Transfer News

There’s more to transfers nowadays than a full English at Knutsford services

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As we head rapidly towards July and pre-season training, Villa fans everywhere are getting their underwear increasingly twisted about the apparent lack of transfer activity, particularly the fact that although we’ve let a fair few go, there doesn’t seem to be much of a hurry to replace them.

I think this forum post from regular MollyCruyff sums up the situation nicely – there’s a lengthy chain involved in any potential transfer and we need the stars to align and the Moon to transit Venus at the same time. There’s a lot more to transfer nowadays than a full English and a handshake at Knutsford services!

Writer: MollyCruyff

I’m getting bored now with the continuous comments on social media and on here of “Why haven’t we signed anyone?” and “We’ve got to get a move on and sign people or we’ll go down with this squad.”

Its 6 weeks until our first game and I agree, it would be ideal to have gotten all our players in by now so they can hi-five each other in the staff canteen and get used to how each other play.

Truth is that even if they are there now, it still may take a while to get used to a new country, a new language, new teammates, new way of playing. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t

What people don’t understand is the many, many, many links in a chain that make up a transfer (in no particular order):

  1. Making contact with the selling club
  2. Foreign club – possible language issues to overcome
  3. Selling club won’t/ don’t want to sell
  4. Selling club want to hold on to player for “just a bit longer” to see if anyone else bids and pushes price up
  5. Agreeing a price – negotiating, renegotiating and re-renegotiating the price
  6. Player doesn’t want to come. Player changes mind and wants to come
  7. Player not in country as on holiday
  8. Player does / doesn’t agree personal terms
  9. Issues with a previous injury
  10. Another club turns his head – he wants to talk to them as well
  11. All of the above sorted but other club won’t sell as they need a replacement – they then have to deal with all of the above as does the club that they’re buying from.
  12. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat…

We’ve been told that DS has a list of players for certain positions and I would imagine with more than 1 choice for each. I can only imagine that those choices are based on ball-playing players who are technically proficient and fit in exactly with the style of how DS wants to play.

We seem to have an excellent European scouting network in place which is looking at players that most of us have probably never heard of (Wesley). I have complete trust in them to bring in some quality.

DS knows what he needs to survive in the Prem. If he doesn’t know or if he gets it wrong, we’ll more than likely get relegated and he’ll suffer the relative consequences.

We can’t control any of the above so just relax. Stop worrying about things which you can do nothing about.

Transfers will come in, Mings will possibly sign (possibly won’t due to the social media stalking by 12-year-old fanboys), some of the signings will be amazing, a couple will probably be duds and the world will keep turning and, most importantly, we’ll still all be Villans.


Get involved in the forum debate on the summer transfer speculation (strong views and more colourful language) or click here if you want to write for Vital Villa – new contributors are always welcome. Vital Football is a network by the fans, for the fans and we welcome your submissions.

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