Aston Villa FC have their First Signing for the summer!! Aleksandar Tonev

First of many!!

The story about Aleksandar Tonev moving to Aston Villa have been doing the rounds for a couple of weeks and now the move is official. Tonev, like Lambert's previous signings at the club, is someone who was an unknown to most of the supporters till a few weeks before the signing.

He has made the move from Lech Poznan (Polish league) for a fee of around 2.5 million pounds (according to various newspapers) and is described as a winger in his wiki page. Having seen few of his youtube videos, he appears to be at home playing in the hole as well.
Stan had few good things to say about him on the official page :

"He doesn't have a dominant foot which is really interesting and the main thing about him. He is quick, he is an exciting player and I think VIlla fans will see he is a good player. He is the kind of player who can really make an impact in this young, exciting team. We spoke last night and he is really looking forward to it. He knows that it will be a challenge but he is ready for it"

First signings always bring a nice buzz along with them. Now we can wait for the next.

By the way, is it the new Villa kit he is wearing in the pic above!!!

Up The Villa!!!

Baker awarded with a 3 year deal

Three more years at Villa!!

So, there is confirmation from the club that the 22 year, Aston Villa academy graduate, Nathan Baker has extended his stay at the club for 3 more years, till the summer of 2016.

Clouded by the early progress of Ciaran Clark, while in the Academy, Baker has taken advantage of the time he got on the pitch this season. He has made 26 appearances in the league for Aston Villa. Among these there were occasion when he played out of his normal position as a left back. Towards the end of the season he kept his place as a center back replacing Clark mainly due to the later being injured.

Clark is considered a cultured defender who reads the game and who is good on the  ball. Baker on the other hand is considered to be more of a conventional center back who likes to put in a last ditch tackle or a brave block and who likes to clear the ball without showing off his dribbling talents. There were more than one occasion where these traits gifted him with bruised heads or a limping leg. However, despite being on the receiving end of such pain Baker appears to always come right back and fight his usual way.

We as Aston Villa fans always seem to expect a lot from our youngsters and most of the time they disappoint. Baker seems to be an exception to this rule. This may be also attributed to the fact that fans are far more excited by a striker or a playmaker than they are by a defender and for this reason there was less pressure on him to develop beyond his means. He was one of the most under-rated academy graduates we had at the club for the past couple of years and this season he has turned out to be one of the best talents that has developed through the ranks at Villa.

Baker has subjected himself into some mistakes too on the pitch including a very funny own goal against Reading at home. This is however understandable as he is still young and this was his maiden 'proper run' in the first tier of English Football.

We can hope of seeing better performances from this lad in the future. UTV!!!

Benteke to cost nearly as much as Falcao !!

Will there be any more bids ??

Yesterday there were reports all over the internet stating that Villa have put 40 million price tag on Benteke.

This is a statement from Villa that they are serious about this boy; they want to keep him. This is the best thing the club could have done at the moment. It is a statement to the other clubs that we know our business. For example Athletico Madrid were trying to be smart by selling Falcao for 50 million and replacing him with Benteke for 15 million. Did they think Villa are so clueless!! Really!!

Clubs will be reluctant to give the asking price as there are numerous examples of players who have done well in their inaugural year in the league but faded in the subsequent seasons (Caroll anyone!!). 

If Villa are to make any progress in the league then they cannot keep loosing their best performers every summer. Benteke should lead the striking force for Villa for at least one more season. 

So what if tekkers throws his pram and his head is turned? Should we go down the path taken by Mancity on 'Tevez situation'? Doing that will not be a bad thing as it would be a warning for the rest of the squad and will show them who the boss is.

Seeing the increment in the market value of the players Lambert has bought would have given Lerner the confidence to back him in the transfer market. It might also lead Lerner to believe that meddling with Lambert's decisions is not worth it. 

Younes Belhanda !! Realistic??

After a long wait of more than than 2 weeks after securing their premier league status for the next season Aston Villa has got something to look forward to - The implications of the recent comments from the Montepillier President Louis Nicollin.

According to him Aston Villa is one of the clubs that has met their evaluation of 14-15 million Euros, for one of their players, Younes Belhanda. The important question is however is this signing realistic?

Aston Villa under Paul Lambert is an unpredictable entity. They can do things that no one expects them to do.We have seen it time and again with the team selection, the substitutions and last but not the least the transfers. In this particular scenario however there are more teams involved who have also met the transfer fee required to sign the player. So the answer for the question, weather Younes Belhanda will be a Villan come the start of the next season lies entirely in the hands of one man - Younes Belhanda.

Villan ?

Even though there have been many rumors doing the rounds regarding the different players Villa will be signing in the close season, Belhanda has created the buzz that no other could, among the Villa fans. Till now villa have been looking at players who are ready to give their all to the club even if they are nothing special in terms of footballing talent and brains. This lad however has got that cheekiness about him, he belongs to the intelligent and talented footballer mold. He can take on a defender, read the game and runs of his teammates and most importantly for Villa, score goals from the midfield.

It is actually quite simple.If he wants Champions League footy then Villa is out of the equation. If however he goes by his last week quote stating that he would like to ply his trade in England or Germany, then Villa have got a very good chance of obtaining the service of this player. Having scouted this player and put in a bid for him I cannot imagine that the villa hierarchy will be showing any misery in the wages they will be paying for Belhanda. For they should know what a talent like this will expect in rewards for the services he will provide.

Ever since Villa maintained their Premier League status there has been a feel good factor around the club that the young team that survived the relegation battle is hardened enough to move forward without any fear towards a top half finish in the coming season. Signings in Younes Belhanda ilk can only strengthen these feelings and take the club beyond the realms of the fan's imagination of a mid table finish.

So finally is he going to sign for Aston Villa FC? My heart says ... Yes!!