[Archived] Blackburn Sign Chilean Superstar Carlos Villanueva

[thenodrog]

He can be our Eyal Berkovic, if he is given a run in the team, in his favoured position and some of the other players buck up and take some of the creativity load from him.

I'll go with that but 5m is too much. We keep seeing him played wide so I'm beginning to think that it's possible that PI would have stuck Eyal on the wing too.

I understand Villanueva has to add pace to his game

He wont be able to improve his speed. He can only improve his speed of thought.

[thenodrog]

Sorry DB, you've made some good points but this one is completely wrong. It should the first thing we consider when shelling out any money for a player, we have no choice if we want to be self-sustaining and competitive. It was fine in the days of Dalglish to ignore this somewhat because Jack Walker was there with all the cash, but we don't have that any more. Having said that, look at the age of his signings and there could be a basis of an argument suggesting that Dalglish did think about this, even at that time.

Need some proof? It's the way Arsene Wenger openly admits to operating his transfer business. From the bottom of that article:

"The problems with players who are 27, 28 is that you pay big money but you get nothing back, no resale."

That's why I'm really annoyed we paid so much for 29 year old Grella. The above statement should be nailed to Paul Ince's office door, his bathroom mirror, and anywhere else he frequents. It's absolutely vital for the future of the club as a competitive Premier League side that the re-sale value of every single signing is taken into account.

I thought that when we signed Sav, but thanks to Paul Jewell we did OK in the end. I'd really wanted us to have signed him from Leicester a few years earlier.

[DingleBaiter]

Sorry DB, you've made some good points but this one is completely wrong. ....

It's absolutely vital for the future of the club as a competitive Premier League side that the re-sale value of every single signing is taken into account.

Correct LC - you're agreeing with me

At no point did I say it should be ignored; it should always be considered but it's the priority it's given as a criteria that's the issue, and it's arguably more important to us than a club with big capital. United can fork out 30+ for Berba, City for Robinho purely because they want the player; perhaps (Rio being an example when Leeds bought him) they can pull a good resale off but it's a function how much they want the player for the present in those cases.

Hughes was excellent at taking calculated risks (Roque, Bentley, McCarthy, Bellamy) although I'm sure his criteria was based on what we could afford, and how they would add to the side, with 'residuals' being a bonus (rather than a 'dealbreaker'). In recent years we've recouped some amazing money on transfers - Jeffers and Kuqi for instance.

The whole circumstances regarding Grella looked impetuous at the time - especially given the amount of guys we were trialling - for him to just turn up? With hindsight, the injury situation only adds to this. I agree Grella's residual value possibly didn't cross Ince's mind - but give Ince credit for pulling out of the Pennant deal for the right reasons.

AFAIA, the whole acquisition of the players still works the same way as it always has under Williams, so he must have put across a compelling pitch in the Grella situation perhaps? It's not like he's just done a Supermarket Sweep with company credit card when Williams was out for the day, surely? After all, he's been slated in some quarters for failing to sign a right midfielder. However, he would have been equally slated if he'd walloped 9 mill on Joaquin and he turned into the next De Pedro.

Just think there's a bit too much of this stipulating exactly how much we should pay for a player on here at times (some will say "4 million is to much, but 3 is ok" for instance. It's often put about like we know more than the people that matter, or at the very least are in the position of power.

We'll always have duck-egg signings ultimately - every manager has them - just some like Hughes tend to have less than others. I'm pretty certain resale costs were never much a factor in Souey's moves but he still brought us two legends for nowt (wouldn't like to put a price on the value we've realised from Tugay & Freidel) but then was offset with Grabbi, for instance.

Hughes brought a new dawn, in conjunction with some excellent business by JW, in that we spent more conservatively and sold well, especially with having players other teams fancied. Perhaps Ince is more focussed on the 'here and now' just yet but I'm certain he'll still be working within similar constraints to Hughes, so it's not a biggie IMO (for now!)

