09 Aug 2021 15:45:50
Hope the rumours of this Cheick Deucore are correct, right age, big and strong DM . He certainly looks what we need, a destroyer. Marvellous has been doing a good job, but this kid looks more imposing. Against the better sides, we could always play both, because we have more than enough, going forwards .
We wait and see .
Onwards&Upwards Villaforever.


1.) 09 Aug 2021
09 Aug 2021 16:17:52
He looks a decent unit, though it seems we have yet to table an offer and Atalanta are also interested. Lens are looking for 1 million - Markdavfrance - any insight?


2.) 09 Aug 2021
09 Aug 2021 16:47:30
Menace, I think you’ll find Lens are reported to want around 15 million euros for Doucoure. Haven’t seen a great deal of him to be honest but he did play in all of Lens games last season, and they finished a very creditable 7th in Ligue 1. He is said to have played a big part in that achievement.
Apparently he learned his trade at the same Academy as Yves Bissouma, doesn’t of course mean he’s as talented but hey you never know, could be a gem in the making.


3.) 09 Aug 2021
09 Aug 2021 16:56:30
Forgot to mention, I watched Metz v Lille last night, just to take a look at Pape Matar Sarr, as Villa have shown an interest. I can definitely see why, what a terrific young player he is. Very box to box type performance and his style reminded me of Paul Pogba.


4.) 09 Aug 2021
09 Aug 2021 18:10:01
At six foot I wouldn’t really say he was big or a unit, but in all the stats and highlights I’ve seen, it’s clear to see why we’re after him!


5.) 10 Aug 2021
10 Aug 2021 09:49:55
Sorry Mark. I did type 15 million but, over lockdown, my keyboard has become increasingly full of cake crumbs so occasionally skips a character 🍰.


6.) 14 Aug 2021
13 Aug 2021 23:39:53
If any position still appears open for a recruit, DM looks to be it. I get the feeling that any further additions will be few now. In some ways, I am comfortable with that because I think too much change is hard for a squad to digest.

But for some floppy haired guy doing the dirty on us, it had appeared that 2 or 3 changes in the pipeline were the sum of our recruitment plan. Now we could be looking at 6 or 7 new players, all told. That is a big number to integrate with little run in to the season.

Perhaps we might now see a swing towards a few outgoings; either as loans or possible sales. Big Wes, Hourihane and maybe AEG could potentially feature.

In many ways, I would hope a smattering of the younger guys now get the chance to come into Smith’s final squad. Sinasalo, Chuckwuemeka (Jr) and Philogene-Bidace appear to have made decent bids.

Weighing it all up, I think we are shaping up pretty well, but as fans, we need to remain patient. There is plenty of player bedding in to achieve over the next few months.

Clearly, our plan to bring in Buendia as a second source of real creativity took a bit of a backwards step with the loss our our original inspiration, but other strengths have compensated. The addition of Danny Ings, in particular, demonstrates this.

Given our need to react quickly to the loss of a key player, I think we have good reason to remain optimistic that we have managed to remain on course with our development plan. Whether this year will be a big step forwards, I am not certain, but, arguably, I only see five teams markedly ahead of us in terms of squad strength.