No sooner had Karim El Ahmadi’s signing for Aston Villa been confirmed than speculation turned its fevered eye toward Yacine Brahimi. Would I be surprised? No. After all, how many times had El Ahmadi’s name been linked with the Villa before he suddenly burst into the spotlight and found himself on the roster?
From what we’ve heard about the player, El Ahmadi seems to indicate that Paul Lambert was paying attention when his Norwich side played Villa. Further, the signing seems to indicate that certain players aren’t really considered the number-one choice in what presumably is a defensive or holding midfield role. El Ahmadi isn’t known as a goalscorer, after all. But he does want to “dictate” games, and he’s not talking about penning memos, so all the right words, if nothing else.
Consequently, we can apparently forget about Nigel Reo-Coker rejoining, or James Milner, for that matter. And my hope is that for Villa’s needs, El Ahmadi will likely represent far greater value than either of those two former players would for what they’d cost. Welcome aboard, Karim. I hope it’s a wonderful move for all concerned.
Brahimi? Well, who knows. There was some tweeting going on, and then people jumping on saying it’s a loan-to-buy deal, and what can you say. If the first bit of business was any indication, it doesn’t seem we’ll have to wait long to find out. I would think that Lambert might want to see what he’s got first-hand before adding more to the midfield, but he may well have already made his mind up about certain things. And it’s good to hear El Ahmadi have nice things to say about Brett Holman, a player who never stops moving.
So far, it seems like sensible business. If it’s giving you a nose bleed, just grab some tissue and hold your head back for a moment.
Meanwhile, we desperately await news that Martin O’Neill will swoop in with a shock double bid for Dunne and Warnock and Collins. Which doesn’t mean I’ve got my math wrong. Three for the price of two would be very good business for us. Really, any deal seeing them out the door would be good business for us. I’d sponsor a whip-round to help Villa pay someone to take them, but at their wages, it seems kind of pointless.
And of course, we can’t count on Martin getting it wrong over and over again, even if he does have a predilection for bringing former players in tow regardless of their upside or suitability. But I can see why he came back for Carlos Cuellar. First off, he’s a free. Second, a known entity who doesn’t complain and plays where he’s asked.
I liked Cuellar…He had pretty fair make-up speed for a big man, and played where he was asked. Not particularly good on the ball, and certainly not what you look for in an outlet, but he was game, got stuck in, and was a faithful servant, as we like to say. Many of us couldn’t figure out why he never was able to displace one of Collins or Dunne, and I have to say I’m a bit surprised myself. He couldn’t have been any worse, could he?
But for the most part, and I know there are notable exceptions, I go with the default assumption that managers play the players they think will help them keep their jobs. If Dunne and Collins weren’t broken up, either for dressing room harmony or solid playing reasons, then I have to believe that several managers making the same choices tells us something. Carlos wasn’t really going to take us any further forward than what we already had.
But thank you nonetheless, Mr. Cuellar, and good luck to you. You played hard, put off surgery, and put the club first. In short, you’re always welcome back at Villa Park, and I would imagine a nice round of applause is in order when you do return with Martin O’Neill.
So, not much from me this week, which only goes to show I can be brief. Or that not much is happening. But the players return, I imagine the transfer speculation will only gather steam, and the US tour is fast approaching, the first game in Philadelphia only a fortnight away.
For our readers based in America, I hope you will add your impressions of Lambert’s progress with the squad. Any Villans in England traveling over? Please do the same. Apparently AVTV will be carrying all 90 minutes of each game.
In the meantime, I’ll ask you who’s our next signing, or who you think it should be? Do we need another wing option? Are Gabby’s days numbered? With Poulsen apparently off the market, what about the other full backs being bantered about?
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