brummie

Derisory in the terms of what we want, not what he's worth. It's not about his actual value - which, for a player with half a season doing well in the PL wouldn't be massive - it's about what he is worth to us, as you said, and that is key. Ultimately, anyone who wants him is going to have to pay well over the odds, and the last club I can imagine doing that is Spurs - not because you don't have the money (surely you're spending the Bale money before you get it and everyone doubles the prices, btw ) but because Levy doesn't get raped in the transfer market. I can't see Lambert taking players, either. He's apparently had his scouting team (who he brought from Norwich) doing massive amounts of work identifying targets, so he'd be way less likely to take players in the way, say, McLeish would have. Definitely not Defoe, totally not a Lambert style player. Going back to Benteke, I think his agent has advised him badly on this, but hey ho, we'll see how it pans out.

Love how they make signing players look so easy. You'd think it was impossible the way our lot go on. I'd think that part of it, a big part, is that they're signing players in competition largely with other teams of Norwich's level, which makes it easier for them.

Apparently the only offers for Benteke are from Spurs and they have all been derisorily low. This from the mouth of the son of a member of the board., Benteke's agent - who apparently is an absolute nightmare to deal with, even by football agent standards - has told him to out in the transfer request. Benteke is his only client, he's known him since he was a kid, he's basically his meal ticket. I think his agent has advised him badly. There's no way Spurs are going to pay our valuation of him, if they're the only option. Basically, he wants to be with his mates Lukaku, Hazard and De Bruyne in London. If his agent reckons Levy is going to offer enough to get him, he's not really advising his client very well. I am increasingly starting to think he'll be here this season after all. He can't play the cunt and go on strike or mope around all year as he wants to go to the World Cup and start games.

Bent will still be going. Could stop any deal until a replacement for Benteke is sorted though. Which might just be long enough for us to escape a fate worse than death. Honestly, there's more chance of me playing for Villa next season than Bent. And I am 45. And not a keeper. Or indeed a footballer. I don't think he'll stay, I'm saying that the club may take the view that selling two strikers before bringing in any replacements is the wrong way to go. Which might delay any sale of Bent while they focus on the Benteke sale and his replacement, I have to have some hope here.. Seriously, not a prayer. Too much water under the bridge. Last summer we sent Warnock and Hutton to train with the kids, despite it meaning us playing the whole season with two full backs with a combined age of about Shay Given. There's zero chance of Bent staying. And to be honest, I wouldn't be too concerned if he did. He won't, though. No matter what you say I have to believe this has given us a chance, even a small delay could be enough, you can't take away my hope! :'( I don't know why you're all so bothered. He's a very good goalscorer. it's not like we're talking about Danny Graham, is it?

Not strikers, no. Genuinely, if we sold him for nuts money, 30m, say, and spent the money wisely, I'd be ok with it. I would rather he stayed another year, and am disappointed his loyalty has lasted all of 11 months, but really, that's just footballers today, isn't it? It's Andy Carroll, it's Modric, it's Van Persie, it's Nasri, it's any one of lots and lots of footballers in recent years. It really comes down to how we reinvest the money. Pocket it and show no ambition, and you start to wonder what the point of it all is. Be imaginative - and I don't think for a second Lambert would be anything other than that - and you can do good work with it. Look at how Spurs have done that in recent years when their best players have wanted out. When Ashley Young was with us, every season we were told he was off to Spurs (he didn't), he wanted to go "back to London" (despite not being from london), he wanted out yada yada yada, but he left after four years, and then to go to Man United, who are always going to take your best players. These last two or three seasons we are operating from a considerably reduced position of bargaining, as we've been struggling. It's going to make it harder to hold on to the likes of Benteke. What concerns me is that he so clearly has been speaking to someone he really wants to go to, and doesn't really give too much of a shit about anything other than getting what he wants. Fair play to the bloke if that's the way it is. I don't like it, I think less of him for it, but really, what can you do other than ensure that you get enough money for him and spend it wisely. Clearly, the fact we have referred in our statement to it needing to be "in the right timeframe", we're not going to be flogging him in August. Unlike the weaselly McLeish or the untrustworthy Houllier, I actually would trust Lambert to refuse to sell him and leave him to stew until he realised he needed to get his shit together for the world cup. I trust Lambert far more than any Villa manager of recent years.

In a way, I can see this being good timing for us. World Cup at the end of the season. Loads left on his contract. We are going to ask for huge money. What happens if nobody offers it? And let's be honest, he's had two thirds of one really good season in the Premier League.

Bent will still be going. Could stop any deal until a replacement for Benteke is sorted though. Which might just be long enough for us to escape a fate worse than death. Honestly, there's more chance of me playing for Villa next season than Bent. And I am 45. And not a keeper. Or indeed a footballer. I don't think he'll stay, I'm saying that the club may take the view that selling two strikers before bringing in any replacements is the wrong way to go. Which might delay any sale of Bent while they focus on the Benteke sale and his replacement, I have to have some hope here.. Seriously, not a prayer. Too much water under the bridge. Last summer we sent Warnock and Hutton to train with the kids, despite it meaning us playing the whole season with two full backs with a combined age of about Shay Given. There's zero chance of Bent staying. And to be honest, I wouldn't be too concerned if he did. He won't, though.

