Transfer Deadline Day: Heroes and Villa(i)ns

The Transfer Deadline Day window has slammed shut, players have put pen to paper and ‘Sky Sources’ have told us that Jim White has undone his yellow tie.

And that’s enough of the clichés.

It had already been an unbelievably hectic summer for Aston Villa Football Club. The last couple of days have kept fans on edge, albeit that in reality nothing has eventually happened today. You can only imagine the scenes at Bodymoor Heath; I wonder whether ‘Alexa’ is still assisting with all the information the club are receiving…

"“Alexa, who does Jack Grealish play for?”“Aston Villa”“Alexa, are you sure?”“Yes, despite his fiftieth medical at Tottenham and his ‘disappointment and disillusionment'”“👍🏼”"

Supporters will be ecstatic that our star man Jack Grealish has remained in B6. Meanwhile, the club have strengthened what they have with the addition of Hibernian’s John McGinn.

With loans and loopholes still in-play until 31st August, business may yet be ongoing behind-the-scenes. For now, let’s review the chief agitators behind the heroics and villainy at Villa over the past couple of days…

Villa(i)ns 

Daniel Levy – Tottenham Chairman

The Tottenham Chairman is, rightly or wrongly, dubbed as a ‘shrewd’ player in the football transfer system. If rumours are to be believed, Levy’s pursuit of Jack Grealish may have been botched by a miscalculation of both price and timing. Many fans were left scratching their heads over Levy’s failure to secure Grealish’s services at a time when Villa were financially vulnerable. Later, the money offered for our main man must not have scratched the surface of Nassef Sawiris’ and Wes Edens’ valuation. A victory for Aston Villa and the fans. Nonetheless, he’s put our Jack through the mill…

James Nursey – Daily Mirror

Nursey, a journalist with the Daily Mirror, has never appeared to endear himself to the Villa faithful. His coverage of the Jack Grealish saga – originally declaring that the Villa star would ‘never sign another contract at the club’ – angered supporters. His article even prompted a response from Kevan Grealish, the player’s brother, who rubbished the claims. Since, the article has changed to suggest that although ‘dismayed’, the parties ‘will open talks once the window has shut’.

Joe Bryan – Bristol City/ Fulham F.C. defender

I knew very little about Joe Bryan a few days ago. I’d seen that goal  against Manchester United and had heard some good things about him. Enough to get a little excited. Reports suggested that Bryan’s medical was complete when Fulham FC swooped in and the player began the drive down to London.

As Villa Twitter went into meltdown, jokes quickly emerged about a furious Steve Bruce dashing down the motorway after him. For once, our manager may have described this as a ‘sprint not a marathon’. Nonetheless, he would still supposedly take time to restore his energy…

How dare he give the gaffer the run around! A Villan (momentarily) doing an Unsworth.

Heroes

John McGinn’s Behind and Hibernian’s Fans

Amidst the uncertainty of Grealish’s future, a new midfielder was added in the form of Hibernian’s John McGinn. His arrival was announced via a live AVTV interview. The Scotsman described how his experience of ‘sitting in the stand’ was a clinching factor for him. Romantic. However, let’s hope this does not become a common occurrence, else McGinn may just have become another member of the Bomb Squad.

That is unlikely though! The Hibernian faithful left behind have had nothing but encouraging messages regarding Villa’s new man in midfield. Praise has been intriguingly attributed to McGinn’s prized buttocks with many Hibs’ fans claiming ‘it’s the last thing defenders see’ before he drops his shoulder and leaves them behind. Evident in the above photo, Kenny Miller and Lee Wallace get a close look at the behind which hopefully Villa fans will also soon be raving about.

Particularly endearing with their support for the old player and his move to Villa, we wish the Hibs fans the best of look for this season!

Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens – Aston Villa, Co-Owners

When life gives you a Play-Off final, lose it and get two new owners who can relieve a financial catastrophe.

More from Claret Villans

• Aston Villa dismiss Everton for first win of Premier League season
• Tyrone Mings injured in Aston Villa’s season-opening 5-1 defeat
• Aston Villa draw Hibernian or FC Luzern for Europa Conference League play-off
• Aston Villa sign winger Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen
• Aston Villa close in on deal to sign Pau Torres from Villareal

After injecting some serious early investment to secure the club’s financial woes, Sawiris and Edens really exhibited a statement of intent by keeping our best players. Waking up on 27th May and increasingly as the summer progressed, it appeared that Jack Grealish, James Chester and others would no longer be on the playing staff.

However, the owners have held firm. Yes, the club have lost key squad members from last year, nonetheless the team remains strong and has been strengthened in some key areas. Additionally, there is still time for the club to utilise the loan market and further pad out a squad capable of automatic promotion. I never expected to say that today.

Following Wyness’ sacking and talk of a new regime, I called for caution towards any new owners. Sawiris and Edens still find themselves too ‘green’ to judge. Their heroic actions in the past couple of days have given themselves a good start…

One Deadline Down

A quiet day today may suggest that Villa’s business will now take place in the loan market and any sales will have an international destination. There may well be more heroes and villains to come this month. I for one, however, will be watching the former at B6 on Saturday.