We're on the floor. Send for Defour?

"I'm 26 next year so I need to make smart decisions. My best years are coming."

So says Belgium midfield stalwart Steven Defour, currently looking at the exit door at FC Porto and looking for regular first team action to secure his World Cup place.

The player would love to come to the Premier League but currently feels that a move to the Bundesliga would be more likely.

Steven said "The Premier League is a great league, but I don't know whether it is realistic for a player who is not in Porto's starting line-up to get a transfer to England."

Back in 2009, the centre-midfielder expressed a preference to move to Aston Villa while plying his trade with Standard Liege and if Paul Lambert is scouring Europe for an experienced midfielder (40-odd international caps for the Red Devils), Defour could well fit the bill.

However it seems he'd prefer the lure of Germany. "Lovely stadiums, many people, great clubs and a competition at high level. But I do not know where my future lies."

Despite his lack of a regular first team berth, it's thought the Portuguese side would want around £7 million for the player's services.

Popov radio interview fuels Villa transfer rumours...

Miss Popov out of Rentaghost

The captain of Bulgaria Ivelin Popov gave an interview on the morning show of Darik radio "Darik coffee." on Wednesday. The Kuban Krasnodar player admitted (sort of) that there are talks about a move to Aston Villa.

The interviews resurrects speculation from last summer and Paul Lambert will no doubt be anxious to get another Bulgarian into the squad after the runaway success of the shoot-on-sight  Tonev.

If the name Popov sounds familiar, it may be because he scored against us playing for Litex Lovech a few years back.

We're not expecting a flood of transfer activity in the January window so it's nice to know that Villa are at least looking to strengthen, even if the signing doesn't come off.

Danilo D'Ambrosio - the rumours are back

Remember the rumours about Torino's Danilo D'Ambrosio that we brought you back in July.

Well, as unconvinced as we were by them back then, they have re-emerged.

The 25-year-old has scored two goals in 12 League games for the Granata this season but is out of contract at the end of the season, with his representative Vincenzo Pisacane hinting that a new deal with the Turin club is unlikely.
The player would be available on a Bosman at the end of the season, but Torino may choose to accept a small fee and let the player go early.

Villa could easily quadruple his current salary without breaking the bank, but at 25 he's quite old to be a typical Lambert signing, though Matt Lowton's sudden lack of favour with the Villa boss would seem to indicate that a new right back signing wouldn't be a total shock.

Sunderland have again been linked with the player, though it is thought that club's initial interest came from the now departed DiCanio, while the smart money says the player could yet end up at Napoli.

We'll believe it when we see him at Bodymoor...

Mats Møller Dæhli? Get yer prayer Mats out...

Remember bouncing up and down with excitement when it looked as though Molde boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might be joining the Villa?

Well pilgrim, the cherubic goal menace has been heaping praise on former-Manchester United academy star Mats Møller Dæhli after the 18-year-old's dazzled in the Norwegian cup semi-final.

Dæhli spent two years learning his trade in Manchester United's academy and was highly rated at Carrington by all accounts, but he chose to go back to Norway this summer for first-team football at Molde.

Solskjaer's Molde squeaked past Lillestrom 5-4 in a penalty shootout to reach Norway's cup final on Thursday evening and the Molde gaffer was quick to praise Dæhli's  performance, going as far as to say he thought the teenager would be in the United first-team if he'd stayed at Old Trafford.

"Mats was simply outstanding," Solskjaer told Norwegian news site VG Nett. "The way he just keeps the ball on the ground, calms down and controls the flow of the game for the team. I am delighted!

"A few minutes into the game, I knew I made the right choice starting him.

"He came to Molde for first team football, but he could've been at United now, playing for the first team. He's on par with Adnan Januzaj. They grew up together in the under-18s, and Mats was player of the year."

With such high praise coming from the baby faced assassin, you can bet your bottom dollar that Premier League clubs will be closely monitoring the situation. Given Mats decision to move for first team football, it would seem that any move back to England would need to be to a club that gives young players an opportunity...

Are we having a Kozák moment?

Sky Italia kicked off rumours soon picked up on by Twitter and other media outlets that lanky Czech striker Libor Kozák was on the verge of a move to Villa.

Which is curious.

While the player proved to be a useful goalscorer in the Europa League - a devalued version of the UEFA Cup in which participating teams routinely put out squad players rather than regular starters -  Kozák found it far more difficult to find the net in Serie A last term and has found himself out of favour this season, hence his availability

,However, Paul Lambert has shown that he is not averse to taking players who have yet to prove themselves if he sees potential, as has been shown by his purchase of Antonio Luna who has quickly built a relationship with the Villa faithful despite having a less than glowing track record.

Regarded as an out and out striker, it's difficult to see him making an instant first team breakthrough given the strength of our existing front line, which makes the idea of him coming in on loan all the more puzzling. Mind you, we did take Simon Dawkins on loan last term, so the idea of a borrowed fringe player isn't totally alien in the Lambert era.

All will no doubt become clear in the fullness of time but this seems like a curveball.

Can Thomas Ince be prised from his daddy's apron strings?

The only reason there hasn't been intense and fevered transfer speculation surrounding Tom Ince is that he turned down flat the chance to play in the Premier League with Cardiff City only last month.

Malky Mackay thought he'd got his man. A fee - believed to be in the region of £8 million - had been agreed with Blackpool and Ince's agent had agreed personal terms. However, young Tom had just become a new dad and seemingly didn't want to lose the security that came with working for and living in close proximity to his father, self-styled Guv'nor Paul.

Surprisingly, even this didn't stop other interested parties - most notably Tottenham and Newcastle - from keeping close tabs on the situation.

Now, Villa and Everton are strongly rumoured to have entered the fray, although it would be a shift in Villa transfer policy to pay the sort of money Cardiff City were prepared to pay for a player with no Premier League experience, although at 21 years old, he fits the "young and hungry" requirement.

Paul Ince has made it clear of late that he feels he is a bit short when it comes to the size of his squad, a situation exacerbated when QPR pounced for Matt Phillips.

