, Giggs,Beckham, Scholes et Al. We old timers have seen many youngsters fail to make the grade but the current crop do look exceptional. Agree David that making the jump from mid table doldrums is not easy but we appear, atm, to have clued up owners who are prepared to invest serious money. Stadium improvements and strong demand for tickets suggest that Aston Villa have every chance of progressing to become members of the big boys league.Yes the problem is for us in order to bridge the gap to the top 6 teams we need more players who have the quality to play at that level… but then those players will all want to play for ready-made top 6 clubs, or top 3 or 4 clubs in foreign leagues. It’s a chicken an egg scenario for us and it’s easy to see why breaking in is so difficult and why so many clubs stagnate in the mid table pack. It’s easy to identify good players - but identifying good transfer targets is a completely different thing entirely and there needs to be some ingenuity in our approach (or alternatively a hell of a lot of money thrown at wages and agent fees)
Yes the problem is for us in order to bridge the gap to the top 6 teams we need more players who have the quality to play at that level… but then those players will all want to play for ready-made top 6 clubs, or top 3 or 4 clubs in foreign leagues. It’s a chicken an egg scenario for us and it’s easy to see why breaking in is so difficult and why so many clubs stagnate in the mid table pack. It’s easy to identify good players - but identifying good transfer targets is a completely different thing entirely and there needs to be some ingenuity in our approach (or alternatively a hell of a lot of money thrown at wages and agent fees)
It's very early to say on PC. A brilliant cameo v Yanited followed by a fairly anonymous 65 mins at Goodison. Judge him after say 6-7 games we might get a better picture
Who said anyone else was after him - we came, we saw, we signed him up . All done and dusted before anyone else was awake. Definitely the signing of the window for me and at £6m wages (or whatever it actually is) there was no risk attached.
Gerrard proving already he has the aura and gravitas to attract elite players . It would of been a very different window last summer if the club had been more decisive at the time. I'm sure there are a few regrets there from Purslow etc. Either way, time to kick on nowIn theory it should be easier to attract a higher calibre of player as we have a high profile manager, a world class training centre , a fantastic stadium and superb support. It certainly has been the case in the January window.
I was being a bit flippant - "don't care, we got him" type of thingWell if you'd read what I wrote, it wasn't me who said other sides were after Coutinho.