You can't possibly know that either claim is a fact. If I was the new owner I would have insisted that they passed all bids to buy their players on to me to get more info on what the squad was worth. That wouldn't mean I had any intention to sell.
Reported by the people who report 95% of stuff that happens at football clubs Not forgetting the words from the player and manager themselves.
There is a name for the mistake you are making....a common mode error. Neither Bruce or Grealish knew the full story but they nevertheless briefed their usual patsies in the press. So all your facts stem from the same lack of knowledge.
There is a name for the mistake you are making....a common mode error. Neither Bruce or Grealish knew the full story but they nevertheless briefed their usual patsies in the press. So all your facts stem from the same lack of knowledge.
It’s nothing to do with a lack of knowledge, it’s your refusal to admit Levy ballsed up. Bruce said that the team was essentially up for sale and Grealish was it’s biggest asset. Grealish gave the interview saying he thought the Hull game would be his last. These two wouldn’t have given such interviews if they didn’t believe things were going to happen. Press officers would’ve been next to them advising on what to say, too. Levy also wouldn’t have made four (or five?) bids for a player who you claim wouldn’t have been sold due to the talks. For whatever Levy is he’s no idiot, if he knew or even thought Grealish couldn’t be sold he wouldn’t have made bids. Grealish was up for sale, for a price, we never met that price until near or on deadline day and by then the new owners partially sorted out the finance issue and thus basically told Levy to do one.
The takeover talks were secret at the beginning of the transfer window. You think press officers would be told about them? That's bonkers. There would be very few people outside the Board who knew. There were only two possible outcomes: takeover went ahead and Grealish not sold. Or takeover failed and Villa had to take the best offer. In neither case would it have been sensible for us to offer more.
We made our first (and second I think) bid even before the takeover talks began. That’s around when Bruce initially gave the interview saying he was fearing the worst over losing personnel and Grealish especially. No way would Levy had made a further two or three bids if he was aware discussions were taking place and thus Grealish couldn’t have been sold. The player was there for the taking, we never took it and it’s come back to bite us.
My whole point is that he wasn't aware. And if Grealish was available for £25m then literally every club in the PL ballsed up by not buying him.
Levy facked up the signing of Grealish, just like he has facked up the signing of countless others, the bloke is a football idiot. These clowns are no longer fit for purpose and ENIC`s ownership has run it`s course, we desperately need new direction throughout the club.
He would’ve been aware. He would’ve spoken enough to those at Villa to have been told the situation, the fact he made multiple bids throughout the window implies he knew Grealish was gettable, otherwise it basically says Levy’s stupid for persisting with a player that was off limits, for all Levy’s faults of late, I don’t think he’s an idiot. Clubs don’t generally pursue the same players as many prefer to avoid bidding wars. Back then Grealish didn’t have the rep he has now either. We ballsed up because he could’ve easily been ours had we met the asking price, instead we made a number of lowball bids, beginning with £3m plus Onomah.
Some of the failed deals I don’t blame him entirely for in fairness but Grealish is one that is absolutely on his hands and I reckon he’s regretting it to this day, more so now with the City links and valuation, all whilst he looks over at the near £100m he spent on Ndombele and Lo Celso.
Apparently Daka has confirmed he’s joining Leicester. That’s a brilliant signing for them assuming he adapts. Very talented young striker who took over from Haaland at Salzburg nicely.
We are not going to agree on this. But I had a look at the transfer thread and Villa said at the time that we'd not made a bid before their takeover. This was your view then
Yeah my view was that I wanted him, I made no secret of that. When was that post made too? That could’ve been during when I was watching Villa due to Onomah and thus way before the club actually became interested. If you also remember you never wanted Grealish either, almost certain you once claimed Winks was better than him too as that’s when our initial debate began.
Oh dear if that is true. We’ve all said things on here that in hindsight look questionable but that would comfortably be the biggest one ever
My search function doesn’t work properly anymore so I can’t actually prove it unfortunately but I’m 90% sure the premise of the debate was that Grealish couldn’t be better than Winks because he was in the Championship and hadn’t played for England, whereas Winks was in the Prem and had played for England at that point. Think it was on this rival thread too IIRC, could’ve been the transfer one though.
Im hoping the lazy links with Serie A players and coaches are just usual media rubbish. If Paratici is genuinely operating like that then I’m worried.