Marcus Bent.

I don't get it, either, to be honest. There's no need for it. I suspect it's because all parties know there are enough irons in the fire for him to be off. We've gone to Germany today on a pre-season trip, though. Would there have been any point involving him in that?

It's not even money, I don't think. He is on 20k a week with us because when he came, he was a massive punt for us. It was, what, 10 months or less ago when people were laughing at that deal. He'll have been offered a deal - by us - on much more money, but I suspect his agent - who is apparently a childhood friend and only has him as a client - will have had a lot to do with it. He's daft, really. All he needs is another good season, then he goes to the World Cup with a highly rated young side, and if he does well there, he can have his move anywhere he wants.

Yup. What can you do, though? Benteke threatened Genk he'd go on strike to get his move to us a year ago. It's not the biggest surprise. He was fantastic for us, and has the potential to be a player of the absolute highest level. WHich is why he'd be nuts to go to Spurs. He'll not go anywhere without CL football. Earlier this week he retweeted a photo posted Be Bruyne had tweeted of him and Lukaku with the text "on our way to Chelsea". It's pretty clear where he's going. threaten to leave him on the bench for a season unless he gets his head on straight and see about his world cup chances then. Well, one thing I do trust is that if he goes, it's going to be a Carroll-esque style deal.

Bent will still be going. Could stop any deal until a replacement for Benteke is sorted though. Which might just be long enough for us to escape a fate worse than death. Honestly, there's more chance of me playing for Villa next season than Bent. And I am 45. And not a keeper. Or indeed a footballer.

Yup. What can you do, though? Benteke threatened Genk he'd go on strike to get his move to us a year ago. It's not the biggest surprise. He was fantastic for us, and has the potential to be a player of the absolute highest level. WHich is why he'd be nuts to go to Spurs. He'll not go anywhere without CL football. Earlier this week he retweeted a photo posted Be Bruyne had tweeted of him and Lukaku with the text "on our way to Chelsea". It's pretty clear where he's going.

It will be. I'd heard rumours he wanted to be in London, and his best mate is Lukaku, who has been up here this past season, but now isn't. If we are going to sell him for a massively inflated sum, and then give Lambert the cash to spend, fair enough. If we sell him and pocket the cash, then that's much more disappointing. Relegation chances? No chance whatsoever. Too much progress made all over the pitch for that to happen.

Of course they won't. The Benteke situation won't just have developed today. Lambert stuck Bent with the kids last week. It's not like this is a shock. Even though Benteke has put in a transfer request, I'd still say there's more chance of him being with us next season than Bent - that's one bridge which has been well and truly burnt.

Bent will still be going.

It will be. I'd heard rumours he wanted to be in London, and his best mate is Lukaku, who has been up here this past season, but now isn't. If we are going to sell him for a massively inflated sum, and then give Lambert the cash to spend, fair enough. If we sell him and pocket the cash, then that's much more disappointing.

It's definitely true, local media confirming it. Really, I kind of expected to have this problem, but what a cunt. One season in? My money's on Chelsea. Wants to be with Lukaku and Hazard.

Paulinho having medical at Spurs. *Martin Jol fires up laptop*

I am jealous to be honest but fair play to them for having a go. If only we would do the same. I know this is easy to say, but it really is early days, we're barely into July. Obviously, for me, four years of MON doing FUCK ALL until the last week of August has had a lasting effect.

Demba Ba being in talks with Anzhi says all you need to know about his priorities. There's only one thing that can get players to go and play there, in those conditions, and that for me marks him out as one to avoid.

Hurry up will you, FFS. We need the 8m to buy that Japanese dude from that German club. FC Nuremburgtrials or whatever they're called.

I hate Liverpool I hate Chelsea I hate Suarez Personally, given a choice, Suarez would be bound, gagged, put on a plane, and dropped into the middle of the Atlantic. Failing that, he'd fuck off abroad somewhere ghastly. Some wanky club in Russia with a crooked oligarch backer. However, if that can't happen, I'd be quite happy to see him go to a wanky club in England with a crooked oligarch backer, purely on the basis that it'd fuck off Liverpool's fans, and make RAWK_Meltdown absolutely brilliant for weeks.

In some ways, but he is on a free, we like that price! Not a bad signing for a mid championship club /jeremy_peace

Kinnear: "Hi Awooga, I am just calling with regard to your transfer to us" Kony: "My name is Joseph Kony, I am leader of Uganda's infamous, murderous Lords Resistance Army guerilla group, as featured in that viral video, Kony 2012, the one that caused the bloke who made it to go completely hatstand". Kinnear: "I've won it three times, you'll do well to catch up with me" etc etc