Re: Summer transfers speculation thread (all links in here until it's official)

[villabromsgrove]

Westwood signs a new five year contract.

It reinforces Sherwood's opinion of him, in the same way that he's backing Clark and Baker to do a job for Villa.

[Guest]

Good. Important player.

[FoxyAV]

I've always liked Westwood. He doesn't score goals and his corners are woeful but his distribution is almost always the right choice and his passing accuracy excellent. He makes a few mistakes here and there but he glues the whole thing together. I like Sanchez too, he's not so good with the distribution and passing but is a better tackler. Good to have both of them in the squad.

[TED]

For me Westwoods extension is the biggest sign yet of no new owners any time soon.
Westwood is not a top 10 prem player at best bottom half of the prem maybe even a top half championship player.
Westwood has been a regular throughout the seasons of struggle he's performances have not been noticeable during any high profile games.
It appears to me Lerner and he's yes men are building a team capable of avoiding relegation but accepting that Villas place will be the bottom half of the prem league.
Westwood sighing like Baker lacks ambition and demonstrates to me a club Intrenched in a culture of accepting we no longer can or will ever compete with the elite.
time to accept as long as Lerner remains we will continue to decline.

[Guest]

I have no info, no ITK friends and generally fuck all clue regarding Villa business. If I however was a rich guy that bought this club, I'd say getting Westwood on a longer contract would be a priority. Not sure how this can tell you anything? Especially with the homegrown ruling.

[gdav]

Westwood is English, a tidy enough footballer and seems to have a good attitude which are all worth a lot with today's PL prices & rules. 
Hes been picked by both Lambert & Sherwood so must have something going for him. 
I'm glad he's signed and the fact we only paid £900,000 for him is right up there with 6 mill for Benteke. Cracking deal.

[gdav]

As for lack of ambition???? We've signed some amazing talent this summer by far the most enjoyable for a long time UTV

[Guest]

Westy will knock up over 130 matches for us in total by the end of this season. Top man

[TED]

I'm certainly not saying he is not a top man.
I'm saying a five year contract for Westwood does not indicate a club aspiring to challenge the top teams.
He is not a top half prem player

[KMitch]

For me Westwoods extension is the biggest sign yet of no new owners any time soon.
Westwood is not a top 10 prem player at best bottom half of the prem maybe even a top half championship player.
Westwood has been a regular throughout the seasons of struggle he's performances have not been noticeable  during any high profile games.
It appears to me Lerner and he's yes men are building a team capable of avoiding relegation but accepting that Villas place will be the bottom half of the prem league.
Westwood sighing like Baker lacks ambition and demonstrates to me a club Intrenched in a culture of accepting we no longer can or will ever compete with the elite.
time to accept as long as Lerner remains we will continue to decline.

Lol. What do you know? TED doesn't like Westwood? Go figure...

Westwood would be a solid squad player for Everton, Southampton, Swansea, Spurs, or even Liverpool (arguably). This is great news for us, because I can see him getting an England call up this season. He's improved by leaps and bounds since he broke into the first team, but he's so consistent, you won't notice much of a change, game to game. His corners have been awful, but let's see if they change from floating balls to the back post, to driven to the front post, now that Rudy is here.

Has anyone else noticed him make a lot of runs forward against Bournemouth? I think Westy will chip in with a few goals this season, and more than a few assists, under Sherwood and Wilkins.

[TED]

I can see where I said I didn't like him?
I'm simply making ain't re my interpretation of the clubs ambition.
I can not see United Spurs City Liverpool Arsenal or even Everton wanting to buy Westwood or Baker.

[KMitch]

I can see where I said I didn't like him?
I'm simply making ain't re my interpretation of the clubs ambition.
I can not see United Spurs City Liverpool Arsenal or even Everton wanting to buy Westwood or Baker.

Lol. Where did Baker come from? You also listed a different group of teams than I did.

[TED]

Read my post

[South London Villan]

TED , are you on in Edinburgh? I love your jokes and deadpan approach, I think I would really enjoy your routine.

[KMitch]

It's the most exciting summer EVER for Villa supporters, and yet some still aren't happy. You Brits are some of the most dour people on the planet.

[South London Villan]

Sherwood and the coaching team obviously see Westwood as someone they can work with and improve and who will fit in to their preferred style of play.
I think we will see shorter, quicker passes, getting the ball out wide to the pace on the wing then utilise Guestede strengths.
Westy fits in to the Makelele role of short passes circa 10 yards. (I don't think he is the same quality as Makelele, purely the role)
Yes he needs to work on his corners and longer pasing, hopefully Guzan can work on his as well.
He never appears in the press in compromising situations and is a lovely young man who is grateful for his opportunity at a big club and he is English who will benefit from having better players around him.

[South London Villan]

It's the most exciting summer EVER for Villa supporters, and yet some still aren't happy. You Brits are some of the most dour people on the planet.

I am sure it is just jokes, irony, 99.9% are exceptionally pleased with the business already done and have a positive attitude and are looking forward to the season for the first time in years.

It is hard for some to break the behaviours learnt under McCleish and Lambert.

[villabromsgrove]

Ted I think your first post was clearly posted for effect because your subsequent posts show that you think Westwood is good enough to play in the Premiership at our current level, although you rightly say that top teams wouldn't try and sign him. I don't think the general opinion on Westwood is that he's a top player, just that he's a decent player who rarely let's the team down. Just the kind of cheap reliable squad player we will need over the next couple of seasons. If we improve to the point that he doesn't play then we know we can sell him on at a profit. That's good business, not a sign of a lack of ambition.