Back to Carlos, it's an 'opportunity cost' argument ultimately. I think the lad needs a few goals (hopefully tonight), a sustained run in the team in his favoured position (Ince has acknowledged what we all know!) and a fit and in-form RSC back to help him settle. We've still best part of two 2 months to decide. I guess if I was Ince/JW I'd ultimately want to know if he's going to settle long-term before I committed the wedge; he's got the talent but we can't afford another Barry Ferguson once we've agreed to sign him....

[broadsword]

He wont be able to improve his speed. He can only improve his speed of thought.

You can't turn a donkey into a racehorse, but you can turn him into a faster donkey.

;-)

[tcj_jones]

I would be very tempted to sign him up for a further £3m. He has performed in fits and starts, but there is obvious potential there. Huge potential, in fact. The main reason I would like to see him at the club is that he is the first player with real skill and vision that we've brought in since Tugay. He is exciting to watch and I do feel as though we look a lot more dangerous when he is in the side. The way he can just beat a man, cut inside and bend a shot in on goal in the blink of an eye is an indicator of just what he is capable of.

He is young and new to the league and I am confident that, with time, he will adapt. Unfortunately, we don't have the finances and, therefore, the luxury to put him in our youth team and reserves for three seasons and watch him develop, like the Arsenal's of this world.

Den, I understand your argument that he is not currently strong or disciplined enough to play in central midfield and that we would have to accomodate him, but I feel that it is still early days. If anything, I would argue that he is useful due to his versatility and the fact that he provides us depth on the right. In time, there is nothing to say that he won't be able to play in a two man central midfield. In the mean time, he can play out wide on the left and right, behind the main striker and in a five man midfield. He will have plenty of opportunities to play and to develop.

[chileandude]

My recollection is the deal for Villanueva is:

£1m loan fee

£1m wages

£3m to sign him permanently

£5m total of which £3m is the decision Rovers need to take.

Cheers. That makes more sense. I was wondering where the other £2m came from. £3m is a reasonable price for a player with the quality of Villanueva. Audax will not drop the price further.

You can't turn a donkey into a racehorse, but you can turn him into a faster donkey.

;-)

You can improve acceleration as well. In Chile fans are expectant as to what the famed Premiership fitness training can do with Villanueva.

[chileandude]

Villanueva: 'Three months ago I played against Chelsea...only on Play Station'.

SANTIAGO.- Carlos Villanueva is still living a dream in England. And it's not a minor thing. Remember how hard it was for the midfielder to leave Audax Italiano and play abroad?. He even made a false step to Spanish club Real Sociedad before arriving to his current club, the Blackburn Rovers.

In an interview with radio ADN, the Pineapple tells us about his story so far in the famed and competitive Premier League.

'You have to adapt gradually. Here you play a much faster game and you run a lot more. Luckily I have had the opportunity to play several games as a starter', he admitted about the raise in his game and the good chances he has been given by manager Paul Ince.

'He (the manager) asks me to play free. Still, he has used me in various positions;, admitted Villanueva, who has played as an attacking midfielder through right, left and as a forward.

'It's a very strong change. I'm living a dream, why would I lie. Three months ago I played Play Station with Chelsea and now I'm playing against them. I'm enjoying and hoping to stay several years here', said the former Audax Italiano player.

[Ozz]

My recollection is the deal for Villanueva is:

£1m loan fee

So it's more of a rental thing than a loan.

£1m wages

No wonder he's so keen to stay!

[DingleBaiter]

Villanueva: 'Three months ago I played against Chelsea...only on Play Station'.

....

'He (the manager) asks me to play free. Still, he has used me in various positions;, admitted Villanueva, who has played as an attacking midfielder through right, left and as a forward.

'It's a very strong change. I'm living a dream, why would I lie. Three months ago I played Play Station with Chelsea and now I'm playing against them. I'm enjoying and hoping to stay several years here', said the former Audax Italiano player.

Yet again, thanks for posting this - nice to read that he seems happy; no doubt these quotes won't be picked up by any domestic media sources of course.

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there." (The Big Lebowski, 1998)

[Hughesy]

What do you think about him?