We understand that the Tangerines wouldn't be averse to letting the player go though and that using Barry Bannan as a makeweight could make a deal palatable to both sides. Little Barry has had a successful spell on loan for the seaside club.

The other rumour doing the rounds concerns gargantuan Porto defender Abdoulaye Ba.  The lad impressed for Senegal at the 2012 London Olympics but has had difficulty making a definitive first team breakthrough for the Portugese outfit, going off on loan and picking up red cards along the way. However the raw talent is definitely there and with Lambo forced to change central defence partnerships almost as often as he changes his socks, extra cover would not be amiss.

Cresswell Schmesswell... Bannan off to Blackpool or the Bhoys?

Rumours surrounding Villa's diminutive and seemingly unwanted midfield maestro Barry Bannan continue to circulate.

Paul Ince has made no secret of the fact that he thinks he's short up at Blackpool, where little Barry is no stranger, but any deal involving the Tangerines - current temporary home of fellow bomb squadee Nathan Delfouneso - is likely to be a loan only deal.

However, amongst the multiple rumours that Celtic might be in for our Barry, some are coming from credible sources. Talk of permanent deal with a fee of £ 1.5 million is in the air, but more likely would be another loan deal, especially as the Bhoys' Champions League future is hanging by a thread.

We also understand that the club is working hard to find opportunities for both Alan Hutton and Shay Given before the week is out, while Enda Stevens has been shipped out to Notts County on an emergency 28 day loan.

As for anyone coming in, we understand that Paul Lambert has one player in his cross-hairs but will remain tight-lipped as to that player's identity and position until and unless a deal is done. What we can glean from the meagre crumbs of info we are getting is that he is quite happy with the size of his squad following the summer additions and any new signing will be to add quality and "something different" to the squad, rather than making up the numbers.

The name of Aaron Cresswell has been widely circulated in the latest batch of rumours, but unless a shock exit for Joe Bennett is on the cards, this seems unlikely. More intriguing is the link with carrot-topped midfielder James McCarthy with Wigan likely to offload the promising 22-year old before the window shuts. The spoke in the wheels for this one would by Dave Whelan's asking price. Did you know Dave broke his leg in the FA Cup Final?

The truth is that The Two Pauls are playing their cards close to their chests and we probably won't know who our mystery target is until he's smuggled into Bodymoor Heath under a blanket.

Viktor? I don't believe it!

Paul Lambert certainly didn't rule out further signings at his pre-season press conference and he has demonstrated that he's quite partial to talented young Danish men, so could the Viktor Fischer rumour carry some actual substance?

The talented 19 year old broke into the Ajax first team last season and was used primarily as an out and out left winger. The breakthrough quickly saw him promoted to the Danish national team where he has made a handful of appearances.

The rumour starts to look shaky when you appreciate that Ajax wisely signed Viktor up to a new four year deal earlier this year, and this, coupled with the fact that first team opportunities look better for him in the Eredivisie than they do in the Premier League, would make a deal seem far less likely.

However, Nicklas Helenius sparked a whodunnit recently when deleting a tweet that hinted at another Villa Danish capture, so who knows?

Plenty of other rumours have been circulating but our latest intelligence says that a deal for Wissam Ben Yedder is out of the question as he only put pen to paper on a new Toulouse deal last week, while a Villa move for Fischer's Ajax team mate Toby Alderweireld is thought to be unlikely.

Who needs Barry when you've got Barry Ban...hang on...

talkSPORT are reporting that Aston Villa has turned down the chance to take Gareth Barry on loan.

The left sided glory hunter eventually jumped ship to join moneybags Manchester City in 2009 after spending his last year at Villa under a cloud after trying to force a move to fading giants Liverpool.

He bagged a Premier League winners medal in 2012.

However Man City's new boss wants to put his own stamp on the squad and ageing players like Barry are thought to be surplus to requirements and available for loan deals, with high salaries making permanent moves difficult to broker.

talkSPORT claims that sources close to the Manchester club have revealed that Villa have been sounded out about taking Barry back on a loan deal.

Unsurprisingly, Villa were said to be not interested in the deal, busy trying to offload their own has-beens as a crop of new young signings are bedded in at Villa Park.

talkSPORT's article

Helenius vanishing tweet sparks transfer guessing game...

Aston Villa new boy Nicklas Helenius sparked a transfer guessing game on Monday morning after posting and subsequently swiftly deleting a tantalising tweet.

The tweet in itself in innocuous enough, but the wink at the end is enough to spark Villa's army of tweeting detectives into action and the tweet's deletion certainly raises a few eyebrows.

So has the big Dane just invited a mate over to Brum to sample the delights of the Indoor Market or is Paul Lambert about to add to Villa's Danish contingent?

Tweet you suspicions hashtag #HeleniusMysteryFriend

Hoping it's Rolf Toft...no idea if he's any good just like the name... #HeleniusMysteryFriend
— villamad.co.uk (@villamadtweets) August 12, 2013

@villamadtweets Frederik Sørensen Danish Centre Half!
— Adrian Wain (@andylochead9) August 12, 2013

@villamadtweets carlsberg
— Lee (@Avfc75) August 12, 2013

I've got a crazy idea guys: Helenius has friends who /aren't/ footballers! #heleniusmysteryfriend #AVFC
— MattVillan (@dvtavfc) August 12, 2013

The Boudebouz Buzz

French media are reporting Villa's interest in Algerian wideman  Ryad Boudebouz.

Sochaux winger Ryad Boudebouz has made it plain that he would be open to the possibility of a move to the Premier League, with Villa amongst a gaggle of clubs tracking the talented star.

Reports in France had claimed that Southampton's Mauricio Pochettino is keen on securing the 23-year old's signature while the young international was linked with a switch to Liverpool last summer and Villa are known to have had the player watched

The player has under a year left on his current deal, so any move for him now wouldn't break the bank, though Sochaux are thought to want £5million, while his salary demands would not be beyond Villa's financial reach

Boudebouz has made no secret of the fact that he fancies trying his luck in a tougher league: "My dream has always been to play in England or Spain.