[TED]

Please don't patronise.
Yes McLiesh and Lambert have gone but so have Benteke Delph and Vlarr along with the likes of Young Barry Dowling and Milner.
The only constant is Lerner.
Lerner has been the cause of Villas decline. He has openly stated he wants out and to return to he's own kind.
He has employed Fox a yes man who speaks in riddles and contradicts himself.
Let's see what Lerners net spend iS at the end of the transfer window.
Westwood Agbonlahor Baker  Hutton all given new contracts within the last year and all championship or bottom half prem players at best. Is this the ambition you want for Villa? Surely Fox was involved in these?
Where's the investment in quality established playrers?.

[TED]

Ted I think your first post was clearly posted for effect because your subsequent posts show that you think Westwood is good enough to play in the Premiership at our current level, although you rightly say that top teams wouldn't try and sign him. I don't think the general opinion on Westwood is that he's a top player, just that he's a decent player who rarely let's the team down. Just the kind of cheap reliable squad player we will need over the next couple of seasons. If we improve to the point that he doesn't play then we know we can sell him on at a profit. That's good business, not a sign of a lack of ambition.

VB my point is Westwood along with Baker are not ambitious signing.
If people ar happy for the status quo to remain with Villa continuing in the lower eshelones of the league so be it.
But let's not dress it up as if it will
Improve us.
It's a typical Lambert type signing

[Cha Ching]

We've signed 9 players this window. The likes of Baker and Westwood may get pushed down the pecking order if more signings come in.
Clark too, and he has been given a new deal also.

Why would we give these players new deals?

If Westwood and Clark were dropped and told that they were going to be backup options in future, would they sign new deals? I think giving them deals now makes sense. If they are ousted by better players, we can still call on their experience for backup.

[DaveAV1]

Sherwood views Baker as a late developer, so we've given him a new contract and are looking to loan him out for now. If he develops then great, if not he won't be worth any less in a year or two. As mentioned above, Westwood is a good solid player who we already have on the books and so keeping him is no risk and he too could develop further in the future.
As for lack of ambition, the improved quality of players, yes I know we don't really know how they'll pan out yet, is blindingly obvious. For the position, you never tire of reminding us the club find themselves, the signings we have made have been both ambitious and imaginative. Yes we could have bought more established prem players, but they would have cost twice as much, if indeed we could have persuaded them to come.
Your constant criticism of the club is becoming rather rediculous. You're not alone in wanting Lerner to sell, including the man himself, but I see no evidence of TF being a yes man. Of course he works for a boss and so like anyone else he has to follow his bosses wishes, but he seems to be leading from the front. He's certainly changed the way the club is behaving.
Ted, you're very quick to criticise just about anything about Villa, but I rarely recall you ever offering much in the way of constructive alternatives. I genuinely would love to know what the club could do that would receive a positive reaction from you.

[villabromsgrove]

Ted I think your first post was clearly posted for effect because your subsequent posts show that you think Westwood is good enough to play in the Premiership at our current level, although you rightly say that top teams wouldn't try and sign him. I don't think the general opinion on Westwood is that he's a top player, just that he's a decent player who rarely let's the team down. Just the kind of cheap reliable squad player we will need over the next couple of seasons. If we improve to the point that he doesn't play then we know we can sell him on at a profit. That's good business, not a sign of a lack of ambition.

VB my point is Westwood along with Baker are not ambitious signing.
If people ar happy for the status quo to remain with Villa continuing in the lower eshelones of the league so be it.
But let's not dress it up as if it will
Improve us.
It's a typical Lambert type signing

The first thing that I would say is that they aren't "signings". They're Villa players who have had their contract's extended because we currently need them.


I like Baker although I accept that he's been injury and accident prone, and although Westwood isn't my favourite player, I can respect the no nonsense job that he does for us match after match.

I believe that both Baker and Westwood are on very reasonable wages, so I think it makes sense to have players like these two in the squad. Sherwood knows that they both give everything each time they play and neither will cause him any grief. It allows him to look for and bring in better players who will supersede them in the Villa pecking order over the next couple of seasons. Both players can be sold for a profit when they are considered surplus to requirements.

That seems like sensible progress while covering against injuries and unknowns.

[Stratfordvilla]

It'll be interesting to see how Westy develops this year as the main man in midfield in terms of premier league experience. Perhaps the snake, cleverly and lamberts ridiculous instructions to all of the midfield made him play a game he wasn't suited to.

[South London Villan]

Apologies Ted, I thought your approach was Adrian Durhamesque, stimulating debate.
There are limitations to what we can spend due to FFP, the quality of signings this summer are by far better than Holman, Sylla Tonev et al.
The lessons of previous sins have appeared to be learned. Losing players for next to nothing or nothing because contract management was piss poor should be a thing of the past. Exorbitant wages for players like Knight, Sidwell, Beye et al (where the rot began under O'Neill in my humble opinion), should again be a thing of the past.
Mistakes will be made, just less than those under Faulkener/Lambert/McCleish as there is a stronger support team than before.
We are not in the position to buy Messi, Neymar, Zlatan, we have to build towards that, however if we can start beating West Ham, Swansea, Stoke, Newcastle, then we will have progressed.
Stoke have taken 5 seasons to build a squad sensibly to start targeting UEfA cup positions, in the same period we have gone the complete opposite direction.
If they can do it, and their owner is richer than ours, then we can do it just not over night.
We have made positive strides this summer and I am glad, I relish the season as one we won't be looking over our shoulder come May, but I am realistic to see it for what is, not one which we will qualify for Champions League, but progress has been made.
I love the Villa and I always will, I support them through thick and thin and I hate boo boys and negativity.

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