The Mauricio Pochettino thread

[hellava_tough]

It won't be easy , even if the will is there though. Generally , PL teams simply don't cave in and accept a ' big ' offer from a rival anymore because they don't need to. If Villa get promoted, I see little chance of Grealish coming. If they don't, they will probably have to let him go but they will probably ask £50 million now and the club simply won't pay that far over the odds so it will turn into the usual saga into August. What we need to get better at is making a proper offer for players( not something patently silly) and then making it clear when we are moving on to another target ( and doing it), not this constant drip drip of brinkmanship that drives us all completely mad.
I think we probably stand a better chance of getting foreign players in ( a few at Ajax are very tempting as are Gomes and Tielmans) but we have this homegrown ratio problem, so again an issue for the club. Then , we have so many that we probably need to move out to make room. Again, time to stop the nonsense over fees and see the bigger picture.
On top of all this, we have all our PL rivals trying to sign many of the exact same players- so wages is another huge issue for the club. I can quite see a position where we agree a fee with Ajax for someone, only to have Man City or Chelsea snatch them off us.
We need to be quicker in wrapping up deals or moving on.
We have just about got away with it this year(in the league), more down to Arsenal and Man Utd totally messing up. Goodness only knows how we would have done if Eriksen had picked up a bad injury. Without even considering closing the gap on Man City and Liverpool, we desperately need an influx to strengthen the squad not just to remain competitive in the top 6 but to hold off emerging squads such as Wolves, Leicester and Everton.
And, finally, replacing existing players if they leave( players we don't want to go- eriksen, Toby, maybe others)

So both Grealish and Sessegnon signed new contracts last summer (I think).

You'd like to imagine that they put non-promotion / relegation clauses in there, so the fee might be considerably lower than the hype would suggest.

 

[homer hotspur]

So both Grealish and Sessegnon signed new contracts last summer (I think).

You'd like to imagine that they put non-promotion / relegation clauses in there, so the fee might be considerably lower than the hype would suggest.

I suppose that is a possibility. Its also true to say that RS didn't really set the world alight this season( quite the opposite) whereas JG did seem to improve as the season went on and Villa are probably just about favourites to come through the play offs .

 

[homer hotspur]

It won't be easy , even if the will is there though. Generally , PL teams simply don't cave in and accept a ' big ' offer from a rival anymore because they don't need to. If Villa get promoted, I see little chance of Grealish coming. If they don't, they will probably have to let him go but they will probably ask £50 million now and the club simply won't pay that far over the odds so it will turn into the usual saga into August. What we need to get better at is making a proper offer for players( not something patently silly) and then making it clear when we are moving on to another target ( and doing it), not this constant drip drip of brinkmanship that drives us all completely mad.
I think we probably stand a better chance of getting foreign players in ( a few at Ajax are very tempting as are Gomes and Tielmans) but we have this homegrown ratio problem, so again an issue for the club. Then , we have so many that we probably need to move out to make room. Again, time to stop the nonsense over fees and see the bigger picture.
On top of all this, we have all our PL rivals trying to sign many of the exact same players- so wages is another huge issue for the club. I can quite see a position where we agree a fee with Ajax for someone, only to have Man City or Chelsea snatch them off us.
We need to be quicker in wrapping up deals or moving on.
We have just about got away with it this year(in the league), more down to Arsenal and Man Utd totally messing up. Goodness only knows how we would have done if Eriksen had picked up a bad injury. Without even considering closing the gap on Man City and Liverpool, we desperately need an influx to strengthen the squad not just to remain competitive in the top 6 but to hold off emerging squads such as Wolves, Leicester and Everton.
And, finally, replacing existing players if they leave( players we don't want to go- eriksen, Toby, maybe others)

Justin Signal Re your disagree rating( no problem, but interested to know what you disagree with)

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Justin Signal Re your disagree rating( no problem, but interested to know what you disagree with)

I disagree with the narrative that Levy drags out transfers and that we should somehow be able to wrap players transfers quickly and covertly. When the fact is that many players we target who will genuinely improve us are on the radars on more prestigious clubs. Unfortunately their agents will be constantly pimping the player out to these clubs no matter how quickly we want to wrap it up. So a lot of the time we have to wait our turn in the pecking order - when those clubs sign another player or indicate their no longer interested in our target, then we can complete the transfer. Yes, you can say we should just move on if we can’t wrap it up quickly but if it’s matter of waiting a month to have a chance to sign our first choice or not waiting and getting a less able 2nd choice then I understand why the club sometimes wait it out.

