The Squad for this season | Vital Football

The Squad for this season

DeanoVilla

DeanoVilla

One Bloody Number
A lot of talk in the transfer thread surrounding the size of the squad, the quality of the squad and how many signings are needed, so thought I'd start this thread to open up a bit of debate.

For me we currently have a squad of 21 players.... based on some massive assumptions such as

We WILL sign Mings, El Ghazi and Hause on permanent deals.

We WILL sell or release McCormack, Tshibola, Gardner (swap for Jota), Hogan, Barney plus 1 of the 4 keepers.

So that leaves us with

Steer
2 of Nyland, Kalanic, Sarkic

Elmo
Chester
Mings
Hause
Taylor
Guilbert

McGinn
Jota
Grealish
Green
El Ghazi
Lansbury
Hourihane
Doyle-Hayes

O'Hare
Davis
RHM
Kodjia

Given that, I think we need another 5/6 players to give us a 22/23 man senior squad plus 4 kids such as JDH, O'Hare, RHM and Davis.

Main focus has to be in attack as that 4 there does not look anywhere near premier League ready.

Also a DM is obviously a must, plus a left back and possibly a RB.

Finally a Right Winger is needed following the release of Adomah and the fact Green is miles off.


What's everyone else's view? Agree? Disagree?

Would you rip it up even more or hold on to some of the players I've got rid of in my head?
 
We've also got James Bree as RB cover.

Definitely need a left back and a top drawer striker. If you don't score goals in the Premier League, you are f**ked, so either signing or replacing Tammy is the most vital piece of business we will have to do.

Agree with the rest of the squad though.
 
I think that's a good assessment of the squad. We look very light up front. That's probably the most difficult position to sort out. I can't see much point in signing an 'established' PL striker like Rondon. Bringing in a foreigner is always a risk. I hope Smith has a good plan.

It might be best to let Koj go if he can find another club where he can get his game.
 
Personally I wouldn't include JDH O'Hare RHM or Sarkic as senior players Ramsey is possibly now ahead of them anyway
 
Hell of a lot of championship and below players being linked? Phillips and Roofe from Leeds, James Tavernier, James Justin, Joe Lolley.

Oh well......In Dean Smith we trust!

Anyone else seen a few rumours about Butland floating around? Harsh on Steer, but have to say, he is a top keeper.
 
I honestly think we need 8 or 9 players that can play in the first team at that level.

McGinn and Jack would be my only starters for next season (that we currently own)
 
Just looking at Man City's first 10 signings after Sheihk Mansour purchased them.

If Edens and Sawaris are serious this is the kind of market we need to be shopping in.

Robinho Real Madrid £32.5M
Wayne Bridge Chelsea £10M
Craig Bellamy West Ham United £14M
Nigel de Jong Hamburger SV £16M
Shay Given Newcastle United £5.9M
Gareth Barry Aston Villa £12M
Roque Santa Cruz Blackburn Rovers £18M
Carlos Tevez MSI £25.5M
Emmanuel Adebayor Arsenal £25M
Kolo Toure Arsenal £16M

Total - £177 Million.

That was in 2 transfer windows and does not include the likes of Zabeletta and Vincent Kompany who signed shortly before the owners arrived but I'm sure were sanctioned.


Now, I hear a lot of people saying we want to do things the right way, well believe me the only right way is the successful way and the best way of giving yourself chance of success is spending money.

If our owners are serious and FFP allows (and if it doesn't work the system so it does), then in todays market we surely need to be looking at spending £200-£250 million over the next 7 months?

Interesting to see the mixture of players they went for too, pretty much all proven experienced Premier League players other than Robinho (who flopped) and De Jong.

It was only after spending £300 million plus to give them solid foundations that they went out and took a few more gambles on the likes of Aguero and David Silva.
 
So in theory we should be looking to take the best players from Everton, Leicester, West Ham, Watford and Palace.

Lets take Idrissa Gueye back, Wilfred Zaha, Declan Rice, Seamus Coleman, Harry Maguire and Jamie Vardy.
 
