Lambert’s Summer
After the drastic initial overhaul of the Aston Villa squad and the bottom-line of survival achieved, Paul Lambert, will be the first Villa manager since Martin O’Neil to have the chance to continue building a squad for a consecutive season. We’ve already looked at merits of the current squad, so now with the summer transfer window on the horizon, we look in more detail at the possible additions it may bring.
Of course, as we’ve already experienced, it’s folly to second-guess Lambert, who’s signings have had many a Villa fan heading straight to Google to gain insight into his transfer purchases, but, hey, there’s no harm in trying.
The summer break was usually a somewhat tedious affair for Villa fans under the Martin O’Neill regime as the manager only usually signed players during the last week of the transfer window. Paul Lambert, thankfully, has not inherited this maddening habit from his former mentor and ‘gaffer’.
Talks with the likes of Weimann and Benteke, regarding their futures at the club, will take place over the next few weeks, and then, having been forced to use the beginning of last season effectively as an extended preseason, Lambert will ideally bring in any new acquisitions as early as possible in order to join the pre season tour and have the team bedded down for the season ahead.
Six positions have been identified which Lambert may look to reinforce and strengthen the squad before the beginning of the 2013 / 2014 campaign. Those positions are centre back, left back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfield, winger and striker.
For Your Consideration
Below we evaluate various transfer options for each position and recommend a signing for each position.
Centre Back
It’s a position most supporters were crying out for reinforcements in the January window, so the most eye-catching transfer link in recent weeks has been Andreas Weimann’s Austrian team-mate, Alexsandar Dragovic. The 22-year-old FC Basle centre back has enjoyed an impressive season. This isn’t the first year that Dragovic’s performances have caught the eye, but Basle’s extended cup run in the Europa Cup has focused attention more keenly on the commanding young centre back. Dragovic wants to move to the Premier League and is good friends with Weimann. Time to pick up the phone, Paul?
Another centre back link to Aston Villa in recent weeks has been James Chester. Lambert was previously interested in James Chester during last summer’s transfer window, and some reports suggest that Lambert’s interest in the ex-Manchester United academy centre back dates back further. The stumbling block is Steve Bruce’s steely determination to hold onto the boy, and Hull’s promotion to the Premier League. Now that Chester is a Premier League player, an inflated transfer fee could scupper any further moves.
Marcelo is a 25-year-old centre back who currently plays for PSV Eindhoven. 6ft 3, quick, strong and athletic, he might be an option Lambert has considered due to the fact that there are reports that Lambert has again been scouting players in Holland and Belgium.
Verdict: Dragovic. Quality player and potentially a great investment for the Lambert project.
Left Back
Aaron Creswell has enjoyed rapid progress in recent seasons and deservedly won a transfer from Tranmere to Ipswich in 2011. Lambert showed an interest in Cresswell in the summer of 2012, but Cresswell had only been at the Ipswich for one season at that stage. Cresswell now has another season under his belt and could be more amenable to a transfer to the Premier League. Similar in style to Leighton Baines (rather than Bennett who is more of an Clichy type of left back), he would offer a great option in the squad when considering that two players are needed for each position in the squad.
Victorino Antunes is a Portuguese left back who was previously linked to Aston Villa in 2007. He is now 26 years old and is on loan with Malaga (previously on loan at Roma). Antunes returns to his parent club Pacos Ferreira at the end of the season and will be looking for a new club. Antunes has stepped into the Malaga team to replace Nacho who moved to Arsenal and has played some very impressive games recently including scoring a great goal against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in a 3-2 defeat.
Ryan Bertrand may find himself short of games next season if Chelsea proceed with the potential transfer of Luke Shaw from Southampton. He fits the Lambert profile, but it is likely that he would want to remain at Chelsea and work under Jose Mourinho if/when he returns to Chelsea this summer.
Verdict: Cresswell. Competition for places is vital. Cresswell is a better defensive player to Joe Bennett and would be a great addition.