 

[spursfan77]

Well, that JJ tweet seems pretty definitive. If we don't go for it this summer, we never will. From a stature and publicity perspective (new stadium and CL final) and seemingly from a financial perspective, this is the moment.

He’s been saying the same thing for a while hasn’t he.

 

[Lighty64]

I wouldn't go so far as to say insane. We have just built a massive new stadium that's cost an arm and a leg.

Whilst I agree there are funds available, it's not ludicrous for one to assume we may be financially hamstrung in the transfer market.

Alas it seems we're not and we'll be able to buy the right player should an opportunity arise. Which is good news of course, as we certainly need 2 or 3 new players to improve the squad!

when Poch 1st joined it was rumoured he doesn't like a big squad, most probably so he can integrate youth if he feels they are ready. at the moment with everyone back we have a 27/28 man squad where only 25 can be included. not selling and cutting down the squad in the summer was one of the reasons we never bought. since then we have only sold Dembele and need HG to allow us a full squad for the CL. Poch promised Foyth a spot in the CL squad, so we could only afford a non home grown signing if we sold another, or bought a HG, or relegate Vorm from the CL squad and put Whiteman in. only problem with that is you then have to hope your 1st 2 don't get ill/injured/suspended at the same time.

I'm really not expecting any very early incomings unless we have early departures, unless Poch/Levy have made it clear to anyone that next season they will not be part of the squad whether they stay or go

 

[HW61]

He’s been saying the same thing for a while hasn’t he.

They’re only passing on what they hear.

We both, like many others, have our own opinion on Levy. I still wish to take lessons and the evidence from the past years under ENIC. They have simply massively disappointed when it comes to supporting their managers. What Levy did these past two windows was to well and truly drop Poch in it big time. Our best manager since Bill Nic. Our players have crawled to the finish line. My opinion is to not believe that Poch didn’t want to invest in players who could have made a difference and enhanced the team. Every word that came from his mouth during last summer were clear as was his frustration.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

I suppose that is a possibility. Its also true to say that RS didn't really set the world alight this season( quite the opposite) whereas JG did seem to improve as the season went on and Villa are probably just about favourites to come through the play offs .

Maybe not set the world alight, but a bit harsh to go as far to say Sessegnon did the opposite (I.e. abject failure). At 18 years old the kid assisted 6 goals and scored twice in the leagues second worst side. That means he was involved in roughly a quarter of Fulham’s goals, not to mention 2 fewer than Moura, and the same amount as Dele. Yes, he started 4 more matches than Dele and 1 more than Lucas, but this is easily mitigated by how poor his team were.

The kid has obvious talent, huge potential, and I’d be delighted if we signed him.

 

[Lou3000]

So both Grealish and Sessegnon signed new contracts last summer (I think).

You'd like to imagine that they put non-promotion / relegation clauses in there, so the fee might be considerably lower than the hype would suggest.

If Levy played the long game and last summer's "contact" was about helping those players negotiate Spurs-friendly contract provisions, then we've truly pulled a masterstroke. I think Grealish is a star. I'm less convinced by Sess, but he's very young.

Either way, the potential of pulling Grealish is enough reason to hope for a Villa loss tomorrow (Though I'm hoping for a Derby or Leeds return anyway)

 

[Lighty64]

Had we been knocked out in the quarters (or even the semis) I could see business as usual for the next season or two...but making the finals we've had a golden goose plop down right in front of DL and Poch, just BEGGING them to take it. I choose to believe that both Poch and DL understand the opportunity that has just fallen into their laps and will not f*ck this up.

whatever happens I don't expect to see or hear of any movement of ins or outs till after the Final, other than possible the centre of midfield. some players might know they are likely on the out list, but the club are not going to make that public, mainly due to those players being hounded before a major final, when we need them fully focused

 

[Lighty64]

I suppose that is a possibility. Its also true to say that RS didn't really set the world alight this season( quite the opposite) whereas JG did seem to improve as the season went on and Villa are probably just about favourites to come through the play offs .

