January 2019 Window

For what it's worth, the sun are now saying that we're 'lining up a swoop' for Maupay. They also say we've agreed a fee with Wolves for Hause.

Maupay is third most productive striker in the league with 15 goals ( goal every other game). Right up there with Abraham.
If Abraham goes to Wolves, we could do worse and you really could not blame him. He has no real gut connection to Villa and a wage of £120k per week is being talked about.

Perhaps fetching De Laet back would give options at right back. Elmohammedy can go for me. I never though De Laet was given a proper shake.

Sorting the midfield out is just as big a priority as the defence.

big ming wrote:Perhaps fetching De Laet back would give options at right back. Elmohammedy can go for me. I never though De Laet was given a proper shake.

Me neither, but when he did play he looked better than anything else we had at RB.

Someone remarked to De Laet on twitter that he should come back, and he replied...

'ritchie de laet
‏@de_laet_r
25 Dec 2018
I’ve not travelled all the way across the world to then do a u turn 3 months later to then be out of contract 6 months later I need to play for my future merry Xmas'

Given we've already got Bree, Elmohamady and Hutton, I don't think a right-back will be a priority for us anyway, I can think of three or four positions that need filling first. Bree really needs more of a run in the team in that position before we can judge him properly, he might be our answer.

John Percy
‏Verified account @JPercyTelegraph
#avfc are set to sign #Wolves defender Kourtney Hause today, on loan until the end of the season. Hause was also a target for #wba

deadbuzzardalive wrote:Someone remarked to De Laet on twitter that he should come back, and he replied...

'ritchie de laet
‏@de_laet_r
25 Dec 2018
I’ve not travelled all the way across the world to then do a u turn 3 months later to then be out of contract 6 months later I need to play for my future merry Xmas'

Given we've already got Bree, Elmohamady and Hutton, I don't think a right-back will be a priority for us anyway, I can think of three or four positions that need filling first. Bree really needs more of a run in the team in that position before we can judge him properly, he might be our answer.

Yes. But we don't appear to have a decent right back amongst them.

Anyone know if and where Tammy went to work this morning yet?

big ming wrote:Anyone know if and where Tammy went to work this morning yet?

I’m already bored of the Tammy Abraham talk. If he wants to go he ought to just come out & say so, somebody in the press could at least ask him the question. Aston Villa will live on after ANY player, let alone a player that doesn’t even belong to us. Go to Wolves if you must, we’ll pass you on our way up in a year or so.

I think Abraham will be confirmed as having his loan cancelled by the end of today, probably to go to Wolves. That's what we get for being a championship club, you're always at risk of losing your best players to clubs that can offer Premier league football, one of the reasons we need to get back asap, as we're being left behind.

I'm sure there will be gloating from Wolves fans, and meltdowns from Villa fans, but the idea that losing him will derail our season is nonsense. Last season up until December, Davis was our only fit striker, Grealish was injured as well, and yet we were still challenging top six... Someone else will take his palce and get goals.

big ming wrote:Yes. But we don't appear to have a decent right back amongst them.

That's a bit harsh.

We were mostly fine with Chester and Baker in the middle and Jedi in front, although a lack of LB didn't help (remember Richardson?). De Laet and Taylor could have worked but the former spent his first season injured while the latter proved not to be that good at getting forward (at Swansea he apparently didn't have to do too much of that). Cabbage Head then started screwing around and while Terry was an acceptable replacement for Baker we've been all over the place since. Bree's not had a good run, Kodjia and Bolasie only get back to help when they feel like it, Whelan's been a temporary chicane for any opposition attack for the last couple of seasons and Nyeland's been settling in with a combination of different players (Jedi?!) in front of him. Hourihane's been OK in Whelan's place and Chester's been playing on the left when he's always played on the right.

I genuinely thought Bjarnason could sit in front of the defence but the last couple of subs appearances as an AM have changed my mind. For me what we need is:

1. a left-sided CB.
2. a LB to cover or replace Taylor.
3. a playmaker/DM to replace Whelan.

Apart from that we should be ok. We have the new goalie and Steer back as cover. We have a few strikers and I agree that at least one of them will go on a run of form and score some goals. Grealish will come back to spearhead the midfield. Smith now needs to get our players working properly, in advance of replacing most of them at the end of the season with McGinn clones.

I don't blame De Late, btw, he should have been first choice RB last season and this, his career has stalled here and he's too good to go to waste. Hutton looks knackered at the moment but what else can we do?