Defensive Midfield
James McCarthy is a player Aston Villa should have sought to sign two seasons ago. The immense potential he is showing now was all too obvious as a younger player. Wigan’s FA Cup win has increased McCarthy’s value immeasurably, and James’s admirers have grown in numbers. McCarthy has been strongly linked to Everton, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham, but it may be worth finding out what his plans are anyway. More than a defensive player, he is a leader, a driving force in midfield, creative and capable of finishing off moves too. Comfortably worth the £10m transfer fee touted.
Raoul Loe is an imposing 23-year-old defensive midfielder developing nicely at Osasuna. Loe may be a much cheaper option for Lambert than McCarthy. Osasuna are a team in financial administration and simply must sell players this summer. Loe is arguably their best midfielder and has room to develop further. Loe notably scored a good goal against Barcelona at the Camp Nou this season to suggest he has goals in his locker too.
Liam Bridcutt, as Villa fans will know, has been linked with a move to Villa throughout the season. Following Brighton’s failure to gain promotion and Gus Poyet’s recent resignation, the opportunity to sign Liam Bridcutt presents itself kindly to Paul Lambert this summer. Fulham and Norwich have also expressed an interest.
Verdict: Bridcutt. Part of the same Chelsea academy team as the very impressive Jack Cork, Bridcutt has the potential to add much needed steel to the Aston Villa midfield.
Attacking Midfield
Crewe’s Luke Murphy recently revealed that he is ready to step up to a higher level. So far, Celtic have shown a considerable interest in the Crewe youngster, as have Stoke. Luke may however prefer to join Aston Villa due to his previous successful partnership with Ashley Westwood. Luke is more a goal scoring midfielder than a creative advanced playmaker, but Luke’s tally of 21 goals from centre midfield at the young age of 23 is certainly impressive. Lambert appears to be a huge fan of Luke and has scouted him many times before. It would be a safe bet to assume that a bid will be made to Crewe for the player in the summer.
Another goal scoring midfielder option is the in-form Valladolid central midfielder, Oscar Gonzalez. Oscar is this seasons ‘Michu’ in La Liga. He has scored 12 goals from midfield this season and has an impressive 7 assists. At 30- years of age he may not fit Lambert’s profile of player, but he would probably be a cheap addition to the squad.
A younger and incredibly talented youngster Aston Villa were linked to last summer was the 18–year-old Serb, Filip Jankovic who currently plays for Red Star Belgrade. Jankovic is more of a creative midfielder, although he also scores a fair amount of goals similarly to Luca Modric. Being 18 years of age would not put Randy Lerner off as we have seen from the signing of Fabian Delph, but Villa might face stiff competition from Parma for his signature.
Verdict: Murphy. Lambert seems very keen to sign this player and other options may only be pursued if the player decides to move elsewhere.
Winger
Aston Villa have arguably played the entire 2012 / 2013 season without a single wing option. This position of the pitch must surely be high on the list of Lambert’s priorities to strengthen.
Jefferson Montero is a 23-year-old Ecuadorian left winger who recently played in La Liga for Real Betis during the 2011 / 2012 season. Montero is incredibly fast and extremely strong. The young winger has a low centre of gravity at 5’7 inches and memorably played two very impressive games during the 2011 / 2012 season. Chiefly, his performance for Betis against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu was a standout game, whilst Montero then played an equally impressive match against Leo Messi’s Argentina for his native Ecuador. Available from Morelia due to the fact he wishes to return to Europe, Montero may be available for as little as £2m – £3m. Montero has the potential to be worth ten times that figure and would be a worthwhile addition to the squad.
Valentin Stocker is another player who has impressed for FC Basle this season in the Europa League. Part of a Swiss under-21 team that produced extremely attractive football, Stocker is a creative, intelligent winger compared to the pace and power of the athletic Montero. Lambert’s signings have leaned towards players with noticeable football intelligence and Stocker possesses this attribute in abundance.