DeanoVilla said:
Just looking at Man City's first 10 signings after Sheihk Mansour purchased them.

If Edens and Sawaris are serious this is the kind of market we need to be shopping in.

Robinho Real Madrid £32.5M
Wayne Bridge Chelsea £10M
Craig Bellamy West Ham United £14M
Nigel de Jong Hamburger SV £16M
Shay Given Newcastle United £5.9M
Gareth Barry Aston Villa £12M
Roque Santa Cruz Blackburn Rovers £18M
Carlos Tevez MSI £25.5M
Emmanuel Adebayor Arsenal £25M
Kolo Toure Arsenal £16M

Total - £177 Million.

That was in 2 transfer windows and does not include the likes of Zabeletta and Vincent Kompany who signed shortly before the owners arrived but I'm sure were sanctioned.


Now, I hear a lot of people saying we want to do things the right way, well believe me the only right way is the successful way and the best way of giving yourself chance of success is spending money.

If our owners are serious and FFP allows (and if it doesn't work the system so it does), then in todays market we surely need to be looking at spending £200-£250 million over the next 7 months?

Interesting to see the mixture of players they went for too, pretty much all proven experienced Premier League players other than Robinho (who flopped) and De Jong.

It was only after spending £300 million plus to give them solid foundations that they went out and took a few more gambles on the likes of Aguero and David Silva.
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And Fulham tried to spend their way to success and blew £100m to only end up back in the Chumpionship.
I agree that we need to spend and let's not forget that MO'N was like a kid in a sweet shop with Lerner's cheque book. He spent big......... on Reo Coker, Heskey, Knight, Harewood etc. etc.
Smith will spend but it will be in a structured and wise way. He (and Suso) has an eye for talent and will buy well. In January how many were saying "Tyrone who? Kortney who?"
In Smith we trust.
 
Claret & Blue Blood said:
And Fulham tried to spend their way to success and blew £100m to only end up back in the Chumpionship.
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Are you comparing that to what Man City did? Not sure I get your point.

£100 million in 2018 on has beens like Ryan Babel and Lazar Markovic plus unknowns like Jean Michael Seri, is not the same thing as Man City spending the best part of £200 million in 2008 on proven premiership players who were all in their prime.

If anything I'm saying we must do a City and NOT do a Fulham, whereas you seem to be suggesting they are the same thing? lol

Spend BIG on proven premiership quality. Don't spend average on has beens and risky foreigners.
 
A quality left back, a quality centre back, a quality defensive midfielder, a quality winger and 2 quality strikers are the minimum of what we need. If we signed a quality keeper I'd think it harsh on Steer but there's no room for sentiment unfortunately. Probably need someone who can fill in for Jack if needs be as I can't see us relying on Ramsey and O'Hare for that.
 
I guess what I'm saying is we shouldn't be going into this division acting small time, we should be throwing our muscle around and taking good players from direct rivals.

It's not easy, and it probably costs more but it's possible. Remember when Boro did it to us with Southgate and Ugo? All you have to do is sell them a vision (and pay them a lot).

In terms of risk factor there's far less risk in paying £150 million for Gueye, Maguire and Zaha than there is paying £70 million for a couple of johnny foriegners and a potential star from the Championship.
 
A lot of players at the top level would sign for Villa, if we pay them the going rate.

Watford or Villa? errrrrrrrrrrr no brainer
 
I think we are perhaps in the stay up mode then kick on in a years time but we may just go for it now and get stuck straight in.
It's ingrained in us villa Fans these last few seasons that we can't afford this player and that player but we have enough money to blow all bar the top 6 out of the water id the owners want to .
 
DeanoVilla said:
We should be thinking big.

Unless the owners aren't what we think they are.
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I agree mate that's way i'd keep Jack and SJM and dump the rest , I'm just not sure we are allowed to but if we are lets do it .
Imagine a team that SJM can't get in at Villa Park
 
I think we're semi in agreement.

I can't see it being possible to just dump everyone and buy an entirely new squad.

I think we need to keep 15 of our best and then supplement it with 5 or 6 new signings but those signings need to be proven quality.
 
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