"It is everyone's dream to be linked with good teams in big leagues in Europe.

"If the President rings me up to tell me there is an offer for me I would be very happy."

A beached whale

Sceptics may wonder why Lambert would be after another wide man, given that he rarely likes to play with out and out width and has already purchased players capable of getting wide in his earlier summer dealings.

Any move is also likely to be dependant on being able to offload the unwanted players cluttering up the exit lounge at Bodymoor Heath, and they are proving harder to shift than a beached whale.

It's a Knockaert?

Now we all know that Paul Lambert likes a bargain and is prepared to gamble on unproven youth rather than expensive experience.

So is he really going to spunk away £10million of Randy's dough on Hiroshi Kiyotake when a far cheaper alternative is just up the road at Leicester City?


The word on the grapevine is that 21 year old French pretender Anthony Knockaert was none too happy about being left out of the Foxes starting line-up as the Football League got under way and that Nigel Pearson's latest system won't necessarily suit his game. That being the case, could he be tempted to chance his arm at a Premier League club a few miles down the road?

While we understand the current internet rumours (that we've probably just added to) linking the player with Villa are wide of the mark, our Leicestershire mole's response was "many a true word spoken in jest". He's a cryptic bugger.

Barry Bannan

Though Leicester tended to use the player as an out and out winger last season, he certainly has the attributes to be an effective player in the hole and is expected to improve on last season's impressive showing, which was somewhat blighted when his last gasp penalty was saved in the play-offs and Watford scored a shock winner twenty seconds later. What shouldn't be overlooked is that the miss aside, Knockaert was quality in that game.

While the Foxes would be keen to hold on the player, a wedge of cash and a couple of members of the bomb squad (Barry Bannan springs to mind) might sweeten any potential deal.

If we were to capture the Frenchman, he'd follow in the fine tradition of Didier Six and David Ginola.

Holding Out for a Hiro?

As fevered speculation surrounding Hiroshi Kiyotake continues, Paul Lambert confirmed at last night's forum that Villa had made an enquiry for the player, but had made no actual bid.

The Kiyotake tale has been kept alive over several weeks due to a spectacular Twitter spat, with one side swallowing off-the-record briefings that Villa's interest in the player had ended and others scouring the internet for titbits of info that would indicate that the deal wasn't dead.

However, even those vehemently stating that the deal wasn't happening started to backtrack on Sunday when three tweets from JSoccer Magazine had the ITKs scrabbling for their phones and the media pack piling onto another easy space filler.

Kiyotake update coming now, straight from the horse's mouth - I have spoken to Kiyo's agent company, very open with info.
— JSoccer Magazine (@JSoccerMagazine) August 4, 2013

#Kiyotake cont. ... #FCN would like him to stay but seem to accpet he may leave so want at least £8.5 mill. Kiyo has been in talks.
— JSoccer Magazine (@JSoccerMagazine) August 4, 2013

Now MY thoughhts.. if Kiyo has got the idea that AVFC want him, and seems interested, better to let him go now, for decent transfer fee
— JSoccer Magazine (@JSoccerMagazine) August 4, 2013

Interesting piece regarding this over on AVillafan

Plenty of background on Kiyotake in Julie Bayley's article

Meanwhile there was disappointment on the pitch for Kiyotake as FC Nürnberg crashed out of the DFB-Pokal on penalties, despite Hiro managing to net his.

Word is that no deal is likely unless Paul Faulkner can manage to offload those players deemed by Paul Lambert to be surplus to requirements and this is proving to be problematic with potential deals for Shay Given, Barry Bannan and Alan Hutton all falling through in recent days.

The Bent deal is the biggest mystery, with the player himself telling supporters some weeks ago that he thought he was off to Newcastle, but Villa seemingly poo-pooing Joe Kinnear's statement that talks were ongoing.

The frustration concerning the bomb squad seems to be that it's virtually impossible to move players on when they are sitting on overly generous Villa contracts and it may will be that the club will have to accept pushing them out on loan and continuing to finance huge chunks of their obese cat salaries.

D'Ambrosio: Dan Dan the Right Back man

With Eric Lichaj having been shown the door, what on earth will we do at right back if Matty Lowton gets a knock or a lengthy suspension? Chris Herd? Starting to sweat just thinking about that prospect. Bacuna? Well, he'd certainly do a job there but we'd much rather he was deployed further up field.

So what's the answer?

Could it be one Danilo D'Ambrosio?

The 24-year-old, with just one year remaining on his contract, is highly rated (by some) in Italy and a number of clubs - including Napoli and Inter Milan - have been sniffing around, while Di Canio's Sunderland have been linked with the player all summer.

The player's agent has hinted heavily that he will leave Torino this summer.

Torino are looking for around €4m for D'Ambrosio and Villa could easily quadruple his current salary without breaking the bank

If Villa are in for the player, expect news to leak from the Italian end early next week.

The Ashley Young Kerfuffle

When a Twitter ITK (usually stands for Idiot Talking Kobblers) posted "insider" knowledge claiming that AshleyYoung... well let's not paraphrase, here's the ruddy tweet that set the ball rolling:

Within the last hour a representative of Ashley Young #mufc has made contact with #avfc to see if a deal could be brokered for his return
— AVFC Transfer Tweet (@AVFCTransTweet) July 25, 2013

...so when that was tweeted, Twitter does what Twitter does, spread the "rumour" like wild fire, distorted it like crazy, dismissed it as bullshit, believed it like Gospel but generally made sure that Ashley Young - long since yesterday's news at Aston Villa and virtually forgotten up at Old Trafford - was back in the spotlight.

Now whatever the provence of the tweet and the tweep that sparked it, it did sort of start a debate as to whether we'd want him back.

We quite miss his song to be honest (It seems Shaun Wright Phillips wasn't keen on it, whatever happened to him?) but the player himself had been on something of a downward trajectory before he even left, with some uninspiring performances in O'Neill's final year and playing like a lost soul at times under Gerard Houllier. Stewart Downing looked better in many games.