Albert Adomah is a winger at Bristol City who recently represented Ghana in the African nations tournament this January. Rumoured to have been scouted by Lambert, he is 25 years of age now and is also being tracked by Crystal Palace, who have a habit of accumulating promising wing talents such as Victor Moses, Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie. Adomah has played some impressive games for Bristol City this season and has scored some vital goals for the ‘Robins’.
Verdict: Stocker. Villa need a player to break down teams from the wide positions when teams sit back at Villa Park. These skills are not currently possessed in the play of Agbonlahor or Weimann, who rely more on their pace and counter attacks.
Striker
Following Darren Bent’s likely departure this summer, Lambert maybe looking to add another striker to the squad. Having brought in two target men (Benteke and Bowery) during the previous summer transfer window it is unknown what kind of player Lambert would be looking for in a new forward.
Iago Aspas is a forward who currently plays for Celta Vigo in La Liga. Aspas is an extremely skillful and creative player and he is perhaps most similar in style to Luis Suarez. Aspas is not really a number 9 or number 10, he prefers to drift into positions Suarez occupies in the inside left and Inside right forward position. Aspas is an extremely intelligent player and would link up brilliantly with Benteke in my opinion. Aspas was set to join Valencia this summer, but the Valencia President Manuel Llorente quit last month and the new President was allegedly far from impressed by Aspas’s red card against Deportivo for a ludicrous (although out of character) headbutt. The proposed signing appears to have therefore fallen through. Aspas would be available for around £6m – £7m and he would more than justify this transfer fee as he is a quality, quality player.
The Times football journalist Duncan Castles recently linked Aston Villa to a move for Thievy Bifouma who is owned by Catalan club Espanyol. The young French striker has played his football this season for Las Palmas in the Spanish second division and the under 21 international’s biggest career achievement to date was a hat trick against (an admittedly weak) Barcelona in the Copa Catalunya final. Lambert’s thinking may be understandable in this regard. Established young French players have demanded sizeable transfer fees in recent seasons due to Arsene Wenger’s successful exploitation of the French market. Therefore young French players who have made the move to Spain, such as Bifouma, often prove to be better value.
Another forward plying his trade in the Spanish lower divisions is wing forward Federico Vico who plays for Cordoba. At 18 years of age, Vico is a young Spanish prospect who would be an exciting addition to the Aston Villa squad. Vico has represented Spain at under 17, 18, 19 and 20 level and has been dubbed as a future Cristiano Ronaldo. Still rather early to see if he develops to the level hoped, the transfer may be a gamble Lambert would be willing to take.
Verdict: Aspas. Unbelievable talent and a player who would add extra dimension and guile to the Aston Villa squad.
The six summer signings recommended to improve the Aston Villa squad are therefore: Dragovic, Cresswell, Bridcutt, Murphy, Stocker and Asapas.
Let us know who’s on your shopping list. Feel free to add the players you’ve scouted into the mix by putting them in the comments section below
Follow Shelley on twitter at @shelley_ozzy
Follow MOMS on twitter at @oldmansaid
Quality recommendations, I like Murphy, Bridcott and Stocker especially. Someone tag Lambert, these signings would make us genuine contenders for a 7th or 8th place finish. Dragovic would also be perfect to create some competition for a starting centre half berth.
HugoAsh It’ll be interesting to see if Lambert gets in some early signings. No doubt he’ll have some deals already cooking. He said in his post-Wigan interview, he’s been working on it for a couple of weeks already.
Good call there, I think Cresswell and Murphy are definite targets and I’d like to think they’d more than likely join us, let’s hope Randy reads this and brings one of the others in too! UTV
Think
we need a player like Jankovic more than Murphy, but we could use both.
