Summer 2024 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[KevinGage]

It’s not just like Coutinho. I was happy when Coutinho joined, but he was on the way down. Félix is a young player who has got a bit lost.

Where's the evidence Felix isnt on a similar decline? Like Coutinho, their big 100m or so moves bombed for various reasons, subsequent loans have been mixed at best too. Get Felix back to his best and you potentially have one of the best players in the PL but it's a huge gamble. Sometimes when a players spirit is broken it never really returns.
My sense of it is that Felix really wants to stay with Barca but with their finances it might go down to the last days of the transfer window, if they want it to happen.

Aye.

And he might view himself as a hostage of fortune somewhat.

Move to Villa because we’re the only club (at present) brave or daft enough to pay the fee.

But write in some sort of wanky clause enabling him to move to his first love for a cut price fee next year.

[Steve67]

Simeone is largely unhinged.  I wonder if the size of the transfer fee weighed heavily on a young lads shoulders.  Chelsea were in such a transition that Messi might have struggled.  We might be just the type of environment when he will thrive as the expectations will have dropped a bit.  No-one wants to be training on their own, so I hope we get the motivated and keen to do well Felix as I think this is going to happen.  Might take a bit of creativity around the contract and clauses in to protect Villa, but I'd like to see this done.

[Sexual Ealing]

The thing that worries me is the 'if anyone can sort him out it's Emery' vibe. He doesn't seem to have sorted out Duran or Diaby.

[Steve67]

It isn't just the managers job though SE, it's the environment, the other players, the Captain, the expectations of the club.  I'm sure Duran is an arrogant fecker who thinks he's better than he is becuase he scored a few belters, but he's a better player now than when he signed and we are selling him for way, way more than we signed him for.

[PeterWithesShin]

The thing that worries me is the 'if anyone can sort him out it's Emery' vibe. He doesn't seem to have sorted out Duran or Diaby.

They played a part in us finishing 4th and we'll a make tidy profit on both after 18 and 12 months. I'll take that from every signing.

[PeterWithesShin]

Ultimately it's on the player how they do. They need both the talent and the right attitude. Both have the talent but Diaby is more interested in money than improving as a player, JD seems a bit barking, that's on them not the manager.

[villadelph]

The thing that worries me is the 'if anyone can sort him out it's Emery' vibe. He doesn't seem to have sorted out Duran or Diaby.

When we paid 20m for Duran, we thought it was a lot of money for a relatively unknown young player. Then we broke our transfer record getting Diaby through the door. While neither were exceptional, Emery still increased their value and cut bait at the right time. On top of that, we’re getting crazy value offloading academy products.

It’s wizardry.

[Dave]

I think it'd depend if that were the last 50m in our, err, war chest or kitty or not.

Again, it's not the risk he is not a very good player on his day that nags me, he is clearly a very talented boy.

The risk for me is how he, as a player who attracts tons of attention, and always seems a bit moody, would possibly impact our team ethic.

EDIT I am not against us signing him, I am just pointing out a few concerns.

Which is all fair enough, but all the possible problems (massive wages / gets loads of attention / possibly a bit self-involved / might cost a lot of money / will they fit into the team system) are problems which are going to apply to pretty much any huge player that we might try to sign.

So if we want be one of those teams that try to sign the best players in the world, it's stuff we're going to have to get on board with.

[rooboy316]

If we get the price we want for Duran, and pay the price we want for Felix, we are essentially looking at a swap deal + 10-15 mill for a big upgrade with even more potential. Lots of unknowns and hypotheticals in amongst that, I know, but it does put a certain perspective on the deal.

[Toronto Villa]

I don’t think he failed at Barcelona. They just never really committed to him because they were massively skint at the time. He really wanted to go there but they couldn’t sign him permanently. Then Nico Williams came on the scene coupled with their own Lamal and they made a decision that’s what they want. They will give it all up to have those two in the same side and Felix just wasn’t in the picture.

[IFWaters]

Well ok in the space of a day I've moved over to the sign him camp. Fuck it I'm fickle, it's a birthright.

In other news Sergi Roberto, 32, ex Barca captain is available on a free. Able to play across midfield or at right back. Could get him in to coach young Costa then flog Cash to Juve for another 35 mil.

[VillaTim]

Duran wasn't an Emery signing. Lange had already done the deal, too late to be undone. If we can make a tidy profit on him no damage done .

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I don't think the fee is the issue. His wages will be ridiculous. I can see both sides of the argument though.

Ridiculous? I don't think his wages are the problem, at least by PL standards, he was reportedly going to cost Benfica €3m a year in wages (after tax) which seems ridiculously cheap but I'm sure with us he'll have a string of clauses to beef it up. Right now I doubt money is his motivator.

As for him being a moody twat, I think he's more of a gormless twat who never looks happy but happily we wouldn't be buying him for his looks.

[brontebilly]

The thing that worries me is the 'if anyone can sort him out it's Emery' vibe. He doesn't seem to have sorted out Duran or Diaby.

To be fair I'm not sure what kind of soothsayer could get Duran focused. Emery clearly had enough, as did the players if McGinn's comments are anything to go by. Very talented but he could be anything or nothing ala Balotelli. Diaby Im more disappointed with as I thought he could really kick on this season. Taking the Saudi money maybe shows where his priorities are. That's two talented players with a lot of potential we need to replace but Buendia is back and likes of Rogers, Ramsey etc hopefully fully fit too.

[Ads]

Watched a few videos of Felix. His touch looks incredible and he seems to pick up a lot of the ball with his back to goal, quite deep and usual toward the left. Bigger than I thought he was too. Knows how to beat a man and seems pretty lively over the first 10 yards, but was hacked down ore often than not in the bits I saw. Looks like he was the 2nd option up top for Benfica, which is where we'd play him as the Diaby replacement.