CONFIMRED - Tommy Elphick

[From Despair To Where?]

Nah, I think the problem for Villa is paying stupid wages on reduced revenue and spending 8 figure transfer fees on players like McCormick and Hogan.

They spent massively in 2016 in the hope of going straight back up. Villa fans were saying it was shit or bust back then and that it would all come home to roost if they didn't make it back up before 2018-19.

[Hound]

Anyway, just on this villa thing still, sounds like a lot of the problem is that Xia chap can't get money out of China to fund the club. Which I suppose is a bit worrying in itself being as we are similarly owned. Obvs they've spent a lot more than we have mind you

Having a dual Brit cit/Chinese owner on the board alleviates a lot of barriers apparently.

fair enough - I'm pretty ignorant to how we are owned tbh, just raised a little alarm bell

[CountryRoyal]

Wouldn't sign Hogan permanently, but loan with paying a percentage of those wages would make it a possibility. Reckon Villa would be open to it

£40m for Grealish is surely the most wishful of thinking. Maddison is a better player who had a better season and looks like he will be going for half of that

This confuses me Hound. 1. Maddison is nowhere near as good as Grealish behave, but 2. Maddison going for £20m? More like £2m.

we're talking James Maddison here right. Of Norwich, who scored that free kick against us, and made the Champ team of the year despite playing for a shit team

Not the lad from Peterboro who we are rumoured to be interested in

Anyway, just on this villa thing still, sounds like a lot of the problem is that Xia chap can't get money out of China to fund the club. Which I suppose is a bit worrying in itself being as we are similarly owned. Obvs they've spent a lot more than we have mind you

Thanks for clearing that up! Knowing this I agree with you.