The Villa issue is they have now qualified for the champions league so have stepped beyond the position where they can give him the games he needs. I’d expect the buy back meant they might have used him more if they hadn’t got there but that is just a guess.
I think you may be right about the Sheff Utd thing. I guess the other thing could be that he only scored 4 league goals last season and that video from February that DTLW posted shows 4 league goals so presumably he ended the season badly? Did he miss a sitter at some point? That would get people's attention.
He got an injury (never quite looked the same after) and they changed manager around the turn of the year, I think. Then went to Wilder who got BBD in and went to a direct style of play, which I don't believe he truly suits Had a look at his PL appearances and of the 29, 21 were starts and 8 were sub appearances. All in all, it amounts to just over 1,800 minutes, which is equivalent to 20 games. So his strike rate for the Blades was 1 in 5 on that maths, but he didn't seem to have issues with missing sitters based off his xG which is basically in line with the amount he scored. Unlike someone like Che whose xG used to always be noticeably higher than his actual total
The Boro lads at WF seemed to like him and his attitude. Edit. I love this under the radar approach to transfers by SR. Like an Ivan Toney penalty. While we all.chase rumours, the real activity is going on in the shadows.
Have any of our successful signings this summer been preceded with long running rumours and speculation? Some have taken time to complete but from the point where it was clear we were in for the player. Sugawara might have been the longest between it first really coming out and being completed. Edwards, BBD, Archer and presumably Lesley were all seemingly completed within a day or two of it coming out. Wood was about two days later than Edwards even though it was basically revealed on the same day. I’m not really counting the permanent signings of the loan players last year that we clearly wanted to keep It seems like if we did sign O’Riley it would completely break the rest of the pattern
The sitter thing was that I half have a memory of his name and a bad miss and because most people won't have been paying much attention to Sheff Utd one high profile miss might have a disproportionate impact on people's opinions. I suspect he's better than Adams and even PL 4 goals in a season is more than Adam Armstrong's managed so far so I've got no issue with this. More than happy to give him a chance.
Hmmm. From a Sheff Utd fan I know: "Not sure why Southampton have bought Cameron Archer, he's nowhere near a Premier League quality striker (unless he's stood next to Brereton-Diaz)." We shall see.
Yeah, the proof will be in the pudding but I'd feel more comfortable dropping down and relying on Archer to be a source of goals than Mara, if that's where we find ourselves in a year's time. In the meantime, I think the majority of the fanbase would've swapped Adams and Mara for Brereton Diaz and Archer. Let's hope it isn't a case of 'better the devil you know' (or knew, perhaps!) I'd still like another forward (especially if Paul leaves and Ross is permanently broken) but accept that may not happen with the need to find a GK, creative midfielder and at least one wide player
TBH I just don't think he fitted in there, particularly when Wilder came back. Not going to judge him based on what he did up there or their fans opinions.
I just had a look - he started Wilder’s first four games - two of them out of position as a winger. In the one where he played as an out and out striker - he scored against Villa Then from Boxing Day on he wasn’t started anymore. He was even seemingly dropped for six game after scoring against Luton in one of Sheffield United’s few wins. And then seemed to come back in the team towards the end of the season when they were already relegated. Which is odd because at that point he would have been going back to Villa So that plus that side really struggling in general makes it difficult to draw conclusions Not sure how much we will get of him today. Pretty sure he won’t be starting that’s for sure. And if we do struggle then bringing him on is unlikely to change that
Welcome to the club Mr Archer! I have a good feeling about this signing, think he will do well. I have now changed my avatar, so please don't let me down!
Always about opinions,I live amongst many Aston Villa fans and every one seems to think he's a good player worth signing. We'll see I suppose!
Football fans are constitutionally incapable of being objective. All that is part and parcel of being a fan
Sun story SOUTHAMPTON are facing a Fifa probe over their swoop for Cameron Archer. Saints signed the striker, 22, from Aston Villa this week.But the deal could be ruled a ‘bridge’ transfer, leading to fines and possible sanctions. Villa initially sold Archer to Sheffield United for £18million in summer 2023, but terms of the deal meant they had to buy him back last month after the Blades were relegated. Moving the same player in and out within a 16-week period is termed a ‘bridge’ transfer and breaks Fifa rules unless the clubs can come up with an adequate explanation. Premier League chiefs confirmed there is nothing in their regulations to prevent a second transfer but Fifa have a specific category to stop such deals. Alfie House response Not expecting what’s been reported this morning regarding a ‘bridge transfer’ and Cameron Archer to be a problem - Aston Villa had the move cleared.
