EXCLUSIVE: Huddlestone to be confirmed as a Villa player today

June 12, 2009 by Martin Banks
Filed under: Aston Villa, Transfer News 

tom huddlestoneI have received a tip off earlier in the week that Tom Huddlestone was ‘a done deal’ to join Villa and that it would be announced ‘later this week’. Well it’s Friday now and if the tip is correct then it should be unveiled today.

Apparently the Spurs youngster is being brought in to add weight to the centre of our midfield, in the wake of Gareth Barry’s departure.

In the past I received a tip off that Heskey would be signing and that turned out to be true. I also got info that we were in talks with N’Zogbia, who didn’t sign, but we don’t know that he wasn’t in talks. So it seems that the tips that come into my inbox are at least better than pure guesses, but we will have to wait the day out to see if this one is on-the-money or not.

Like it?

Personally, I have mixed feelings about this. He is a good player, if a little hot and cold, but he is a long way from the quality that Barry achieved. He is also nowhere near the presence on the field that Barry became. But is it fair to compare him to what Barry became along a span of 12 years?

As I’ve said in the past, I think Huddlestone has potential and, given a run to get more experience, could develop into a big player.

But…

…and it’s a big but. Is he ready to fill Gareth Barry’s boots? It’s always a difficult one in a situation like this cuz Barry took years to get as good and important as he was, so do you replace him with like for like or with a player who can grow into what he is, but isn’t yet?

And how will it work? Will we offload Sidders and Reo-Coker or will they battle it out for places and rotate for Cups etc?

It’s a signing and it’s not a poor one, but it throws up a lot of questions. Should we wait to see if the tip is true first though, before we decide if we like it or not?


Comments

29 Comments on EXCLUSIVE: Huddlestone to be confirmed as a Villa player today

  1. Lukas Raybould on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 9:36

    2. Right he aint going to be our Barry cover, but atleast if it does happen it adds a much needed strength in depth.
    I think also we’ve shown an intrest in Valencia too, I doubt I am wrong because it’s a good price for a talented youngster who would fill that Barry void.
    And signing Huddlestone would be a step in the right direction for sure!
    Let’s snap up Wheater, Upson & Sturridge to get us firmly on track.

  2. Alex on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 9:42

    3. Having just read an article about Fabio Capello hoping 4 youngsters do well enough to get into the england squad for the world cup and those being, ash, gabs, jimmy milner and huddlestone, I’d be happy to have him in the squad. Yes he is no Barry at present but he has 7 years till he’s Barry’s age. We have a lot of games again next year and young players with promise is a very good place to start (bear in mind we have the smallest squad in the league and are most stronly linked with players leaving – yet again)
    Is this rumour true? no M.O’N doesnt start dealing till august and he’s on holiday at the moment no?

  3. Beest on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 9:43

    4. Martin,

    Did your tip off give anymore info about the move.

    Would be a great signing if he does sign.

  4. clarkamus on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 9:47

    5. i hope this is true get rid of salifu and huddlestone is a much better player than him do you have any idea of a fee?

  5. K4AVFC on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 9:52

    6. You are setting yourself up for a big fall if this isn’t true mate…Hope it is though, he passes and strikes a ball as good as anyone in the league.

  6. NeilG on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 10:04

    7. Ok signing if true – would prefer bentley though!!!

  7. MancuniVilla on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 10:26

    8. Believe it when I see it. If I do see it, it will please me. Gets some fitness and he can be class – his passing is more or less as good as passing gets in football.

  8. Sheriff Kimbo on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 10:32

    9. Not a bad player. However… the biggest problem with Barry & Petrov was lack of pace; Barry in particular was quilty of giving away fouls in dangerous areas.

    Huddlestone is even slower if anything, and not as good a player. Consequently, this solves nothing (if true at all) in reality. That said, he is a good player and would be a good-back-up to Petrov (the performances against Boro & the Barcodes last season when he was missing showed how much we missed him), but I will be very disappointed if he is seen as a replacement for Barry.

  9. andy villa on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 11:27

    10. if huddlestone is the replacement for barry, then i will not be happy…

  10. Chris Nee on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 11:31

    11. Bloody hell Mart, sticking your neck on the chopping block there!

  11. southernvillain on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 11:31

    12. I thought there might be a more substance than “later this week” but thanks for sharing the tip off with us though Martin!

    Huddlestone? I’ve always thought he had some really good strengths but not quite mobile enough. Still, i’m sure with the right training and work, that can be improved. A brilliant passer, but definately a holding player so i would imagine, if this was true, that MON would be looking to play Petrov and Sidwell as the more attack minded midfielders.

    As we saw with Beckham spraying passes from the middle out wide to Ash and Walcott, it can be really useful to have someone in the middle of the park pinging the ball out wide very quickly. This signing would work for me, but I am really hoping for a seriously strong, established class act to help replace the two we’ve lost this summer.

  12. Irish Villan on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 12:16

    13. Surely we would have heard something by now?

    Who are these tipsters?

  13. Max on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 12:57

    14. Martin,
    The transfer window is closed until July 1st so unless he had a pre-contract agreement he can’t be ‘unveiled’ until then.

  14. clarkamus on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 13:06

    15. max your wrong the window is open now tranfers have already taken place eg barry to man city erm kaka to real madrid get with the programe

  15. AVFCBristol on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 14:30

    16. I can see Huddlestone, a sub-standard Harewood-esque striker and a defender in the mould of Zat Knight being our only signings this summer. In which case i will be sending my season ticket back.

    I do think this tip-off is a bit of “it’s likely to happen so i’ll look well clever when it does” though. He is almost certainly going to sign, but not yet – Martin is on his holidays and as someone else said MON doesn’t start doing serious business until August.