Having a strong bench will keep everyone fighting hard for their
playing time, make us stronger in cups, and keep us going when key
starters are hurt or suspended. Wouldn’t mind
picking up Bridcutt, but having someone like McCarthy who could be the
field marshal out there would be well worth the money and effort. At CB,
Marcelo seems like the guy to go after, but if Dragovic wants to come
play with Weimann (and if that helps keep Weimann at Villa), then it
would only help to have another quality player on the roster for all the
reasons mentioned above. Personally, I’m not as concerned with picking
up wingers. As long as we’re having success in the 4-3-3, our
midfielders and fullbacks can provide the width, while the outside
forwards provide the pace. Again, wouldn’t turn down adding another
creative player to the attacking mix, but it’s lower priority. More
important in my mind is replacing Given. We need a strong #2 keeper to
put pressure on Guzan, and keep the sheet clean in our cup matches –
hopefully somebody much better on defending corners than Given.
Good article. You’ve highlighted potential players in, but I’ve been thinking just how many might leave. Here is who I think will be gone by September 1st:
Given Marshall Dunne Lichaj Hutton Petrov Makoun Ireland Bannan Dawkins Bent Delfouneso.
Possibly also: Albrighton Herd Holman.
Which of those players starts when everyone is fit? None. Who makes the bench? Only 4 or 5 of those 15. I estimate that lot earn about 25 million a year in wages and would bring in 15-20 million in transfer fees when sold.
Now think how much we are spending on new players. Almost everyone that came in for this season is on 10-20k/week, and cost 1-3 million in transfer fees (apart from Benteke).
The new TV revenue comes in next season. More entertaining football means we have more fans coming back to the stadium and suddenly we are a team neutrals and the media want to see do well. This can only be good when looking for new sponsorship/investment opportunites, and for when TV broadcasters decide their schedules.
I am excited. Because given all of these indications, we will soon be in a very good financial position. We’ve got management and scouts that can clearly find young, driven talent with a lot of potential at low cost. And there should be a decent amount of money available to Lambert to really shape his own squad.
The only way is up.
fredinho The players leaving were dealt with in another article (two-parter) – https://myoldmansaid.com/paul-lamberts-aston-villa-evolution-detailed-team-analysis-signings/ The focus here was just to look at the incoming! Yes, Villa will definitely be saving around a quarter of a million a week in wages, if they ship out all the guys you mentioned.
Some gr8 players chosen there, full credit … But could i go slightly tangent on this .. a true conversation(s) and very relevant
After me and my friend moaning about these journey men at Villa not pulling their weight, i had a thought and have stuck by it ever since ….. I said … “what if we could fill the team with all Aston Villa supporting players? or players who REALLY appreciated being here, and who would FIGHT for the cause and play with true SPIRIT? .. we might not make the champions league but what a JOY to watch!
I finally saw the TRUE importance of SPIRIT and its dominance over ABILITY …. As you know, its why some team can win one of the worlds best teams come a cup final day … And i think thats what Lambert is doing now … and its working!
joe bloggs PL is definitely looking to build a proper team. A close-knit bunch who will fight for each other and the supporters.
There’s no way Aspas will come to us – bigger fish will be in for him this summer. I can’t see us spending a lot on a winger because we’re likely to stick with Weimann and Gabby’s pace+workrate approach to the wide areas as the first option. We do need something different out wide as an alternative, so I expect us to buy a young, skilful player to come on from the bench. Not sure we need a DM now that Sylla and Westwood have stepped up to the plate…I still think Clarke plays better there than at CB. Really can’t see Marcelo considering us as a good career move. Dragovic would be nice, but again, a bigger fish will come in for him, surely?
I can only see us spending a reasonable amount of money on a creative midfielder and a strong forward to give us a physical option if Benteke gets injured. We’ll most likely pick up a 28-ish journeyman CB to replace Dunne and cover for Vlaar, and spend peanuts on another young left back and a young winger.
Looking at how we set up in the latter half of the season, a creative, goal scoring CM is the key thing missing from our first XI.
CraigWright Although Lambert has said no big signings, I think all the guys listed in Shelley’s piece are realistic in terms of the scope of what Lambert would spend on. But, yes, a lot, depends on who else comes in for them. Yet, saying that, a couple of the players listed do have links with players currently at Villa, so you never know. It’s all food for thought!