West Midlands football latest: Villa and Wolves objectives and latest on transfer front for all four clubs
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00:00Charlie, let's start with Aston Villa and their transfer, merry-go-round. Obviously,
00:06we spoke about the PSR issues before the end of June, and we're now in July. What's the
00:13latest you can tell us, and is there any sort of developing rumours and updates that you
00:18can issue?
00:19It's funny you use the word merry-go-round, because it's exactly what I've been talking
00:23about all week, is how it's been such a merry-go-round for Villa. But it's pretty much complete now,
00:28that whole PSR problem that was going on for so many weeks. Villa now clear of any kind
00:33of worry of sanctions from the Premier League. There was one point when if Villa didn't make
00:37any sales, then they could have maybe received a points deduction or some sort of embargo
00:41or not able to carry on in the transfer window, as they would have hoped. But now that Douglas
00:45Luiz has completed his move to Juventus, those worries are out the window. And Omari Kellyman
00:50as well, going to Chelsea for £19m, a massive help. Tim O'Rourke and them going to Everton
00:55for about £10m, another help once again. There are swap deals in there though, with
01:00all three of those clubs. With Juventus, Luiz went there for £42m. In return, Villa have
01:06bought Enzo Berenicea and Samuel Illing-Jr for about £21m combined. All separate transactions,
01:14though it's pretty much a swap deal. With Chelsea, of course, they've signed Ian Mattson
01:19for £37.5m. A bigger deal than what they've sold, but it works out pretty well for Villa
01:25I think in the long term. Getting a new left-back in who was in a Champions League final, in
01:29the Champions League team of the season and selling a youngster who's pretty unproven
01:33at this stage, I think that's pretty good business. And then from Everton, Lewis Dobbin
01:36was signed, a young striker who can add a bit of depth. So all of that's now out the
01:41way. I think Villa fans can stop worrying about, is it going to be announced? Is it
01:44actually done? It is for all of those deals. So a relief for me as well.
01:50And of course, an incredible finish in the Premier League last season that secured European
01:55football again, obviously this time in the form of the best club competition on the earth
01:59with the Champions League. Let's look ahead to where they're obviously going to go into
02:06this season and aim for surely another go at that Champions League. But they might have
02:11to sort of understand that with those Champions League games could sort of sacrifice a bit
02:15of a lead position. Where do you think they are going to be aiming towards finishing at
02:20the back end of next season?
02:22I think the aim is going to be to continue in that run in the Champions League. Whether
02:26or not that's going to happen or not, I think is a different story because last year there
02:30were two fewer games in the group stage of the Europa Conference League and it was the
02:34third best European competition. They're now going into the most elite one and everyone
02:38knows all the clubs that you can face in the Champions League, the likes of Barcelona and
02:43Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, Juventus, the best teams in Europe. Unai Emery is not going
02:48to be able to rotate as much as he did last year in the Conference League. So I think
02:52they will run into some struggles with that fixture scheduling, how busy it's going to
02:56be, the oppositions they're facing. But they are building a squad that's going to be capable
03:01for that. So I think, yeah, top four is their aim, top six maybe more realistic. But everyone
03:07was so surprised by how they did last year. I'm sure they're just going to kick on again.
03:10They're doing so, so well under Unai Emery.
03:12Then on to Wolves, looking at their sort of transfer situation, it looks like a few new
03:20names are on the way in. It's positive for them and O'Neill might finally have his striker
03:25lined up.
03:26I know. Finally, Gary O'Neill, he's going to be so relieved, isn't he, that Jorgen Strand-Larsen
03:31is about to arrive from Celta Vigo. £25 million fee, some instalments in there as well. A
03:38medical has been completed, according to a variety of sources across Europe, which is
03:42good to hear. 17 goals and seven assists and 69 La Liga appearances. It's not like he's
03:48massively clinical and getting a goal a game, but he's a proven goal scorer in one of Europe's
03:53top leagues. He's a Norway international. He's only 24, I believe, as well, so he's
03:56not yet in his prime. And for £25 million, I think that seems like good business. He's
04:01tall as well, so it's going to offer Wolves a bit more of an outlet up top last season.