    Also Martin and clarkamus, the transfer window is not technically open until 12:01 on July the 1st, but seeing as clubs can negotiate and agree transfers before then, and players don’t report back for pre-season training until a few days into July, this date ir pretty much irrelevant. By the letter of the law though, a player cannot be officially part of a new team until July 1st anywhere in the EU.

    And what did someone say about rather having Bentley? He is basically the same player but a bit slower. And why are we all getting so excitied about signing Spurs’ reserve squad?! Come on lads, let’s see some ambition! Exhibit A. Rafael van der Vaart. Quality player, but probably not going to play for Real Madrid again, so why aren’t we going after back-up/squad players of great teams rather than back-up/squad players of teams below us?!

  16. Nel-A on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 14:30

    17. Well, the thing that is thrown most at Huddlestone is that he isn’t quick enough, but remember Bouma when he first came here? He looked like he would die come 70 odd minutes! Plus he’s only 22/23. He’s already a fantastic passer, lord knows what else MoN will add to his game.

    If he comes, I’ll be more than happy, as our squad (the main reason we fell away) will be stronger as a result.

    Also, thank you for the news. Regardless of whether this happens or not, I’d much rather read speculation/exclusives via Villa fans than through the bow-locks that comes out of London’s newspapers!

  17. Adam on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 14:49

    18. I would much rather have Jenas, he’s a much more complete player!

  18. Martin Banks on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 14:58

    19. - Adam – If the papers are better informed than my source then you will get your wish. There are loads of Jenas links with us, but Huddlestone rumours have pretty much vanished. Only reason I’d find to disagree with you there is that Jenas is even more inconsistent than Huddlestone. But when he’s on the top of his game he is real class. Shame it’s a rarity though.

  19. AVFCBristol on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 15:05

    20. If Huddlestone is such a world-beater, how come he is being let go for 6-odd million? How come he’s not a regular in the Spurs squad that at one stage looked set for relegation. A good prospect certainly, but only a prospect at this stage. History is littered with players who should have gone onto much greater things but never did, and we cannot pin all our hopes on the chance this won’t happen with Huddlestone. He needs to be brought in with a view to the future, not the present.

    We need genuine quality and experience in NOW to replace the genuine quality and experience we have lost, otherwise we’re going to end up where we were 2 years ago and be well behind our rivals. If Harewood goes we need to be bringing in 4 or 5 players at least, ON TOP of the 3 we’ve (most likely) already lost this summer.

  20. 1981villain on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 15:07

    21. I may point out to the guy above who said Huddlestone was slow – total rubbish – he was a district champion sprionter at school. His acceleration isn’t quite like Gabbies- but he simply cruises around because he reads the game so well. Also admittedly because he lapses in concentration occasionally.

  21. Tricky on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 15:37

    22. I love your optimism. But nothing will happen this week, not until O’Neil gets back from his hols. Huddlestone is a good passer of the ball but I would prefer Jenas.

  22. Zidave on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 19:33

    23. “Apparently the Spurs youngster is being brought in to add weight to the centre of our midfield, in the wake of Gareth Barry’s departure.”

    … he will certainly add some weight, that is for sure.

  23. john on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 23:21

    24. What time did he sign at i seem to have missed it it wasnt on ssn either,Id check
    my sources mate

  24. parisianrob on Sat, 13th Jun 2009 7:10

    25. as i said on another thread from my taxi driver mate who picks up MON and wife

    No players in from the spuds
    2 in midfielders from europe
    Two central defenders one from baggies one from boro
    one fullback ? still looking
    no owen definate

    bad news he wont say no for big money for our ash next week he could go

  25. luke on Sat, 13th Jun 2009 8:55

    26. So where is huddlestone then?

  26. Martin Banks on Sat, 13th Jun 2009 8:57

    27. Not at Villa by the looks of things, I guess the Heskey tip off encouraged less informed tips to come in.

  27. Staggs_Villafan on Sat, 13th Jun 2009 12:12

    28. Well mate, if we were going to sign anyone from Spurs i would much preferr it be either Jenas or Bent…

    Jenas is a bit more creative than Huddlestone.. He seems too similar to Petrov, we need someone who is going to run at defences, someone similar to Steven Gerrard at Liverpool… someone who can create chances from nothing, and help out Carew and Agbonlahor..

    if Carew isnt our first choice striker next season ill eat my hat, he is the best, ready made player on the pitch now that Barry has left…

    imo i would try and grab, David Bentley as cover for Milner and Young.. Darren Bent OR Vagner Love for the quality striker than we need to help Carew upfront.. and Jenas or Defour as our creative midfielder..

    anyhoo.. the silly season is well untruely under way

    UTV!

  28. 1981villain on Sat, 13th Jun 2009 18:05

    29. Huddlestone would be an excellent sigining – great vision and can pass with pinpoint accuracy. He played a lot at CB for Derby as a youngster but was considered to influential a passer to stay at the back. He is quick when needed and a solid tackler with a great long range shot. MON will improve him in the one department where he is lacking — work rate…. but I agree with many above – he is not enough to replace GB — we need someone with more experience – ready made – not just a prospect o get there in – years.
    I also believe that
    If MON sells Young for any price then he can go join Deadly in the retirement home for the teminally derranged.

  29. lou on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 14:14

    30. huddlestone, jenas, bentley??? all steps backwards in my eyes, especially bentley who turned us down once as he seems more interested in his bar in marbella…… getting tired of squad players being linked, the ambition needs to be there as well as the quality. GB and ML are too hard to replace and bringing in more raw talent rather than actual quality will blow up in MoN’s face… Up The Villa

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