pmcla26

I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed with the tactical idea that Cooper has experimented with in the first couple of games. I get it - new manager comes in and has his own ideas (and tweaks were going to have to be made to adapt to the Premier League) but I was hoping that we'd stay with the same shape and individual roles (Ricardo inverting, Mavididi and Fatawu keeping their width but cutting in, underlapping runs into the box from the 8s) as a template for players to follow and for when buying in the market. I honestly don't think we needed to do too much business this summer, it was just about adding quality to the squad. Mads Ricardo Faes Coady (Think Vesty will get caught out for pace and we won't need his passing ability quite so much this season given we won't be breaking down low blocks every game) Kristiansen/new LCB type (someone like Theate? - maybe unrealistic but we were linked) Winks Ndidi KDH replacement (O'Riley?) Fatawu Vardy/new signing (Target man type alternative?) Mavididi That's a good starting 11 and one that features a lot of continuity from last season. We will have had to speed up our play through the lines on transition (so it won't strictly be "enzo-ball", just the same roles with slightly different tactics), but we won't face sides sitting 11 behind the ball this season. It just seems a lot more simpler to me than what Cooper has implemented so far and it's concerning me, despite it being so early in pre-season.

I think he'd start for us if Ndidi goes. He's better than you're saying there. His passing, close control and tenacity are perfect for our system. Great player for a high pressing system. Very good at breaking the lines with his passing and also winning it back high up the pitch.

If it wasn't for his injury he'd have been PL 12 months ago.

He does

Nope, but you'll still get fans asking for it to be lumped forward.

It's been terrible for about 3/4 years now, but before that, yes. We'll probably pay Enzo more than they would.

How can you put champions in speech marks like it isn't a factual piece of information?

I really can't see him not being here next season after his comments last night.

Brighton

I imagine that means we won't be signing a striker in the summer then? As JV new deal and can't see much interest in Daka. Nelson, fair enough, could see him coming good before long anyway. Means Vestergaard possibly released as I imagine we're looking at new centre-back with a bit more pace? (I hope) Hope he doesn't, had a good season at Bologna - Champions League money might mean they can afford him, though. Yeah, Souttar was a bad buy. Soumare I just think because we need numbers in midfield - but if someone comes in who can cover his wages on another loan or sign him then I suspect he will be gone.

How? He's a late-bloomer but he's just off the back of a great season - his trajectory is looking good. Look at someone like John McGinn, for example (and his season in the Championship wasn't as good as KDH's)

Souttar, Praet, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Iversen, Thomas all to go. Cannon, Wanya and Nelson out on loan. Keep the rest (including Soumare and Kristiansen).

I don't think he would go. Remember when he said when he joined that he wants to find a club to be at for 5-6 years? I don't think Sevilla are particularly attractive either, right now. They have their own financial issues, issues on the pitch, and plus everyone wants to manage in the Premier League.

Can't argue with any of that - think we may have to deal with it though for the time being with our financial situation. Or just sign only young players with potential for cheap, and really face an up hill battle to survive next season but be ok in the long-run.

Of games that I've been to, Sevilla, Porto, Fulham in the league cup in 13/14 and Liverpool when Vardy scored that goal 15/16.

He's not anything special, but he's tenacious, has PL experience and tidy in possession. I wouldn't want us to sign him if he wasn't a free agent in the summer and we had to pay a fee, just think he'd be a useful player when we need numbers in that area of the pitch.

Greaves Brownhill (free) Sensi (free) Carvalho (Loan) Adams (free) Something like that would be sensible.

Sensi and Brownhill would be two decent budget signings for our midfield next season.

Villa have lots of money and ambitions to be part of that gang. They'll have to keep spending a lot to maintain where they are in the league so it makes sense, really.

They're not in any danger of going down - might as well continue with his philosophy and hope it benefits those that come into the side, like O'Mahoney and Offiah, in the long-run.

Abdul and Stephy

Doesn’t have the pace to play the way that he does at the top level.

Pickford, Walker, Dunk/Maguire, Stones and Chilwell is still a very good back line. Only missing Shaw from the starting defence plus options for depth.

Fil Dor at 25/1 E/W. Too good a price not to back it.

Vestergaard was signed to be first-choice for that season, he just performed poorly so Amartey over took him in the pecking order (wrongly, IMO). Evans' injury problems had began and Fofana was out for the season. Daka made sense as the heir to Vardy. Soumare was a waste of money. Lookman was good enough for RW anyway, the mistake was not signing him permanently.