Virtually every United player has been the subject of speculation since David Moyes rolled into Carrington. The thought that Young's people might be touting his name about isn't so far fetched, given that the World Cup is looming and a not-so-young-anymore Ashley has no guarantee of making the England squad. He needs to be playing regularly and it's a big question as to whether he will under the former Everton boss.

So while Young back to Villa is almost certainly a non-starter, it would not be a massive shock if he went somewhere.

The irony is that he may have asked his agent to dip a toe in the water. More like Ashley to dive right in...

Is there something fishy about Pescara rumours?

As Twitter rumours spread that "three Villa officials" were heading out to Pescara, the rumour mill shot into action and rookie defender Mario Capuano was quickly linked.

21 year old Italian Under 21 international Capuano was an integral part of a truly woeful Pescara defence last season. The side managed to let in a whopping EIGHTY FOUR goals in a 38 game season, half of those at home and it was this that led them to finish plumb-bottom of Serie A.

So it would seem that bringing in young Mario is hardly likely to shore up Villa's leaky defence, though the laughable performances of Vlaar and Clark in the last thirty minutes at Luton would indicate that we do need new players at the back, young Janoi Donacien being the pick of our defenders on the night.

Pescara's relegation woes have meant that they have been forced to offload players, so it may well be that we are after someone else, but quite who is a conundrum.


Meanwhile, it looks as though the majority of the "bomb squad" may have to go out on loan as their lucrative Villa contracts are making permanent deals difficult to strike.

Julie Bayley on Hiroshi Kiyotake

The following article is written by guest contributor Julie Bayley:

Hero -i –Kiyo –take - away on your timeline – So what’s all the fuss about an exciting Japanese attacking midfielder who has intimated in the past couple of days…… he rather fancies playing for the Villa!

Hiroshi Kiyotake - FC Nurnberg, Germany
NAME: Hiroshi Kiyotake

AGE: 23 (12th November, 1989)
HEIGHT: 5’ 7+”
BORN: Oita, Japan
POSITION: Midfielder AM
CLUB: Nurnberg (FCN)

Five facts about Kiyo -

1) He’s a 23-year-old attacking midfielder, just under five feet and eight inches tall and predominantly right sided.

2) He spent five-years as a youth team player at Oita Trinita before progressing into senior football with the same side in 2008.

3) He was one of the leading assist providers in the Bundesliga last season with a tally of ten, which was more than Bayern Munich’s latest signing Mario Gotze (€37M)

4) He was also one of the most accurate passers in the Nurnberg side last season, with a pass completed rate of 81.3% and just under three key passes per game.

5) He has played for Japan at three different levels so far during his career, making 18 appearances at senior level scoring just one goal in the process

For those Villa fans who have no idea who he is - here’s a quick run down on why I think Kiyo to Villa could be one of THE signings of this Summer’s transfer window in the EPL.

Bio….

Born in Oita, Kiyotake joined his first club Katiora FC at the age of 13, before two-years later joining the youth ranks of his local J-League side Oita Trinita. At the age of 17 he made his senior debut and scored the equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Shimizu S-Pulse. Within months his was a first-team regular and has never looked back.

In 2010, Cerezo Osaka sold their star midfielder Shinji Kagawa to Borussia Dortmund and they immediately turned their attention to Kiyotake and took advantage of Oita's poor financial position to get him. Kiyotake stepped into Kagawa's shoes very well and later that same season was called into Japan's national squad for the first time, making his debut against South Korea. He was called into Japan's squad for the Olympics in 2012, but before they had begun - he was again following in the footsteps of Kagawa as he agreed a move to the Bundesliga with Nurnberg (FCN) paying £1million for his signature.

His first season in Europe was a massive one for Kiyotake, scoring four goals and grabbing ten-assists - more than Mario Gotze. After only one season he quickly caught the eye and became FCN’s best player. If you ask a lot of coaches the Bundesliga is one of the toughest most technical leagues in Europe more than rivalling La Liga - and for a small statured “tsushyaya” (loosely translates as winger) to stand out in that league – he must be a decent player!

International Recognition for Japan….

Along with Kagawa and Takashi Inui, Kiyotake is among a clutch of rising young attacking midfielders that give the Samurai Blue coach Alberto Zaccheroni plenty of options to choose from. A tireless worker off the ball, Kiyotake possesses a fearsome long-range shot and his inch-perfect through-balls can unlock almost any defence. Kiyotake made his full international debut in 2011 and has featured in qualification matches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil. His free-flowing performances at the 2012 London Olympics guided Japan to a stunning victory against Spain in the group stage and an eventual fourth-place finish. His goalscoring is also a big thing, he has an outstanding eye for goal and many feel he has everything in his armoury to be the complete attacking midfielder.

On top of an impressive first season in the Bundesliga – Kiyotake also impressed at this Summer’s Federation Cup in Brazil where it was rumoured Villa had scouts watching potential targets like Ideye etc.

Premier League comes calling Summer 2013…

It is little surprise that Kiyotake therefore found himself a target of at least one English Premier League club this Summer. The comparison is an easy one, with Kagawa now plying his trade at Old Trafford, and it is a valid one - they are very similar in stature and technique. Kiyotake has an outstanding football brain and he loves to play in the hole behind the forward line, where he can pick a pass or drive into space.

As any follower of Hiroshi’s twitter feed @13_Hiroshi - will know Kiyo & Shinji Kagawa remain good friends. In fact they were recently seen in bed together as part of a publicity campaign!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BO02CAjCIAE_3DO.jpg:large

There were rumours in January that Kiyo was not happy at FCN, he didn’t like where they were playing him out of position and he was hankering for a move to England to join the success his friend and international teammate Kagawa was enjoying under Alex Ferguson.

So it comes as no surprise that Paul Lambert and Aston Villa soon came knocking on Martin Bhader’s door in mid-June in an attempt to prize this exciting, creative midfielder away from Nurnberg. At first rebuffed soundly

“I am able to confirm this transfer enquiry from Aston Villa. We have made it clear to Aston Villa we have no interest nor intention to sell the player,” said the club’s general manager Martin Bader.