Abraham not at training today, apparently. So that’s him gone. We move on. Hopefully we add another CB to the apparent done deal for Hause, and we definitely will need a LB. A Good DM to replace Whelan is obviously on our shopping list. We need bodies sooner rather than later. I think we have to go with Hogan and Kodjia now, I honestly cannot see the funds being available for someone like Maupay, given that I’m reading circa £15m to get him. We’d definitely have to sell before shelling out that sort of money.

Without Abraham we're left with Kodjia, Hogan and Davis, all three of them are injury prone, and only one of them scores goals, we're going to need to bring in another forward, even if the intention is to replace Abraham in the first team with Kodjia or one of the other two, we will still need an extra option... I wouldn't be surprised if we made a move for Josh Maja from Sunderland, highly rated, 20 years of age, fifteen goals already this season, and out of contract in the summer, so wouldn't cost a lot of money... Only problem is that there will probably be Premier league interest.

Also I see that Alan Nixon has tweeted that we've recalled Jordan Lyden, and some are taking that to mean we're going to be using him in the DM position... We haven't actually recalled him as such, his loan was due to end on January 8th, anyway as he only left on a half season loan, but I imagine he'll go back to Oldham or somewhere else.

Just been announced on the official site that we have signed Kortney Hause on loan with a clause to buy in the summer, apparently if we improve the player Purslow doesn't want anyone to step in and pinch him, well would you believe it professional upper management.

Is Abraham going, him being ambitious and moving to, er, Wolves, or, is it a bit of a slap in the face for the Smith era as Abraham thinks he's too good for this shit?

I think we need to not get carried away with the reasons for Abraham leaving. At the end of the day, he's not ours to keep and he will - rightly - put his own career at top priority. I wouldn't look at it as a snub to the Smith era if he feels the Prem (and presumably further senior international exposure) is the right place for him to be performing and a team, Wolves or otherwise, is prepared to offer him that where Chelsea won't.

P.s. good luck to him, he's served us well and will hopefully have enjoyed his experience.

Quite right VTID85, he should put his own career first. I have noticed him moaning on the pitch at other players when things haven't gone right and wonder whether he's got a bit fed up with it and decided to jump ship. I also wonder if he'd gone if we were in the top 2. We will probably never know. Good luck to him in whatever he does. FWIW, I don't think he's a Prem centre forward yet, but might turn out to be at the right club. That said, if he couldn't make it at Chelsea................

If Abraham fails to make an impact at Wolves, he'll probably end up back on loan in the championship next season, as that will be twice he's failed in the premier league, and there will be big question marks as to whether he's good enough for the top flight... Whereas if he'd have stayed with us, and continued his good form, then a prem club would have come in for him in the summer on permanent no matter what...

So whilst I can understand him wanting to move to the premier league, in the long term, he may well have been better off staying where he is.

Abraham is going, he’s never been ours. Let’s move on and back whoever wants to be at the club.

I am guessing that Hause is a loan with option because has not played much senior football,is carrying a foot-injury and we need to defer the transfer fee.
Barbet from Brentford is out of contract soon and could be a low cost answer to both the left back and central defender problem.
Sawyers would be a good option to cover for Jack (long term if he goes).
That just leaves a defensive midfield playmaker with legs.
We really need to get a tune out of Hogan though. His confidence is low. Perhaps he should have a couple of run outs with the U23's? Had he banged in a couple last night against Man Utd, it might have helped.

Don't blame Tammy for going to the Dingles as they are a decent side and this years surprise package in the Premier League. If he had gone to Cardiff I would have been pissed off but considering that Bournemouth have just paid 19m for Solanke I think the World has gone mad?

I think Hogan's only hope is to wait for Jack to return as he is the only player we have that can play the clever passes which Hogan relies on. Without Jack we are a crossing side hence 6'4" Abraham scoring lots of goals!

Personally I would rather we went into the market and got a successful striker!

I've always said that I'd rather wait to join the PL with a bedded-in squad so as much as I've loved Abraham's contribution, his inevitable departure was always going to put us back to square one with the striker conundrum - so let's deal with it sooner rather than later. I understand both approaches but I'd rather not rush things with aged stop-gaps & one-season loans.

Football has officially reached insanity with the Solanke transfer. I’ve hoped for years that this ridiculous premier league bubble would pop and I’m still waiting. I can honestly say I hate everything about the premier league.

The Guardian reporting that Abraham has turned down a loan move to Wolves... Although they say he's open to leaving if a Premier league club offers him a permanent deal.