Lichaj at Villa: released and looking for a new club

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Surprised it hasn't been posted but Lichaj signed a 3 year deal for Villa.

http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2118678,00.html

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa Update

It was posted a year ago when he actually signed the deal...

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Why? Walker has proven to be 1st team quality as has Lichaj I expect both to be in the EPL next yrar

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Because there's talk of Walker extending his stay at Villa. Walker was one of the highlights during his stint at Villa and undoubtedly if he is available for loan they will want him and he will be their first choice right-back.

Lichaj has strengthened is reputation with a decent loan-spell at Leeds, but he's still fairly unproven in the Premiership and despite their mediocre performance lasts eason Villa are still one of the Premiership big boys, I think he'd find more opportunites for Premiership football out on loan at a club like QPR than he would at Villa.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

From an article about loans from the Premiership to the Championship:

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

On a sort of a related note.

I forgot what promotion playoff game I was watching but the announcer said that half of some team (Swansea?) were loaners (largely from the EPL).

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

If Lichaj wants to play first team football this coming season then it'd have to be at LB. If we get Walker then he'd automatically be our RB. Even if we don't get Walker, then Lichaj will have Young and Cueller above him. Our LB situation is terrible. We have had Warnock, Young, Clarke, Delph, and Baker play LB this season. We desperately need someone to lock down that LB spot and hopefully Lichaj can be that guy.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Think you're referring to Cardiff:

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

And United’s manager has not ruled out another bid to sign Aston Villa defender Eric Lichaj. The American youngster finished the 2010-11 term on loan at Elland Road and was one of the more successful signings made by Leeds. Lichaj appeared on both sides of defence and held a starting place for 16 consecutive games after joining from Villa in February, initially as a replacement for the injured Paul Connolly.

Grayson said: “Eric did really well last year and it could be an option if Aston Villa allow us to go down that route again. But the new manager (Villa’s Alex McLeish) might want to keep him there. “If we’re going to go with the loan scenario then I’d want the loans to be for the whole season. Then you know that you’ve got the player for that length of time. “But the problem is that most clubs are reluctant to let fringe players out too early, unless they’re really not figuring at all in pre-season.”

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_7023180,00.html

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

This Villa blog makes it sound like Villa will be reluctant to send him on loan:
http://www.7500toholte.com/2011/7/6/2262296/eric-lichaj-leeds-aston-villa

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Villa allegedly made a half-hearted/half-assed bid for Alan Hutton (£3M, if it's to be believed).

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Nothing new really but Simon Grayson was on Yorkshire Radio today and discussed Eric:


"Loan players may not be freed up until the week before the season starts. Lichaj is a possible and did well last year and we have spoken to Villa (McLeish) about him. He is high on our list but they only returned to preseason training today."

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Nice situation for Lichaj to be in. A quality, promotion-contending Leeds side really wants him (which should speak volumes to McLeish about Lichaj's ability) and McLeish is new and NOT French, and prolly pretty open to an American playing if he can do the job. The table is set for Lichaj to succeed and play a good bit either way. Sweet.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Skysports.com is running with the Hutton story, though nothing concrete yet.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12874_7028656,00.html

If that happens, another loan is probably on the cards.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Hutton is terrible. I would definitely play Lichaj over him.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

McLeish has had him at Rangers and Scotland, so he might not agree. Redknapp probably would be willing to sell since Walker made such a good impression at QPR/Villa and the U-21s.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

I, on the other hand, thinks that Spurs' drop in form in the latter half of the last season was at least partly due to the nonavailability of Hutton.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

I think Villa upped the second offer to £5M.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Not more of this Houllier/Frenchie hates Americans nonsense. Hell, it was Houllier who gave Lichaj a chance to play in the PL last season. He likely wouldn't have gotten the same chance under O'Neill. When it was clear that the PL was a bit too much for him, Gerard loaned him out to a promotion challenging Championship club where he quickly became a starter. As far as I'm concerned, Gerard Houllier did great things for Eric's career.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Houllier may indeed not be anti-American players, but from my outside point of view, it is a rather difficult sell. Brad Friedel really didn't consider staying at Villa, though of course it may have had nothing to do with Houllier. Guzan certainly hasn't played much for Houllier. Michael Bradley, um, he hardly saw game time. From his reception in January to his departure in June, I think he played about 60 minutes of regular PL football. There were some positive comments about Bradley, but that was not from Houllier, but rather an assistant. And on to Licaj. He had a poor game, against Manchester City, was apparently thrown under the bus by Houllier and never played for Villa again. So, Houllier may indeed may not be particularly anti-American, but there is no way that anyone can claim that he has been very helpful either.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Utter nonsense. Guzan didn't play because he was behind another American on the depth chart. And instead of keeping him on the bench, Houllier allowed him to go out on loan to Hull in the second half of the season where he got regular football and a chance to showcase his talents for a potential move. Friedel (who is 40! and was the undisputed no. 1 at Villa last year) was offered a one year contract to remain at Villa but chose Spurs because they offered two years (and he signed with Spurs AFTER Houllier resigned). As for Lichaj, Houllier did not "throw him under the bus". It's an urban legend that he called him out after the Man City match. Eric was only playing because of an injury crisis at Villa and frankly, the PL was a bit too much too soon for Eric last season. However, instead of keeping him on the bench (or with the reserves), Houllier sent him out to a top Championship club where he quickly earned a starting spot and gained invaluable experience. I don't know how you can argue that this wasn't extremely beneficial for his development.

Bradley is the only American player who one could even argue didn't get a fair shake from Gerard, but I'm inclined to believe that there were legitimate reasons for him not seeing much playing time (likely that the middle of a relegation fight was no time to play a January loanee with no Premier League experience).

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

The non-availability of Bale almost exactly coincides with Spurs inability to pick up points during the second half of last season, just as they lost only two matches with him available after the first week of November.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

You make a lot of good points, but this is wrong. He did it on the radio. He called Lichaj's match a nightmare and then changed only him in the starting lineup and soon after sent him out on loan.

Most of the rest of what you said is reasonable and I agree that, in the end, Lichaj going to Leeds will probably benefit his career.

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Nope, it isn't (wrong, that is). Someone tweeted that he made the "nightmare" comment (supposedly during a radio interview) and it became something of an urban legend, but there's absolutely no proof he actually said it (and some Villa fans even tried to find proof of it, but came up empty).

 

Re: Lichaj at Villa and out on loan: Who's Live at Leeds?

Plus, I didn't see the game, but if he did have a nightmare, well whatever. It probably wasn't the first time, and it probably won't be the last. Even awesome players like Landon, Clint, and Brett Favre have nightmare games. It's not like the manager said "He is the biggest pile of s*** football player I've ever seen, and I'll call it lucky if he ever puts on the kit for a 6th division team in Nepal." Perspective people, please. This isn't a 7th-grade popularity contest.