Transfer Rumours Saints January Transfer Window Rumour Thread

Selling our best players for huge profits will only work if the quality of replacement improves each year, but that isn't happening. We still buy average players like Clasie and Höjbjerg. Yes Höjbjerg is young and has potential but that won't help us now.

We will sell VVD for £60m - fair enough. But we won't go and spend all of that on the team. We will buy a budget CB most likely, which sometimes can be fine. VVD himself only cost a little over £10m. But sometimes you do need to spend big in order to get a quality player. Players like Mane, VVD and perhaps Boufal won't always be available for below £20m.

We may actually need to spend some money rather than make £30m profits every season that seem to just dissappear.

 

What`s the latest on Gardos and Pied ? - the longer they are out, the less likely they will be to recover what ever they had in the first place.

 

Pied is out for the season I think. Gardos was playing for the u23s not long ago but I'm not sure now. I think both are only ever going to be backups though.

 

http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/epl_injury_table.php

Is a reasonable site for injury news, although they had it wrong on the Clasie return date.

 

I don't think he took the Europa league seriously enough. EFL cup run is 3 games against Palace, Sunderland & Arsenal Reserves.

But is he playing Academy players because he has no other choice? Because the quality of the senior squad isn't good enough? It's probably only McQueen who has become a fixture in the 1st team squad anyway. That's mostly down to the seemingly, "strange" goings on with Bertrand.

 

Fair comment on the Europa. And yes, I'm not sure what Bertrand has done either. But yesterday, why have Stephens on the bench and not Martina, if he didn't want to give Jack a chance?

 

Because he's FINALLY realised that Martina is one of the worst professional footballers in history?

 

I saw it as Stephens was on the bench as CB cover, rather than full-back cover (that was Bertrand), but Stephens was more of a natural RB than Bertrand would've been.

As for McQueen/Bertrand ... Bertrand couldn't start yesterday, and McQueen has only played when Bertrands been injured or rested.

Don't think he was ahead of Martina as such (though he probably should be!)

 

He still scored one of the best goals in Saints history though.

 

I agree with CBK. Puel's attitude to the youngsters is different but I don't think the difference in the use of Academy players is that great really. JWP and Targett were already used fairly regularly, Reed's made a few appearances but is still basically in the same role he had under Koeman and Stephens has made the one appearance due to injuries. I guess McQueen and Sims (to some extent) have played more but, again, that's only really because of injuries.

 

Double post.

 

What is people's take on the interest around Shane Long? Apparently WBA and WHU are both interested. Out of form and not particularly spectacular anyway, would you want us to sell?

 

Just riffled through our list of fit strikers on the Filofax.....No!

 

Even if we brought in a replacement?

I think if it's a good offer we should consider it. At 29 we won't get the chance to cash in on him again and it isn't as if he has contributed at all this season.

 

I'd keep Long. He doesn't score enough and isn't THAT striker to take us ot the next level, but who is?

Zaza, Musa, Iturbe, Falcao, Niasse, Joselu, Janssen etc - spending money on an international striker does not = success and certianly does not = goals.

I'd like another striker who we feel could score goals for us, but alongside what we already have.

 

We need more goals and he's never been a prolific goal scorer. Assuming we have a replacement lined up I'd be happy to sell him.

 

I'd keep Shane if we were to play to his strengths. The way we currently set up and utilise him though, he may as well not even be on the pitch half the time

 

Of course there is no guarantee that if we brought in another player they would score a lot of goals, whether they be an estabilised player or one from the "black-box". But so far Shane Long has scored once in has past 20+ saints games and is having an awful season. So it's not as if they could do much worse.

 

Absolutely not.

 

But that's my point, they absolutely could do much worse. Long offers a lot even when he's not scoring (and, as been said, especially in the right system).