Sky Sports Summer Scout Report

Despite the rebuttal it became rumoured that in fact Kiyo had a release clause in his contract and sure enough at the alleged 3rd attempt of €8.5M - Randy Lerner’s coffers triggered the clause and Kiyotake became a potential Villa signing. 

To the people who got wind of all this, the agent’s apparent reassurances of Kiyo’s desire to play for Aston Villa 110%, must have been music to the two Pauls' ears at a time when their own star striker Christian Benteke was demonstrating an opposite viewpoint. It will be surely to Benteke’s loss and ironic - if he ends up leaving the football club who allowed him to ply his trade last season - at the very time when they might sign a player who could have unlocked his potential even further during a second season at Villa. Like some of our other Summer signings….methinks Kiyo would be a real coup and probably the biggest to date….

A few comments about Hiroshi Kiyotake ….

One Bundesliga journalist who became aware of Villa’s interest this Summer was asked which Premier League player he most would compare Kiyotake too the most? His answer “Modric I think, but possibly even better!”

One FCN fan who I had a twitter conversation about a possible move for Kiyo to Villa tweeted this….

@JulieBayleyIFA @Omariqy @JamesNursey Don't take our #tsubasa away.... ;-) #fcn #kiyotake
— Molis Biggah (@MolisBiggah) July 13, 2013

@JulieBayleyIFA Forget Ocean's 11, forget Italian job, forget... #Tsubasa is a real coup! #fcn #avfc #kiyotake pic.twitter.com/fHq9VgzUCO
— Molis Biggah (@MolisBiggah) July 13, 2013

Situation as at 18.07.2013

After leaving Tokyo for a few days holiday it’s thought to Oita where he was born - Kiyo was besieged by Japanese journalists asking him about a possible move to Aston Villa at the airport on his way back to Germany to join up with his teammates. Far from dismissing the transfer, Kiyo told reporters that “he hadn’t heard anything yet” but was pleased to hear of all the speculation regarding this potential transfer from Germany. In an interview available on You tube he also apparently referred to FCN being halfway to his goal ie B6

Being FCN’s best player obviously his return attracted media attention in Germany, so he was interviewed by Bundesliga journalists and of course yet again the question of a possible move to Villa came up. Again far from dismissing reports he said he appreciated very much the offer from Villa but he refused to say whether he would complete the signing or stay at FCN. He also said he did not know what the future held for him in the coming weeks but in the meantime his focus would be to prepare for the new season with Nuremburg. A diplomatic, perfect response from a top professional. As compared to….. oh well let’s not go there….

So something seems to be in the air over all this speculation on Kiyo to Villa

Let’s hope Villa land this brilliant attacking No 13 whose guile and footballing skills would grace any club in the Premiership and probably Europe in many people’s opinion.


Fortune favours the brave *Captain Tsubasa!!! Follow @13_Hiroshi

JulieB

*Captain Tsubasa is the name of a fearless cartoon footballer character in Japan who is a cult hero over there…it loosely translates as winger/attacker - Wiki Link to Captain Tsubasa

Thanks to Kuro @footballotaku8 for his translation of Japanese articles and keeping us all updated

Is Shay a Wild Rover? Given Doncaster Bound?

The Daily Mail is carrying an "exclusive" report on its website that Shay Given is to join Doncaster Rovers.

They report that the club is to take Villa's goalie on a season long loan following funds made available from "a group of Irish investors".

Aston Villa would probably have preferred to ship the Irish international out on a permanent deal, but his high salary coupled with the length left on his contract was always going to make that outcome difficult to achieve.

Rovers boss Paul Dickov will see Given as an ideal successor to 43 year old Neil Sullivan who was confirmed to have left the club yesterday.

We wait to see whether Doncaster's new investors will also show an interest in Stephen Ireland, Darren O'Bent or Alan O'Hutton.

Belhanda: doing a David Unsworth?

The transfer saga surrounding Younès Belhanda  still refuses to die, despite the fact that the player had apparently signed for Dynamo Kiev over the weekend.

The 23 year old Moroccan international was paraded in front of Kiev fans during a match with Zenit St Petersburg at the weekend, grasping the number 90 shirt alongside fellow new recruits, Dieumerci Mbokani, from Monaco and Jeremain Lens from AZ Alkmaar.


However, reports in respected French media outlets now suggest that the player has done a David Unsworth and decided he doesn't want to play in the Ukraine after all.

Confusion surrounds the deal, but it seems unlikely that the Ukrainian club would have paraded the talented midfield star without him having put pen to paper on some form of contract.

A Twitter storm has surrounded the rumours that Belhanda was a Villa target, with British journalists reporting that Villa had no interest in the player, while European sources suggested that we were in the mix, leading many of Villa's more vocal tweeps to line up on either side of an increasingly bad-tempered debate.

It remains to be seen whether Belhanda's "flip-flop" will lessen his appeal to other interested parties, but the player has made it known that his preference was the Bundesliga or the the Premier League.

Belhanda rumours spark Benteke fears

Back on the 4th of June, this column was sceptical of reports linking Villa to Younès Belhanda.

Our wariness of the story seemed to be born out by subsequent apparent denials of Villa's interest in the press. However, the initial story linking us with the player came from the Montpellier club, so couldn't be dismissed out of hand.

It now seems that the story won't go away and with Belhanda's people making it known that the 23 year old Moroccan international would favour a move to England, Villa look to be in the frame.

Paying out the £13 million required to capture the playmaker would seem to fly in the face of recent transfer policy, although that policy could change if a significant amount of transfer money flowed in rather than out. The only player likely to attract that sort of money currently is one Christian Benteke.

It is known that Villa were keen to offer the Belgian forward better terms after his outstanding debut season but no firm known news of a new contract agreement has been been forthcoming.

Should Villa decide to cash in early on the striker, they are unlikely to wish for the news to get out until season ticket sales have been maximised, so it may be a few weeks yet before the situation becomes clear to supporters.

Ireland to potter off to Stoke? Who needs Barry?

