The Daily Mail have apparently suggested that Ashley Young might return to the Villa and I have to say it just made me laugh.
First off, I believe Young is on around £120,000 a week. Would he really be willing to take a pay cut of around £100,000 a week to come to us? It’s just a crazy notion.
Then, there’s the transfer fee, where apparently United would be willing to take less than the £17 million they paid us for him.
How about £12 million less? No, I don’t think so and that’s even if we could afford £5 million.
Which we can’t, if the all-in spend of £10 mill including wages is true.
So maybe we’re talking about a loan?
I doubt it myself, as I just don’t think Young is Lambert’s kind of player.
I rated Young highly at the Villa and he gave us some really good moments. Who could forget that goal at Goodison, for instance? But I often criticised him for his diving. Indeed, didn’t he even dive in a game against us? I forget exactly, but I’m pretty sure he did.
I’m not sure how you’d feel about him returning, but my feeling is it’d be doomed to fail.
And even if you dislike the player, it’d at least be a sign of us showing some ambition.
So in short, it just isn’t going to happen is it?
In other news, Roy Keane has categorically said he isn’t going to be Villa’s next manager, when he was specifically asked in an interview.
The mind boggles. While I don’t think for one minute he will be (and definitely hope not, as he’s been useless up to now imo), what was he supposed to say?
“Yeah, I’m here to pinch Lambert’s job”?
So, both non-stories then.
