Well, it was a different transfer window this summer for Aston Villa fans. Good early moves compared to deadline day scrambling and overpriced scraps, securing targets we all welcomed or saw the sense in, but everything soured with Jack Grealish’s transfer to Manchester City.
What does this mean for our ambitions, our apparent ahead of schedule-ness (is that even a word (no!))? What does it say about our owners ambitions as this was a summer to steal a march on at least six clubs who finished above us, if not more – and we have £100million in our pockets our budget shouldn’t have accounted for. Do we now fall down the table, once again?
It’s led to some sharp and terse debate in Vital Villa’s Summer Transfer Rumour Forum Thread since he who ‘won’t be named twice’ ran for his new wage packet and faux future success.
Forum member Merd had a more positive take than some, and many in the wider audience will appreciate the thoughts.
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Caught up on the thread and boy, what a bunch of pessimists.
For us to make an informed judgement of our final position, we need to see the first team play together. I’d say we won’t have a clear picture until at least games in.
The positives are the youngsters who have the potential to break through. They’ll get some game time, they’ll be around the first team and they’ll be all the better for it next season and the season after. So for my tuppence worth, we’ve covered the gap created by the sale of one Jack Peter Grealish, predominantly with Leon Bailey (you can’t play three new players in Jack’s position), we have improved the overall squad and now potentially have some game changers on the bench. We have options for formations, and in Danny Ings, have a quality centre forward who can take the burden off Ollie Watkins.
I’m generally happy, don’t see why we can’t push for 8th this season (5th was always a struggle), but I’m looking at the longer term – a financially stable club with a thriving youth team (don’t underestimate the win against Wycombe by the U21’s). We have wriggle room for January, and I bet they are looking at options right now.
This isn’t a supersonic rise to global supremacy, this is a sustainable, targeted approach to incremental improvement.
Jacks gone, get over it, focus on what we have and be glad we’ve got a team to support because three years ago we nearly didn’t and Jack would definitely have been sold for £3m. I’m personally chuffed to bits we’re arguing over a top half finish in the Premier League and not the survival of the greatest name in football’s very existence.
I wonder what Arsenal or Barcelona fans are discussing?
On Board With A Longer Term Plan?
Happy Enough
No, We Missed A Trick