One of the more daft of the latest batch of rumours is that two former Villa players who abandoned the club and regular first team action to cash in at Manchester City may be returning.

Yes, stories abound that either James Milner or Gareth Barry could be set for cut price returns to Villa Park.

While we at villamad.co.uk would welcome a bit of much needed experience to the rebuilt squad, it seems impossible to us that either player would return, given Lambert's youthful vigor preferences, Randy's vice-like grip on the wage structure and  the
bitterness from some elements of our support regarding the pair's departures.

Barry's exit in particular was rather fraught from the fans' perspective as it played out over well over a full season and led to a few incidents where he was actually booed whilst still wearing a Villa shirt.

With Milner keen on more first team starts to secure his place in the World Cup squad (if we actually qualify) a loan deal wouldn't be out of the question, but Lambert's signing of Bacuna makes it unlikely that that loan deal will be with us.

Meanwhile, our chances of offloading Stephen Ireland to Mark Hughes and Stoke City may well be hampered by the player's wage demands. The word from the Potteries is that Mark Hughes is being asked to follow the Lambert template and bring in younger players on lower wages, so it remains to be seen whether this makes his bid for Ireland a non-starter or not.

Villa may have to waive any potential fee (as they have done with Holman) and pay a chunk of Ireland's remaining contracted year to make the deal work for Stoke.

Time to say Dubai-Bye to Brett Holman?

Dubai soccer team Al-Nasr are tweeting that they are on the brink of signing Villa Socceroo Brett Holman.

Holman has indicated that he wants to be assured of first team football and his future chances at Villa look limited in the light of the recent spate of signings, with both Tonev and Bacuna likely to be standing in his way.

Al-Nasr report that Holman is to head to Dubai for a medical, so it looks as though we may have seen the last of player who was signed by Alex McLeish but didn't arrive until the dour Scot had left Villa Park.

هذا و سيصل اللاعب الاسترالي بريت هولمان الى الدولة خلال الساعات القادمة لإجراء الفحص الطبي

— AL Nasr Club (@ALNasrSC) June 20, 2013

Are we signing a complete Praet?

Is the Lambert policy of only signing players that are likely to get ID'd in pubs continuing?

The latest baby-faced assassin to be linked with Aston Villa - albeit in unsubstantiated tweets and Facebook postings - is Belgian wunderkid Dennis Praet.

Young Dennis, who only turned 19 years of age last week, is another attacking midfielder, who despite his youth has started to make an impact in the Juliper Pro League and even clocked up a few appearances in the Champions League.

Even though these are very early days for the young starlet, it is thought that he could already command a £4 million transfer fee and rumours are that he has already rebuffed offers from other Premier League clubs, preferring to challenge for a first team place at Anderlecht than play in the Barclays Premier Under 21 League.

However, Lambert's reputation for giving youth a chance and his mission to cream off the best of Europe's emerging talent while other coaches are still slapping on the sun-cream and eating Mr Whippy's with a flake in may attract the highly rated teenager.

Meanwhile Danish media are reporting that the Helenius deal is all but done with the player's medical due to take place today.

Read more about Praet here:

http://outsideoftheboot.com/2013/05/12/dennis-praet-scout-report/

New Moon on Monday?

The significant portion of the Aston Villa faithful who don't think Joe Bennett is the best thing since sliced bread might be interested to know that a new left back could be in Paul Lambert's sights... and it's not the long rumoured Aaron Cresswell from Ipswich Town.

No, according to Spanish media outlets, the latest upgrade to Lambert's back line will be one Antonio Manuel Luna Rodríguez, better known as Antonio Luna, or as we at villamad.co.uk intend to call him, Tony Moon.

The player is thought to be surplus to requirements at Sevilla and has had loan spells at Almería and Real Mallorca. Sevilla are thought to be looking at a fee of around £1.7million for the 22 year old who doubles as a left sided midfielder.

Whether a player who struggled to establish himself in La Liga is the answer to our defensive prayers is a big question, but yet another overseas acquisition would be further evidence that young British players are being priced out of the market by greedy lower league chairmen.

Links to Spanish stories here:

http://www.eldesmarque.com/sevilla/53829-luna-se-marcha-al-aston-villa-por-dos-millones-de-euros

http://www.vavel.com/es/futbol/sevillafc/243998-antonio-luna-nuevo-jugador-del-aston-villa.html

http://www.muchodeporte.com/?secc=3&id=16244

http://elcorreoweb.es/2013/06/16/antonio-luna-pone-rumbo-al-aston-villa/

Bacuna - "Another James Milner"?

All action utility man Leandro Bacuna became the subject of frenzied social media speculation last night and there appears to be some credence to the rumours.

While Villa like to keep transfer dealings on the hush-hush until they are completed, the European teams they are seeking to do business with leak information like sieves hence the rash of seemingly credible rumours.

Bacuna, a 21 year old crowd pleaser with well over a 100 senior appearances for FC Groningen to his credit, is an Under 21 international who is yet to make his mark for the senior national team.

His energy and willingness to track back and put a foot in may well prove as attractive to Lambert as his pace and skill going forward as he attempts to build a team that can defend as well as attack.

"Could be another James Milner" is a phrase we've heard used in connection with the player, so no doubt we'll make a profit on any deal when we flog him on to Man City.

Meanwhile deals for Jores Okore and Danish beanpole Nicklaus Helenius are looking more and more like they will come to fruition.

The other big whisper - that Newcastle could solve their Wonga/Papiss Cisse conflict by swapping him for Darren Bent - is thought to be a non-starter. Several clubs are tracking the Bent situation with Villa likely to compromise on his fee to get him off the wage bill.

Okore v Chelsea from Morten Kaltoft on Vimeo.

Villa in for Great Dane?

Danish media reports suggest that Villa are in negotiations for Danish striker Nicklas Helenius.

The 21 year old currently plays for Danish Superliga club Aalborg BK. He made his debut on 16 May 2010 against HB Køge.

Following the 2012-13 season, he was selected as player of the season in the Danish Superliga on the UEFA website.

