nayenezgani
Jimmy Neighbour
Stop getting my hopes up "According to the Express"
Sorry, my bad. I'm trying to will it into reality.
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The all new Striker thread..
- Thread starter Richie
- Start date
Sorry, my bad. I'm trying to will it into reality.
I thought he was signing for Lazio? At least that’s what Romano was bleating on about the other day!
If I had to bet ..
Legohamster
Ian Walker
Ollie Watkins has completed his medical at Aston Villa ahead of a club-record £28 million move, plus £5 million in potential add-ons, from Brentford, report David Ornstein and Gregg Evans. Villa saw off late interest from Tottenham Hotspur to secure the services of Watkins, who was the joint-top scorer in the Championship last season.
Why were Villa so determined to sign him?
Villa were disappointed to miss out on Callum Wilson — who they were led to believe had chosen them just days before ultimately moving to Saudi Sportswashing Machine for £20 million — and were determined to avoid a repeat situation with Watkins.
Villa had two bids rejected by Brentford and The Athletic understands it was always going to take an absolute minimum of £25 million for the Championship club to do business.
Why did Watkins pick Villa?
Watkins was sold on the idea of becoming the main man for a Premier League club and may also have been encouraged by how Tyrone Mings and Jack Grealish have won England caps while playing for the club.
Plus, at 24, Watkins could yet move to an even bigger club should he succeed at Villa Park.
How will he fit in?
Watkins is expected to play in a centre-forward role having thrived down the middle last season, scoring 26 goals for Brentford as they missed out on promotion in the Championship play-off final against Fulham.
Watkins played on the wing when he was first signed by Brentford, until Dean Smith moved him into a move central role.
Who else was interested in Watkins?
A number of clubs expressed an interest in Watkins this summer. Leeds made a strong presentation to the player, who was interested in the move, before deciding to sign Rodrigo from Valencia for £26m.
Fulham were interested. Villa’s local rivals West Brom were too, however their proposal of a loan with an option to buy was considered a non-starter.
Tottenham were Villa’s main rivals. Watkins was open to the move and confident he would have enjoyed plenty of game time across numerous competitions. However, Spurs were not in a position to move quickly because of the finances involved, with the striker’s rapidly inflating fee proving too difficult an obstacle for the club to overcome at the speed required.
So are Villa still interested in signing another forward?
Yes. Some sources say there’s an interest in Josh King, although others have played it down. King has a number of options and his preference is to return to Manchester United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is understood to be keen but United’s hierarchy have not given a clear indication of whether they want to make an offer. Bournemouth value King at between £15-20 million.
Tottenham have been linked with King, although he is not thought to be high up on their recruitment lists at present and, after missing out on Watkins, it is understood that Spurs do not yet have a firm attacking target in mind.
Villa also wish to sign a No 8 and a goalkeeper. Arsenal stopper Emiliano Martinez is the top target and the next player on their list.
Why were Villa so determined to sign him?
Villa were disappointed to miss out on Callum Wilson — who they were led to believe had chosen them just days before ultimately moving to Saudi Sportswashing Machine for £20 million — and were determined to avoid a repeat situation with Watkins.
Villa had two bids rejected by Brentford and The Athletic understands it was always going to take an absolute minimum of £25 million for the Championship club to do business.
Why did Watkins pick Villa?
Watkins was sold on the idea of becoming the main man for a Premier League club and may also have been encouraged by how Tyrone Mings and Jack Grealish have won England caps while playing for the club.
Plus, at 24, Watkins could yet move to an even bigger club should he succeed at Villa Park.
How will he fit in?
Watkins is expected to play in a centre-forward role having thrived down the middle last season, scoring 26 goals for Brentford as they missed out on promotion in the Championship play-off final against Fulham.
Watkins played on the wing when he was first signed by Brentford, until Dean Smith moved him into a move central role.
Who else was interested in Watkins?
A number of clubs expressed an interest in Watkins this summer. Leeds made a strong presentation to the player, who was interested in the move, before deciding to sign Rodrigo from Valencia for £26m.
Fulham were interested. Villa’s local rivals West Brom were too, however their proposal of a loan with an option to buy was considered a non-starter.
Tottenham were Villa’s main rivals. Watkins was open to the move and confident he would have enjoyed plenty of game time across numerous competitions. However, Spurs were not in a position to move quickly because of the finances involved, with the striker’s rapidly inflating fee proving too difficult an obstacle for the club to overcome at the speed required.
So are Villa still interested in signing another forward?
Yes. Some sources say there’s an interest in Josh King, although others have played it down. King has a number of options and his preference is to return to Manchester United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is understood to be keen but United’s hierarchy have not given a clear indication of whether they want to make an offer. Bournemouth value King at between £15-20 million.
Tottenham have been linked with King, although he is not thought to be high up on their recruitment lists at present and, after missing out on Watkins, it is understood that Spurs do not yet have a firm attacking target in mind.
Villa also wish to sign a No 8 and a goalkeeper. Arsenal stopper Emiliano Martinez is the top target and the next player on their list.
milo
Jack L. Jones
I get the impression that he is prone to repeating what he reads elsewhere
Bedfordspurs
Chris Waddle
Agreed
Baleforce
Les Bennett
***walks into thread***
***drops this***
***runs for the exit***
we tend to sign “soft” players, so that’s no surprise
nayenezgani
Jimmy Neighbour
***walks into thread***
***drops this***
***runs for the exit***
This sounds like a diversionary tactic or total flimflam.
I refuse to believe Mourinho and Hitchen haven't identified backup striker options.
Bedfordspurs
Chris Waddle
Key word being firm
To me that means they have many possibles rather than one must have
milo
Jack L. Jones
I think that's right. We have a list of targets and we are waiting until Saudi Sportswashing Machine and Villa have finished their business before making our move
Yes, and prefer than we have a few targets and being more flexible, rather than 1 which we really, really want. We're desperate for a CF so need to be as flexble as poss
Makes horrible reading, but probably true!! Roll-on 5 years' time when we're in a better financial position.............
Finney Is Back
Andy Thompson
In which case we risk missing out. We have space our PL squad anyway and that is what really matters. Sign the player and sell another afterwards, at worst case scenario we just leave somebody like Foyth out of the EUROPA League squad. It's hardly an issue. I think more likely we're trying to sell somebody else as we've got no money as opposed to wanting to make space in the squad.
Finney Is Back
Andy Thompson
Or perhaps Mourinho and Hitchen have identified options but they don't fit the club's spending profile?
nayenezgani
Jimmy Neighbour
That doesn't sound like how the process would work.. Surely they identify players within the financial constraints provided by the board? Otherwise it'd be a total waste of fudging time.
Finney Is Back
Andy Thompson
Perhaps it is impossible to identify any half decent players within those financial constraints?
nayenezgani
Jimmy Neighbour
I guess it's possible, but earlier in the window Ali Gold seemed to think we had money set aside for an attacker, 20m+ .. He's usually pretty bang on with his info.