The Virgil Van Dijk Stays at Southampton Thread

Playing devils advocate slightly but do you not think that if we stand firm that may dissuade other players from joining who are considered good prospects capable of playing at a higher level further along in their careers?

 

I've just realised. Skylarker is the source!

 

Not from the places where we generally sign.

If you're signing from the smaller European leagues then I genuinely belive players will sign for any PL club as long as the money is right.

They don't give a **** whether it's West Brom, Southampton, Stoke etc. they just want to get in that shop window.

 

Precisely. But I think that if we know about them, then other PL sides know about them. We have built a rep that we sell players on to the bigger sides like no other in the PL has, so I think this makes the player more likely to want to join us, even if we don't pay as big a wages as a West Ham/Stoke as they see it as the better move long term. If we start denying players moves then I think that could be a major red flag and best case scenario put us level with our rivals and worst case make players not want to join us if there is any other PL team interested.

 

[QUOTE="Saintmagic, post: 10775632, member: 1008084"]Precisely. But I think that if we know about them, then other PL sides know about them. We have built a rep that we sell players on to the bigger sides like no other in the PL has, so I think this makes the player more likely to want to join us, even if we don't pay as big a wages as a West Ham/Stoke as they see it as the better move long term. If we start denying players moves then I think that could be a major red flag and best case scenario put us level with our rivals and worst case make players not want to join us if there is any other PL team interested.[/QUOTE]

You don't buy into this theory that we're different in terms of our scouting then?

As for the rest of your post, we'll have to agree to disagree, doing it once won't do that. Multiple times maybe, not once.

If a player from the dutch league (for example) has 4 midtable PL clubs interested in him he will go to the one who offers him the most money, simple as that.

 

Not anymore no, I think we may have started something different which was successful but other teams will have copied it. In the time we developed it we sold a load of players building this rep of selling so we can still attract the better prospects over the other mid table sides.

You may be right on the only doing it once won't change anything theory, but I just don't see the point in risking it. If we start missing out on good prospects then, due to the way the club is run with the buy low sell high strategy, then we will start to slip down the league and eventually out of it. Whether or not you are bothered by that is another matter entirely.

 

Let's invite everyone, apart from the Liverpool scum to bid!!!
They are just taking the piss!!

 

Don't believe so and if we dissuade a player from joining who would be happy to negotiate their own exit from a 6 year contract to a rival team at a much lower value than the market rate then I think we will havwe dodged a bullet.

The Club are 100% in the right here. VVD is a twat for doing what he has done. The Club will be able to explain this very neatly to the prospective signings and if they disagree we should walk away.

 

One thing that won't change for prospective future signings, is that we are one of the best shop windows going. It's not the first signing that's an issue it's once they sign an extension. Players will still love to sign for Saints.

 

Updated username. One which I should never have to change again. Virgil - what an a*se. You really were ridiculous...

 

Do we believe we could have promised the little turd a move foe this summer when he signed his new deal last summer?

Perhaps when he got injured he was told he had to stay another year, and now he is pissed at that.

I felt it strange he never played again last season, and I imagine he has been fit enough to play the very first friendly. Although he clearly wasn't needed as we kept a magnificent clean sheet...

 

Can you remind me how to change a username please? I keep getting stopped on the street and asked if I'm signing for Liverpool, so a change is needed.

 

Took me a while to find it again. Think it may depend on what type of device you are using. On my iPhone I went to My Personal Details page and clicked on "Your Account". At the bottom under advanced options is "change your username". Sure a mod will help further!

 

Ex saint player Gordon Watson has his say.........claims Virgil has been "ill advised", and it would only be for money because at Liverpool there is no guarantee of trophies, and also says it's too late this window because we would need more time to find a suitable replacement.

 

Didn't Mane get left out of the squad by Koeman, because his head wasn't in the right place?

 

I grabbed something out of my jacket pocket and in doing so, dropped my lighter. I caught it on my foot, flicked it up, caught it with my hand and put it back in my pocket - all without disturbing the froth on my cappuccino. 10 seconds later, Liverpool were on the phone with a five year deal despite my contractual demands that I can only train every other tuesday, and that I can stop and have a coffee as and when I feel like it.
It's desperate times on Merseyside!

 

Go on Gordon!

 

Gordon seems to have summed it up nicely, top man

 

How about we sell him to Barca and they loan him to Scouse for a Season, we get the dosh and everyone is happy?

 

He is from a different era when players lived by a very different moral code.