The story broke here: http://www.tvsyd.dk/artikel/202794:AaB-forhandler-med-Aston-Villa-om-Helenius-salg  and is carried on Aalborg's official site here: http://fodbold.aabsport.dk/nyheder/2013/06/aab-i-forhandlinger-med-aston-villa.aspx

Murphy hoax sets the rumour mill running...

Villa fans on Twitter got into a lather on Monday lunchtime when an opportunist hoax made it seem as though Crewe were about to announce the sale of Luke Murphy to the Midlands club.

Emerging from Crewe's revered youth set up, Murphy quickly established himself as a first team regular and has a wealth of experience at lower league level. Were Lambert to believe the player has enough about him to make the leap from League One football to the Premier League, he would seem to be a credible target and Crewe are resigned to losing the player, who has already had a taste of silverware leading his team to victory in the Johnstones Paint Trophy.

A tweet from Crewe Alexandra's official Twitter feed started the speculation:

Transfer news coming soon on crewealex.net. #crewealex
— Official Crewe Alex (@crewealexfc) June 10, 2013

Soon, the social media site was awash with mischievous and speculative tweets concerning the 23 year old midfielder:

Welcome Luke Murphy #itk #avfc
— murph_avfc (@murph_avfc) June 10, 2013

The speculation and mickey-taking was swiftly trampled on by Crewe's actual transfer news, the signing of Vadaine Oliver from Lincoln City

crewealex.net/news/article/a… Crewe Alexandra are delighted to confirm Vadaine Oliver has joined the club on a two year deal. #crewealex
— Official Crewe Alex (@crewealexfc) June 10, 2013

However, Murphy remains on The Gossip Column's radar.

Is this a Dagger I see before me?

With Paul Lambert likely to seek fresh blood to shore up his leaky defence, could Dagenham & Redbridge player of the season Luke Wilkinson be on his radar?

A Somerset lad who suffered an early rejection at Bristol City, he was picked up by Portsmouth, before financial woes at the club led to him moving to The Daggers. After a couple of seasons honing his skills on loan in the Conference South, the 21 year old  became a regular starter in the League Two club's back line, winning plaudits despite the outfit struggling in the wrong half of the table

The defender made 46 appearances in all competitions last term, netting six times and was named the club's player of the season after establishing himself in the first team.

Norwich City are also said to be keeping tabs.

The Price is Not Right for Jores Okore

Jores Okore's dreams of Premier League football may have turned to nightmares as F.C. Nordsjælland slapped a £5million price tag on his head.

Paul Lambert's Villa had been reported to have made a £ 3million bid for the rookie centre half who has earned a handful of caps for Denmark.

However the Premier League would be a big step up for the 20 year old who would have to show better form than older players who have Premier League experience to force his way into the starting eleven, although he does have Champions League starts under his belt.

It remains to be seen whether Villa will come back with a counter offer,  but Nordsjælland's valuation seems way too high based on what we currently know of the player.

Meanwhile, while this website never claims to be "ITK", we are hearing credible murmurs that the club are working towards having at least one, if not two signings done and dusted in time for the kit launch event.

Tonev with Petrov #avfc #utv pic.twitter.com/M2GVMAJZ7w

— Maca (@macagalvin) June 7, 2013

Defoe? Oh No!

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Jermain Defoe (actual size)

The latest bunch of media reports are suggesting some kind of player plus cash deal involving Christian Benteke shuffling off to Spurs while pint sized bench-warming has-been Jermain Defoe heads the other way up the M1 (or the M40 if he fancies a pint in Wetherspoons on route).

Rapidly approaching the age of 31 and looking a bit injury prone of late, it's looking like the England international's best years are behind him and given that any move now is likely to be his last big pay day, it's hard to see how his arrival would suit either Lambert's youth emphasis or Randy's wage structure, given the salary and length of contract he's likely to demand.

Quite why the Beast of B6 would think it was a great idea to go off to Spurs - who cannot offer Champions League football - is a bit of a puzzler. If Arsenal really were his childhood favoutites then a move to their deadliest rivals would also seem less attractive.

Belhanda link perplexing

As Paul Lambert scours Britain and Europe looking for bargain bin talent, it was a major surprise to see a seemingly credible story linking Aston Villa with Montpelier ace Younès Belhanda.

According to quotes attributed to Montpelier president Louis Nicollin, five clubs have made offers for the talented midfield star, with AC Milan, Inter Milan, Galatasary and Athletico Madrid all in the running.

As exciting as the prospect sounds, the £13 million price tag and no doubt the accompanying high salary demands make any move to the Villa seem unlikely.

Both Spurs and Arsenal have been linked to the 23 year old Moroccan international in recent months.

If Villa have made such a move, it may indicate that Randy is prepared to loosen the purse strings with the new TV money on the horizon.

We'll believe it when we see it.

Is Popov top of Lambert's shopping list?

Rumours abound in the Russian media that Aston Villa are interested in snapping up another Bulgarian international.

Miss Popov out of Rentaghost

Paul Lambert’s side may sign Kuban Krasnodar striker Ivelin Popov, if the stories are true.

If the name Popov sounds familiar, it may be because he scored against us playing for Litex Lovech a few years back.

Now plying his trade in the Russian Premier League, the 25 year old is one year into a three year deal and may cost as much as £ 3.5m if we were to swoop.

The player may be keen on a move to England, a proposed move to Blackburn Rovers in 2010 only fell through due to work permit issues. With 40 international caps to his credit, a permit shouldn't be an issue this time around.

Finalising any move may be dependent on offloading big earners such as Bent and Ireland from the squad.

He's not a meerkat, he's a winger

Aleksandar Tonev could soon join Celtic though rumours abound that Villa might nip in to gazump the deal.

Alexander Orlov 

The 23-year old Bulgarian winger has been linked with the Scottish champions for months now and it had been expected that he would sign from Polish club Lech Poznan for £2million. However, some reports (no idea how accurate) would indicate that Paul Lambert has swooped to take the player to the Premier League.


Lazio, Fiorentina and Malaga have also been linked with Tonev though he had indicated that Celtic would offer a route to Champions League football, something Villa have no current prospect of offering.