04:05Mateus Kounia, obviously fantastic. Hwang Hee-chan, fantastic. But they're not those
04:09target man figures. They're not going to back into defenders and give that outlet. Strand-Larsen
04:14is probably going to do that. So, that's a fantastic bit of business that's soon to
04:17be completed. And then Pedro Lima, as well, from the Brazilian league, a right back who
04:23was wanted to be signed by Chelsea, but Wolves have completed that hijack. He's already signed
04:27his contract. It just hasn't been announced yet at the time of recording. About £8 million,
04:31but that's going to be stretched across a number of windows. So, Wolves able to comply
04:35with PSR while also getting business done for the years to come.
04:39Yeah, obviously, you mentioned it there. It's so positive compared to previous windows.
04:44Even Gary O'Neill, though the likes of the last few managers have mentioned such a small
04:50squad and not able to spend, get as many players as they'd like in. This looks like a bit of
04:57a change of tides this season, maybe. It looks a lot more positive. Of course, Wolves starting
05:02their business very early as well.
05:03Yeah, I think that's a big positive, actually, is the fact that they're getting this done
05:07before pre-season's properly got underway. New striker, Strand-Larsen, can bed in the
05:12youngsters that are coming in as well. I think a lot of fans will be excited by Rodrigo Gomez
05:16and what he can offer. Of course, it has to be mentioned that a big player is going to
05:20leave this summer in order to afford the likes of Strand-Larsen, Rodrigo Gomez, Tommy Doyle.
05:25£5 million is a snip, really, on a permanent deal from Manchester City. I think fans will
05:29be excited about that as well. But the funds have got to come from somewhere. We've known
05:33that Wolves haven't had them just there to be waiting to be spent. They will need to
05:37sell. You might lose a Pedro Neto, for example, and that's going to hit them. But having that
05:42number nine, I think, is more important, building the squad a bit of depth. I think Gary O'Neill
05:46will be hoping to get into the top half next season, as ambitious as that is.
05:50Charlie, on to Birmingham City. Obviously, a massive, massive summer to not only get
05:56a few names into the side, but also to prepare for this Ligue 1 rebuild that could and they
06:03hope is going to happen. What's the latest you can tell us on the transfer front? Let's
06:07start with a bit of transfer news.
06:10It's been a promising start to the window, actually, now that Chris Davies has properly
06:14settled in. Pre-season has started at the beginning of July and they're getting some
06:17new faces in already, which is good to see. The goalkeeping department was a massive area
06:22of concern because John Ruddy has joined Newcastle United upon the expiry of his contract. Neil
06:27Leatheridge was always going to leave. He was a high earner. He left Birmingham with
06:30no senior goalkeeper, but they have signed two already. They've got that out the way.
06:34Ryan Allsopp from Hull City and then Bailey Peacock-Farrell from Burnley. Peacock-Farrell
06:39being a Northern Ireland international may be just squeezing in ahead of Allsopp, but
06:43I think there'll be an interesting debate as to which one's going to start. But having
06:47two top quality keepers in Ligue 1, I think is going to be a good basis for Blues at the
06:51back. There's also another signing to be made on the back line. This time, a centre-back.
06:56Mike Urge-Hybsen, I believe it's pronounced, playing in the Dutch League for Sparta Rotterdam.
07:02About two million pounds he's going to cost. A very tall centre-back who can play out from
07:06the back pretty effectively. He's played fairly consistently in the Dutch top division. Two
07:12million pounds for a centre-back in Ligue 1 is pretty unheard of, but it just shows
07:16the kind of ambition that Birmingham have got as they're trying to build that solid
07:19basis, as I mentioned. Dion Sanderson, very committed to the club and hoping to get Birmingham
07:24back up to the championship. There's no worries about him going anywhere, so what a defensive
07:28partnership that could be. And then Alfie May, a very proven goalscorer at Charlton
07:33Athletic. I'm not sure exactly on the fee, but below a million pounds is what we're hearing.
07:3823 goals last season in Ligue 1 for Charlton. Huddersfield Town looked as if they were going
07:43to sign him, but Birmingham have swooped in. So not only being ambitious, but also proactive
07:47in the market to make sure that they're ensuring they're getting these top players, not just
07:51backups.
07:52You covered a lot of Birmingham City last season. The turmoil with the managers, all
07:59these different tactics and different names every week as well, whether that be the players
08:03and then that manager merry-go-round, as we say, that went on. What do you feel like the
08:10main area that needs to change in terms of Blues and what can Chris Davies address straight
08:17away to get those problems straight out there, straight resolved, and they can go and hopefully
08:22have a positive season?
08:23I think it's just that continuity and consistency with tactics. It was just chaotic last season.