And what would you do?

Send him back in Jan?

Make permanent in January? £4m.

Keep until end of season and then review?

[Amo]

Why didn't he play on Sunday?

[G Somerset Rover]

I don't know, he had his boots on and was sitting on the subs bench as the players were warming up on Sunday. He looked pretty peeved so Im guessing he didnt make the cut. Then again if Robbie Fowler got on the bench ahead of you I guess you'd have good reason.

[rog of the rovers]

Every Rovers fan must agree its too early to make any judgment and if pushed the answer would have to be no. Simply due to lack of funds, and it would be too much of a gamble.

[modes98]

£4m is a big gamble, but i assume we still have the option to buy until the summer but it's just not exclusive.

[Amo]

We cannot afford to leave Carlos out of the side. For one, we need to assess him week in week out to see if he can cut in the Premiership. He also needs to be playing in his best position for a fair evaluation.

The Tottenham game was perfect for him. We all know Tottenham have a lot of skill but lacking in strength, just the game for a tricky little midfielder to pull them open and stop them storming us every time a hopeful punt to Santa Cruz went astray.

[philipl]

The problem we all have is the Manager is so useless that we fans have no way of truly telling whether Carlos is any good or not.

He is being used spasmodically and judging by our friend from Chile, is only played in his best position about 10% of the time he's been on the field.

[roverfanuk]

The question is:

- Buy Carlos - £4 million

- Sack Ince - Around £4 million compo!

[dingles staying down 4ever]

The question is:

- Buy Carlos - £4 million

- Sack Ince - Around £4 compo!

£4.00 to sack Ince. Here is £3.12 loose change, anyone else to chip in?

[LeChuck]

Until we get pace and movement around him he's absolutely useless to us. Potentially he could be excellent in the centre of a 4-2-3-1, but we just don't have anyone who could make use of his passes.

Unfortunately I think he's a luxury we can't afford at the moment, we can think about getting a playmaker after the other problems are sorted.

[tony gale's mic]

I just don't understand for the life of me why Ince doesn't give him more of a go. When he's tried him in games he's been on the right side invariably anyway which doesnt give the most accurate picture; if we were doing anywhere near okay I could maybe see why he didnt want to fix what wasn't broken. But we NEED new ideas and we have a guy who Ince himself found and signed - it's not like it's Vogel one of Hughes' signings - and still Ince doesn't seem to want to play him. Completely baffling.

[Athlete]

£4.00 to sack Ince. Here is £3.12 loose change, anyone else to chip in?

quality mate he aint worth that send him back too Macclesfield

[chileandude]

I say keep till end of season...the loan shouldn't be that expensive surely. I hope Ince get's his act together and builds something resembling a team. Sadly for Carlos...his future in England depends a lot on what Ince can do with the team...however...with good coach or or bad coach, good team or bad team, he should be able to show what he is capable of. A couple of goals and a few more assists should do the trick...but his time is running out.

[philipl]

I say keep till end of season...the loan shouldn't be that expensive surely. I hope Ince get's his act together and builds something resembling a team. Sadly for Carlos...his future in England depends a lot on what Ince can do with the team...however...with good coach or or bad coach, good team or bad team, he should be able to show what he is capable of. A couple of goals and a few more assists should do the trick...but his time is running out.

More likely, Carlos will have a completely clean sheet as will the rest of the squad with a completely new manager in the near future.

[JAL]

Every Rovers fan must agree its too early to make any judgment and if pushed the answer would have to be no. Simply due to lack of funds, and it would be too much of a gamble.

Sorry hes too small and too SLOW to be able to adjust he'll stay until the end of the season then go back to Chile next summer.

For Ince to sign Carlos would be managerial suicide.

[philipl]

Sorry hes too small and too SLOW to be able to adjust he'll stay until the end of the season then go back to Chile next summer.

For Ince to sign Carlos would be managerial suicide.

JAL by my calculation, if we followed your advice, Rovers would line up with just the two floodlights either side of the Riverside.

Have you made a positive comment about any player?