However, the lure of the Premier League, the chance to play at grounds of stature such as the Emirates, the Etihad and Selhurst Park may persuade the wide man that Champions League isn't the be all and end all.

Raid on East Anglia?

With monotonal sour puss Mick McCarthy making noises that he expects Premier League clubs to come in for Ipswich Town left back Aaron Cresswell, it's no massive surprise to see Aston Villa linked with the player. Rumours abounded last summer that we were in for 23 year old, who initially emerged as a talent at Tranmere Rovers.

Few people doubt that Villa need strengthening at the back, but any move for the Scouse defender would surely only further dent the shaken confidence of Joe Bennett, a man who has seemingly been driven off Twitter by unthinking trolls.

We'll watch this one with interest.

Meanwhile, we're unsure whether to believe rumours of Elliott Bennett coming to Villa Park. We know that Paul Lambert likes him, he snapped him from Brighton & Hove Albion just two years ago and he played 30 out of 38 Premier League games for Norwich under our plucky boss.  He only got 20 starts under Chris Hughton, though he did have a spell out injured.

The Telford born 24 year old started his career at Wolves. Any move for the player may depend on who goes out, but there could be room for him if Stephen Ireland leaves and the rumours of Charles N'Zogbia and Monaco are true.

Return of the Prodigal?

Given Paul Lambert penchant for lower league youngsters with promise, it's no massive surprise to see Villa linked with a move for Brentford's out of contract starlet, Harry Forrester.

Villa actually stumped up a quarter of a million to sign Harry from Watford - back in the days when he was probably still reaching for the Clearasil - in a deal that could have been worth as much as £1million had he made the grade.

However, Villa chose to release the player two years ago. Having had a successful trial at Ajax, Forrester plumped to return to England and Brentford -  in a deal which raised a few eyebrows.

He is now an established member of the Brentford first team, earning plaudits as the team made the play offs and narrowly missed out on promotion.

Whether the wide man would fit into Lambert's style of play is open to question, but this situation is one to keep an eye on.

Charlie Austin? Could be bostin...

Reports from Lancashire suggest that Paul Lambert may be targeting Burnley striker Charlie Austin.

With Darren Bent looking increasingly likely to be on the move, an offer for the Clarets’ top scorer and player of the year looks to be a possibility ahead of the final year of his contract.

Lambert is understood to have watched the 23-year-old while he was in charge of Norwich City and believes an offer of £4 million could be enough to tempt the Turf Moor board to sell.

Austin's signature will be hotly contested with Celtic, Newcastle and newly promoted Hull City all weighing up bids for the ex-Swindon Town goal machine.

Di Canio's Sunderland have also expressed an interest in Austin, who ended the 2012/13 campaign with 28 goals.

Burnley have yet to receive an official approach for their star striker, who has just one year remaining on his contract.

Could Gayle breeze into Villa Park?

Rumours abound that Peterborough United's baby faced assassin Dwight Gayle could be the latest striker in Paul Lambert's crosshairs.

The Walthamstow born front man is garnering a reputation for a being a pacy force in attack and would fit the Villa boss's penchant for young hungry lower league starlets.

Competition for the £4 million rated 22 year old could come from QPR as they look to remodel their squad following relegation.

Any move for the player though could well be dependent on players leaving Villa Park. Darren Bent has indicated that he would want to leave if there's no chance of regular first team action while Nathan Delfouneso has spent the season on loan up at Blackpool.

Meanwhile rumours abound that find of the season Christian Benteke is being tracked by Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund.

James Chester?

The Daily Telegraph carries a story today linking Villa with Hull City's highly rated defender James Chester.

Hull City manager Steve Bruce determined to keep James Chester out of Aston Villa's clutches

Villa were reported to have scouted Chester (along with a myriad of other players) in the January window. However, the player is thought to only have a year on his contract and may be up for grabs if he can't be persuaded to sign an extension.

Standing at just 5' 10", he's hardly what you'd call statuesque, but has clocked up over 100 appearances in Hull's often miserly defence.

One to keep an eye on.

Carew getting back Inter the game?

He's bigger than me and you...

Inter Milan have been linked Norway striker and former Villa hero John Carew, according to the news as reported by Il Corriere dello Sport.

After losing Diego Milito who will be absent until the season ends, Inter Milan are in the market for a new target man.

Now the transfer window is closed, the Italian giants can only bring in free agents. Big John has been  spending time in the USA of late where he has dabbled with the acting profession

Carew, 33, is without a club since being released after a disappointing spell at West Ham United but remains a folk hero with Holte Enders.

Surprise Surprise! It's Sylla for the Villa!

It looks like Villa are on the brink of of a signing a player!

Yacouba Sylla, a 22 year old defensive midfielder looks almost certain to join the club before the window closes. He'll be joining from the French Ligue Deux club Clarmont Foot and no we'd never heard of him or them either.

Fulham and Queens Park Rangers had also been trailing the French Under 21 international, who has been a regular in the Clarmont Foot first team of late.

It would seem that this signing is another Paul Lambert gamble, but after Barry Bannan's woeful showing against Newcastle, Stephen Hawking would have been an improvement.

The deal should be completed tomorrow.

Has Bent to Stoke got legs?

Rumours are growing that Stoke City may come in to swoop Darren Bent up before the transfer window closes.

Awash with Bet365 cash, it's likely that The Potters would be able to stump up the funds to take the goal machine up the M6, though they are unlikely to pay the sort of money Gerard Houllier invested in the player just two years ago. Rumours of a swap deal featuring Kenwyne Jones would seem to be at odds with Lambert's build for the future policy.

Bent has struggled to get into the Villa starting eleven this season and has even been omitted from the bench on several occasions. Though he made a rare Premier League start in last night's match with Newcastle, his lacklustre performance led to his half time substitution and his Villa Park days look numbered.

The deal could hinge on the success of QPR's move for ex-Villa striker Peter Crouch, with Harry Redknapp last night candidly admitting that he'd love to be reunited with lanky forward.