08:29For me as a journalist, just covering so many different managers and speaking to so many
08:33different managers was difficult. But imagine being a player in that situation when you've
08:37got all the pressure of potential relegation and then obviously going down on the final
08:41day despite a win. It's just emotional turmoil for so many of them, especially the younger
08:45players who are breaking through and unsure about what's going to happen. But now they've
08:50got a fantastic manager who's ambitious, who's committed. He's never had a managerial
08:54role before, so it's not like he's going to jump ship. I think Birmingham are going to
08:58be trusting in him and giving him some patience. Of course, playing against easier oppositions
09:02is going to help as well. Having the strongest squad in the division is going to help. Just
09:07getting that positivity back around the place and building on from the investment that the
09:10new owners have brought in. It should be a positive season and they've made a good start
09:15to the transfer business as well.
09:17Charlie, finally on to West Bromwich Abbey. Now, obviously, we've mentioned a few contract
09:22situations that were going on and how important it was to secure those. Is there any progress
09:28with some of their key players from last season? What can you tell us on the transfer front
09:33so far in this window for Carlos Corbijn's side?
09:36Yes, so new contracts have been signed by key players, as you mentioned. Karl Bartley
09:42being one of those. He's a centre-back who's spent six years at the Hawthorne so far, well
09:47into his 30s now, but still very capable as we saw at the end of last season. He's carrying
09:52on for another year and potentially another 12 months after that if he reaches enough
09:56appearances in an Albion shirt. Still waiting on fellow centre-back Cedric Kiprae and what's
10:01going to happen with him. There's a lot of interest, especially from Turkey, potentially
10:05at the bottom of the Premier League as well for him. Probably West Brom's best player
10:10last season, so that's understandable. But a decent contract offer is on the table, it's
10:14just waiting if he's going to be signing that one or not. Alex Moat, the central midfielder
10:18who Corbijn used in that number eight position last season, ahead of Jason Molumbi and then
10:23Molumbi got injured, which helped Moat solidify that even more. Interest for him at the top
10:27of the Championship and bottom of the Premier League as well, but he has decided to stay
10:31at the Hawthorne for at least another two years. So two massive bonuses there, I think,
10:35to keep the current crop in. I think the Kiprae one, though, is a very nervous weight.
10:39And where are Albion looking to get their players from? Obviously, you mentioned there
10:45that clubs at the bottom of the Premier League and top of the Championships are going to
10:49be looking at, sometimes due to the fees and money they can spend, clubs around that mid-table
10:55in the Championships. So where does Albion look? Because there's a lot of difference
11:00between signing a Championship player or a Premier League player who might have got relegated,
11:05how important is it that you get these players that can offer that experience and the talent as well?
11:12Well, I think it's going to have to look abroad and be a bit more outside the box.
11:15They've already signed a Malian central midfielder on a free transfer and then it looks in Scandinavia
11:20as well, set to sign a young centre-back from there who's got the height he can pass out from
11:24the back. So that's some shrewd business from them. It's just trying to continue that run,
11:28make the most of that free agents market. Now that contracts have officially expired,
11:33there are going to be so many players available that people might not have heard of but have the
11:36potential to come through and do well for West Brom. Okozlu was a really good example of that
11:42a few years ago. He's now such a key player and could be sold for about £10 million if the rumours
11:47are to be believed in Turkey. So it's just trying to find those gems again in the market that are
11:52hidden and continuing on from there. Because West Brom don't have the money to spend, they're going
11:56to have to be clever.
11:57Yeah, and finally on them and their pre-season plans, what's it looking like? Because we've
12:02discussed how important it is that Coburn side sort of continue their consistency that they had
12:08at times of the season and hopefully find themselves ending up near the play-off places.
12:13They've got quite a few games coming up in pre-season. They've already reported back to
12:17full training. West Brom against Bolton is the first one and then again against Peterborough
12:23a week later. They're the 13th and the 20th of July. Then against Blackpool as well. Mallorca,
12:28that'll be a fun one against the Spanish opposition. Cambridge United on the 2nd of
12:32August and then followed up against Birmingham City, the local rivals that of course they won't
12:36face each other in league competition following Birmingham's relegation but that's quite a fun
12:41one to kind of round off pre-season. But those two games are one day apart so it gives pretty
12:45much everyone the opportunity to get either 60, 70, 80 minutes maybe in for Coburn to figure out
12:50who exactly he wants to start on that opening day of the season.