The Summer Transfer Thread 2022.

[Wilko1304]

Never seen this personally. I actually think he’s quite a lazy presser. We don’t really press high as a rule anyway do we?

We have quite a varied press. It's quite fun, we seem to cater to the team we play, and then cater to how the game is going. Some of our success in Europe this year, in those big games, we saw Antonio's press in full swing, but Chelsea at home is another game we risked it high to get reward.

We often deploy more of a mid block, but even against City he was pretty brilliant in stopping passing channels to Rodri. It was key to our success. It's just another area where he's extremely underappreciated, but his knowledge of how to pressure passing channels and how to bend his runs to be an effective pressure really impresses me, considering how late it's come to him.

And, another point to why I think another striker is so important,is that we might be able to press more aggressively if Antonio isn't our only option and hitting fatigue. And we might be able to defend more aggressively late in matches if we had a sub.

[Ironing Board]

I liked a few of Pellegrinis signings Fabianski, Fornals, Diop, Haller, Yarmolenko even if some didn't quite work out due to being injury hit or not quite fitting in to a system. I'd actually take Haller back in a flash with the way we play now, which is a shame.

Some? Haller was like a traffic cone! He is banging them in for a dominant team in a substandard league. He was found out big time in the Premier League.

[S-H]

We don't press on Sundays..

[Aztec Hammer]

With some of the names and prices I’m seeing for the striker position, I never thought I would say this but I honestly would rather just sign Lingard and Lewis-Potter, devote the rest of the available money to Areola, Bassey, Aguerd and Phillips and use Lingard/Bowen/Lewis-Potter even to spell Antonio up top when necessary in a Liverpool style front three of dynamic options.

I just am not seeing the merit in spending £50m on players like Ollie Watkins and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Watkins is another Antonio in terms of the lows of the frustration and the highs of the hard work that he will bring. I have no idea how he warrants that sort of price tag. Calvert-Lewin’s attitude stinks, man. It’s not even the fashion stuff and magazine covers, last week Richarlison knocked the ball into the net in a key moment and you had DCL preoccupied with letting the ref know that it touched him on the way through and that it’s his goal. Besides, his play style is more like Carroll than people want to admit. Just because he has a turn of pace, he is billed as a dynamic channel runner.

I remember us tearing up Leicester at home with Bowen, Lingard and Benrahma (?).

The game doesn’t need a big guy up front just for the sake of it. Antonio holds the ball up fantastically at times with his strengths but he doesn’t win headers for us. If we had Bowen, Lingard or KLP buzzing about as a front three, we could absolutely find ways to stress defences and frighten the life out of them in transition. It was only recently that we had more possession than Arsenal (when has that ever happened?) in a game where Antonio was on the bench.

Of course, I want a pure striker, but given the sheer number of serious needs in our team, and our lack of being Man City, I would happily bypass the quote unquote ‘marquee’ striker if it meant supplementing the team with numerous additions of genuine quality in defence, midfield and attack.

[S-H]

Some? Haller was like a traffic cone! He is banging them in for a dominant team in a substandard league. He was found out big time in the Premier League.

Pack it in you gurt bum nugget.

Haller is a cracking player, just wasn't a good match for the current manager, and the way he wants his forwards to play.

But, he is a quality striker in his own right, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in the Premier League again at some point.

[Colours never run]

Says who?

11 goals and 1 assist

Vs

10 goals and 6 assists in a much worse team, two years younger, more versatile and £20 million cheaper.

Watkins isn't worth £50 million of anyone's money, we'd be having our pants pulled well and truly down.

Me. In his debut season before this one, Watkins had almost as many goal involvements as Bowen does for us this season with 21 goals and assists. Let alone what he's done this season. He's also scored twice for England since making his debut last year.

I also generally find him a lot more involved in games and a constant nuisance for defences that I can say the same about Dennis who plays in fits and spurts.

[Ironing Board]

Pack in you gurt bum nugget.

Haller is a cracking player, just wasn't a good match for the current manager, and the way he wants his forwards to play.

But, he is a quality striker in his own right, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in the Premier League again at some point.

And if he comes back his lack of mobility will once again be exposed. The pace of the league was kryptonite to his game. He was a bit like a less effective version of Pierre Van Hooijdonk.

[Aceface]

The only chance we have of getting Watkins, other than of course paying the money they want, is the player himself pushes for the move. But how likely is that? I can imagine him wanting to join West Ham. But would he go through extreme lengths? I am not so sure.

The situation that I assumed seems pretty plausible is that Villa want to do the usual recent Villa thing of going for big showy attacking signings and can only do it by making room, either literally because it’s a new striker they want or simply to generate funds to buy a slightly different position. Ings isn’t saleable given age and wage, so Watkins by default becomes available for the right price.

[Colours never run]

Some? Haller was like a traffic cone! He is banging them in for a dominant team in a substandard league. He was found out big time in the Premier League.

A cone that still managed to score 14 times in a Team struggling to gel properly. He'd thrive in the Team now with the way we play. And he's proving it at Ajax once again domestically and in the Champions League. I will always claim we were far too hasty to get rid after just 18 months with his quality.

[lincolnhammer1963]

Will we see Haller again in the Premier league.
It's not beyond possibility that Ten Hag at Man Utd may fancy giving him another chance.

[S-H]

He's a quality striker.

Put him in the right side and he shows that.

He was hardly poor here, he scored some unbelievable goals.

[I am Legend]

Agreed, Scamacca has a bit of Arnie about him, and Imbrahimovic.

I think he'd be our best signing since Payet.

Scamacca, Lewis-Potter, Lingard and we'd get Euro football again next year, maybe CL.

[Ironing Board]

Haller isn’t fit to lace Antonio’s boots.

[Romfordboy]

The situation that I assumed seems pretty plausible is that Villa want to do the usual recent Villa thing of going for big showy attacking signings and can only do it by making room, either literally because it’s a new striker they want or simply to generate funds to buy a slightly different position. Ings isn’t saleable given age and wage, so Watkins by default becomes available for the right price.

This is my thoughts as well…. I can’t his name is being linked out of thin air, they must be some talks or something going on for some reason

Maybe Gerard fancies someone else like David bit obv would need to sell Watkins for him

[S-H]

Haller isn’t fit to lace Antonio’s boots.

Pish off ye!!

[Colours never run]

Haller isn’t fit to lace Antonio’s boots.

:lol:

[Ironing Board]

Pish off ye!!

:lol:

[Aceface]

He followed the money to China, still ended up playing for Man Utd. That was weird.

That's like siting Oscar as a reason we shouldn't sign players from Chelsea.

It isn’t, because the comparison I’m making is long before he went to China.

Ighalo played for Watford, had a blazing first six months in the prem when he had something like 13 or 14 goals by Xmas time and then barely scored for them again after that.

The comparison involves a club making the choice to sign him at the end of that first season when it wasn’t fully clear whether the first half of his season was the norm or the second half. He played another six months for them before that China move which made it abundantly clear what the answer actually was. We won’t have the luxury of that final six months.

I’m not against us signing him but it would certainly mean going in with eyes wide open.

[EastleighHammer16]

[bonzosbeard]

Pack it in you gurt bum nugget.

Haller is a cracking player, just wasn't a good match for the current manager, and the way he wants his forwards to play.

But, he is a quality striker in his own right, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in the Premier League again at some point.

S-H ironing board can look after himself but did you need to call him a bum nugget? I nearly asked you what it was then thought better of it.

As for not fitting in you're right. I think at times the likes of Messi would struggle here. That's why seeing us play some great football these last two years has been a joy.