Teasy

I don't think wanting to sign a player for a reasonable fee who would improve us suggests low expectations. We've signed numerous players far worse than Arouna Kone in our history. As people have said, if he's the only signing then its disapointing overall, but as a first signing it would be very positive IMO, and far better than Darren Bent.

Where would Darren Bent be? Also do you actually have a list and is it realistic in the slightest?

Yeah I mentioned in the other thread that apparently he's quite a strict muslim. So strict that he wore last season's Wigan shirt, sponsored by 12bet.com. Oh well that's one obstacle out the way then

Yeah I mentioned in the other thread that apparently he's quite a strict muslim.

He's certainly not in the top bracket, but he's good enough and in some games has dominated there. Anyway the point is he improved a lot from his first season when he could easily have been described as weak as piss in the air. I think Yanga-Mbiwa should be given a season before he's declared weak as piss, that's all.

What do you mean by go toe to toe with Cisse? I'd say Kone is the kind of player who could possibly work up front with Cisse. As well as in a front 3 with Cisse and Ben Arfa. Unfortunately I have this feeling we won't get him

He's quicker, more direct and more skillful than Gouffran. Also as much as I believe Gouffran could score goals if Pardew had given him a chance in the center Kone proved last season he can score goals in this league. Think he's a step up from Gouffran personally.

Think he'd be a very good signing, he's quite a good all round player as well as a good goal scorer. Age is the only downside really IMO.

Any idea what Fulham are paying Berbatov?

It doesn't, but Dave Whelan says we've had one accepted according to Sky Sports News. Too slow.

Apparently Dave Whelan says we've had one accepted according to Sky Sports News. I agree unfortunately, if it wasn't for Martinez being there I'd be reasonable confident.

Honestly Scott?, geniune interest eh?, cheers for the info, I thought the £5m bid being accepted meant we had no interest.

Agree on Mbiwa, I think he's going to be a quality for us. On Kone and Bent, they're very different players, couldn't be much more different as strikers to be honest. Also yeah I'd absolutely love to have Kone here instead of Bent. Bent is a 100% goal poacher, with a lot of chances created for him he'll score lots of goals, but he does nothing else at all. Kone is the kind of player who can nick goals (1 in 2.9 is still a good record), but he can also come deep and link up play, as well as being able to run at players. He could play up front as part of a 2 or wide in a front 3, much more to his game.

Deserves one more to be honest, all we've heard is talk about Bent, we've had a bid officially accepted for Kone.

Without Moyes there we're basically both mid-sized clubs with shit chairmen. I think we might even be able to offer slightly more money. (Beat Everton to Ba as well, didn't we?) I agree, the only sticking point is Martinez.

He's nothing like Cisse, he's the type who could play wide of a front three if needed and do a very good job IMO.

I suppose its still most likely he'll go to Everton though with Martinez there. Also he's quite a strict muslim, so I wonder if the Wonga thing will have an effect.

Kone's a good player.. Obviously not exactly finding an unearthed gem like but we'll have to leave that to Carr, if he's allowed to do it now

At £5m he could still have resale value relatively speaking, nothing to say you can't get a few million for a player over 30 as long as he's still in contract. I can't possibly stress how much I'd prefer Kone to Bent BTW!!! Both similar age, both similar fee (assuming Villa aren't really insane enough to expect anything like £8m). But Kone offers so much more and would fit what we need so much better than Bent.

Coloccini looked weak as piss in the air in his first season. Mbiwa isn't weak in the slightest, he's a bit tentative at the moment as he gets used to the league.

This. The fact that he is going for a quite affordable fee suggests we were just hoping a bargain would emerge rather than actively trying to sign up a player we have wasted 18 months scouting and watching regularly. Had on. What suggests that, exactly? The fact we didn't get involved when he was about to join a club that can offer Champions Legaue football? If they're getting him for 13m euro, that's not too far off the £10m we bid for him in January. i think the fact we didn't make a bid suggests that we didn't make a bid tbh. We had time to make a bid before Dortmund emerged that was a fairly recent development, but we didn't. but Mike Ashley appears keen to recruit within a budget again. You don't think that just maybe, like most clubs looking at a transfer, we've spoken to the players representatives and knew that at this stage he wasn't willing to sign for us? So naturally we've asked his club and his representatives to keep us informed so that we can react accordingly. Unfortunately the only reaction that's worth considering when a club like Dortmund comes in is "Oh well, next".

That's what the people talking about what a good buy he'd be are missing, he won't be backup, he'll be first choice under Pardew. Or I certainly hope they're missing that, because anyone who wants to see Darren Bent as a first choice player in our team can simply fuck off.

One season doesn't define a players goal scoring ability though. I mean Cisse's goals to games ratio was better than Bent's last season. But I don't think that means Bent all of a sudden can't hit a barn door.

Cisse's capable of some great things outside of the box from time to time, he's just not very consistent at it. Sometimes going from good to downright awful, Bent is just completely incapable of doing that. Some of the goals Cisse has scored for this club Bent wouldn't be able to do. So yeah i would say he's a poorer version of Cisse and not someone who would compliment him very well IMO. Not sure why this bit is relevant. He does score the odd fantastic goal (1 last season I can think of) but last season he missed so many easy chances in the box which Bent would probably have finished (or done better with). His one touch finishing in particular was dreadful for the most part and that's when he managed to stay onside. Right and the season before he was scoring everything he touched. His actual ability is somewhere in the middle of those two examples. He'll scores goals as a poacher, that's what his record suggests. But unlike Bent he can also produce something out of nothing. He doesn't need to be able to do that cosistently to be far better at it than Bent because Bent simply can't do that, ever. Far too much emphasis is being placed on some very good goals Cisse over a year ago. Strikers get almost all of their chances inside the box so that's surely the thing to be the best at? Not hoping a 25 yard volley goes in once every few months? Not if its absolutely all you're good at, its not a good thing to be so one dimensional that nobody even bothers with you unless you're six yards from goal. Or to be so limited as a Footballer that if someone doesn't create chances for you there's absolutely no chance of goals. Not to mention he seems completely incapable of playing with another striker.

Apart from all the goals he's scored from outside the box you mean? Including a goal of the season and some goal of the month contenders. Can't think of many from last year. Southampton and possibly Bordeaux? Not something to brag about in over 44 games. I can't think of any from ever with Bent though so no matter how many times he did it its still going to be infinitely more than him. Also judging Cisse purely on last season ignores the fact that last season was clearly at odds with the past few years of his career, its not indicative of his ability. His ability falls somewhere in between his first half season form and last season.