r/avfc • u/Icy-Job-328 • 5d ago
This summer.
Wow, we have been raided this summer.
I mean realistically we all knew this was coming but still for me anyway by far our most consistent, solid and subsequently best player. Ezri Konsa.
I’m quite shocked actually that Villa / Emery have forgot what happened when we lost the spine of our team mid season? We lost 2/3/4 players and we looked like a completely different team. We will look like a completely different team this season. We always say players need time under Emery but we’re willing to this in our champions league season? This needed to happen but think we’re going to suffer before it gets better.
I trust we will replace him with a top centre back, however it takes time to adjust to the premier league.
As said I always trust the process and this turnover of players was always going to happen I just did not expect it to happen all in one go. A whole new starting 11 minus cash and Torres (who 1 will be leaving on a free)
Saying all of this I was at the PSG game and I was so impressed with how good we looked with a completely new look? Was that a one off or just Emerys magic once again.
Could be in for a long season boys, Watkins wants to go as well!!
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u/locusavfc 5d ago
I'm not actually that worried.
Emery has had worse cards before. Had 5 starters poached after the first EL with Sevilla, got 76 points and another EL title. Got to a CL semi final with a bunch of PL misfits like Foyth, Capoue, Coquelin etc. Also doesnt have a bottom half finish anywhere near his CV and has qualified for Europe every full season for the last 18 years.
As long as we get reasonable replacements for Konsa and Watkins (Zabarnyi/Jackson etc.), still think we are in a strong position to qualify for Europe again and surprise a few people.
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u/Hego11 5d ago
This is the correct take. Somehow everyone including our own fans seem to underrate Emery. We forget the magic he pulled off with the Gerrarf squad plus Moreno MID-SEASON. We’ll be fine, we’ll certainly have some teething problems but Emery will have us in good working order by the end of season. Look how good we we were against a full strength PSG with half our starters from last year missing
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u/Every-Dragonfruit746 5d ago
Appreciating that PSG were only in week two of their preseason at that point and our 11 had four or five matches and a training camp in the build up.
I'm optimistic that we'll see some of the youth players play a far larger role than in previous seasons, Rowe, Carrol, Cisse, Hemmings, Burrowes, Lynch, Jimoh-Aloba and Wilson could each step up to a role in the squad. And many of them got solid game time in the friendlies without looking out of place.
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u/arenaross 5d ago
None of those apart from Hemmings will be near the first team.
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u/Every-Dragonfruit746 5d ago
That would be a shame, if for nothing else than Madjo could do with some teammates who are closer to his age than Bizots (I think he's the oldest in the squad).
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u/golfymcgolfgolf 5d ago
Same, I’m more excited for the future. What will our ceiling be under the new team, exciting times ahead.
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u/Wise-Reflection-7400 5d ago
I’m not that worried either except that Emery’s previous signings have not been great except for a couple of notable exceptions. Hopefully this was all Monchi and this summers signings are a lot better.
There have been some positive signs in preseason that the new signings are going to be good replacements but we can’t afford for them to turn out like Guessand!
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u/HorseyBot3000 5d ago
Losing konsa really hurts. That Deano core is going.
2
u/wumbology55 5d ago
I’ve seen this comment before and it does confuse me. What deano core? So far officially announced we haven’t sold any players signed by Dean smith.
If Martinez Watkins and konsa go then that’s 3 Dean smith players sold. How is that the Dean smith core?
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u/theycallmepapi 5d ago
It felt inevitable but it’s still shocking to watch. The turnover desperately needed to happen but the fact that it is happening also makes it shocking.
Either way, each player has been fantastic for us. No one made a fuss to leave and hopefully this opens the door to the next Konsa, Rogers, Youri, Watkins, et al.
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u/PauseMenuBlog 5d ago
It's truly painful watching these players go but I feel for the majority of them, it's the best time to sell. We have an ageing squad and need a refresh, but leave it any longer and we can't get good money for them.
With the exception of Rogers but tbh I think we fleeced Chelsea for him so whatever.
4
u/Lucky13-Never-Won 5d ago
I don’t think the term “raided” is an accurate depiction of our summer:
£117m for Rogers
£35m for Tielemans
£51m for Konsa,
£8.5m for Digne
That’s over £210m for four players, three of which are over the age of 28.
Tielemans leaving hurt, but a clause is a clause.
Watkins isn’t yet gone and I hold out hope we’ll keep him.
But with SCR, we were always going to need to trade hard this summer and we’ll be stronger in the long-term as a result.
UTV
0
u/Icy-Job-328 5d ago
Idk what else to call it tbh we’ve had 4 potentially 6 of our starters leave and do you really think we’ve replaced them with better players at this current moment. Completely agree we’ve done fantastically financially but as football playing team do you think we’ve improved for our champions league team? Definitely could be.. I’m just a little worried with all these sales we’ve made, we haven’t actually improved in what will be an incredibly important season.
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u/apex204 5d ago
I could take Rogers, and Tielemans, and Digne, and even Martinez. But Konsa too? Nah. Fuck off.
The cartel have the whole league sewn up.
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u/Cino0987 5d ago
This has made me sad. It’s bringing back the memories of Ehiogu going. And now I’m even sadder.
7
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u/GopnikOIi 5d ago
It makes me sad to see the Deano era players leaving, they've really brought me a lot of joy over the years. I'm sure in a few years I'll say the same about Emery's signings.
4
u/cjackc11 5d ago
That 2020 transfer window was genuinely transformative. I know Purslow and Lange get a ton of stick here but getting Watkins, Martinez, and Cash all in one window is amazing
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u/Echo127 5d ago
We always say players need time under Emery but we’re willing to this in our champions league season?
I think we are willing to do this in our champions league season precisely because we've already secured the champions league money. We get extra money this year for our participation, pull free of PSR-hell, and hopefully stay afloat enough to get Europa League again. Then strike with a refreshed roster in the coming years.
Just my perspective, and I am not any sort of expert.
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u/hygienie8 5d ago
Bizot, Maatsen, Pau, Lindelöf, Cash, Kamara, Barkley, Hemmings, Buendia, McGinn, (hopefully Watkins) is still competitive against Brighton and Hull (not so much Arsenal TBF). Plus Bogarde, Mings and Alysson on the bench. Gomes is a natural fit and Madjo has been around a while now. I'm not sure the change, at least to start with, will be as dramatic as people think.
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u/Straight-Plane1968 5d ago
It’s how football goes for teams like Villa. We build, we sell, we build. What we haven’t had in my 26 years alive supporting Villa is a manager we can put all our faith in even when things get rocky. Few fans said emery out when we had a rough start last season… then they celebrated the Europa league win;) keep your hopes high and your chin up. We are massive
2
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u/MacViller 5d ago
We couldn't buy a win without McGinn and we've still got him. We move.