Sessegnon is a good player but we don't really know how good because he was surrounded by players not good enough to compete in the PL. he was the standout player in a league below. he was also in and out of the squad the 1st half of the season, but when he played against us he was their most dangerous player. with better players around him, I'd expect him to be able to step up a level.

with Grealish I think all will depend on promotion

 

[Colonel Dax]

Maybe not set the world alight, but a bit harsh to go as far to say Sessegnon did the opposite (I.e. abject failure). At 18 years old the kid assisted 6 goals and scored twice in the leagues second worst side. That means he was involved in roughly a quarter of Fulham’s goals, not to mention 2 fewer than Moura, and the same amount as Dele. Yes, he started 4 more matches than Dele and 1 more than Lucas, but this is easily mitigated by how poor his team were.

The kid has obvious talent, huge potential, and I’d be delighted if we signed him.

I wouldn't say no to Sessegnon but where would he play? As a left back he currently he isn't better than Rose or Davies (has the potential to be, but certainly not yet). And if we're signing him as an attacking midfielder/winger to play in the 3 behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, there are better players out there we could target IMO.

As I said, he's a very good young player with bags of potential but with our limited budget surely there are more pressing concerns.

 

[Lighty64]

I wouldn't say no to Sessegnon but where would he play? As a left back he currently he isn't better than Rose or Davies (has the potential to be, but certainly not yet). And if we're signing him as an attacking midfielder/winger to play in the 3 behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, there are better players out there we could target IMO.

As I said, he's a very good young player with bags of potential but with our limited budget surely there are more pressing concerns.

why what is our budget?

 

[Colonel Dax]

why what is our budget?

£150m WARCHEST ?

 

[TheVoiceofReason]

Bored and over it since the last transfer window. ITK is great but positive or negative, means nothing until we see what the club actually do this summer. Hoping for the best, expecting the worst.

 

[Lighty64]

£150m WARCHEST ?

so why is that limited, Liverpool spent 196m last season they were the top spenders, and doubt they will go that big again. Chelsea might be banned, rumours are due to their wages Arse will be limited to around 45m, Man C will most probably be looking for a CB and a Fernandinho replacement and their record is 60m. then you have Man U, who might spend big, but the overhaul needed could take them years to get back close.

whatever our budget is, to get close to 90+ points which I think Man C will achieve again, it's going to take 2 or 3 seasons to really have a hope of closing the gap, unless we get lucky like Liverpool, very few injuries and not many at the same time, and go out of both domestic cups very early on

 

[Lighty64]

Bored and over it since the last transfer window. ITK is great but positive or negative, means nothing until we see what the club actually do this summer. Hoping for the best, expecting the worst.

the only way it can be any worst is selling 2 players over the 2 windows and still not buying anyone

 

[stormfly]

I thought we spent all that money on a great training complex so we can bang out a few Kings, Kanes and Winks’ every few years? Surely there are loads of great youth academy prospects at the top clubs that know they are never going to get a chance at their clubs. I would like to think we have quietly been collecting all the great young talent across the world and soon going to unleash them on the world? That way you save loads of money and get in a lot of young talent wanting to prove something.

 

[Colonel Dax]

so why is that limited, Liverpool spent 196m last season they were the top spenders, and doubt they will go that big again. Chelsea might be banned, rumours are due to their wages Arse will be limited to around 45m, Man C will most probably be looking for a CB and a Fernandinho replacement and their record is 60m. then you have Man U, who might spend big, but the overhaul needed could take them years to get back close.

whatever our budget is, to get close to 90+ points which I think Man C will achieve again, it's going to take 2 or 3 seasons to really have a hope of closing the gap, unless we get lucky like Liverpool, very few injuries and not many at the same time, and go out of both domestic cups very early on

I was kidding (about the £150m). We don't know the budget, obviously. But we don't have unlimited funds - that was my point.

Agree with your 2nd paragraph but not sure how that's related to my post?

 

[Lighty64]

I was kidding (about the £150m). We don't know the budget, obviously. But we don't have unlimited funds - that was my point.

Agree with your 2nd paragraph but not sure how that's related to my post?

my point is, you make it sound as though our limited budget wouldn't allow us to buy a chick king with the change. you make it sound like we are scrapping the barrel. yes I agree we are not the biggest spenders or haven't been, but until the window is closed and we know what we have spent, it might be an idea to put across through the limited budget.