Being part of a relegated squad doesn't mean you're a bad player. Think I'll trust Bielsa's judgement in this case. Also, speak to any Fulham fan. They generally rate Reed as their best midfielder.
For what it's worth, I think he's a decent PL/lower PL level midfielder. Yes, it was a shame we let him go, but I don't think he was keen to stay as a backup here, which he would have been. Best of luck to the lad. He's making the most of his talent. Stuff like this happens.
Reed is a neat little player, at 26 and with a season in the PL under his belt, he's a safe bet as a backup CM. Especially so for a team that plays high tempo football. What he is not is the next messiah. He didn't get a run here at Saints because the multitude of CMs ahead of him over this period as a pro with us were basically better - Schneiderlin, Wanyama, Davis, Romeu, JWP etc. A good season in the Championship on loan prior to this season was not going to guarantee him starting ahead of JWP, Romeu, Armstrong and newly signed Diallo. Granted, injuries in 2021 kicked the hell out of what was a flying first team and he could of got a look in at that point. He wasn't going to wait for that chance though when he had Fulham offering him a contract to be a regular starter in the PL. We did the right thing letting him go for a reasonable fee (for a player that had virtually no PL game time under his belt prior). We're not like Chelsea, we can't hoard players for years on end. We neither have the funds nor the will to do so. Part of the Southampton Way is that we don't stand in the way of players moving on to better themselves, as long as we get a fair deal out of things. He and Saints knew that he wouldn't be a first teamer and so for the benefit of all he left. If he becomes a superstar at Leeds or somewhere else then fair play to him. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
I do think you’re looking at Diallo with some rose coloured bifocals Tom. I saw more games where he was a liability than he was fantastic. Glimpses of exciting play I would say. Plenty of Potential there tho so I’m hoping he pushes on this season.
Keep seeing Carlton Palmer commenting on Saints at the moment. Why has he become the source of all Saints knowledge in the media at the moment? I know he is an ex-player but he is not one of those that have appeared to stay connected with the club so why is he constantly talking about us now?
Found this one dated just before the party started. https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5631893.football-dell-fans-tops-says-carlton/
Saw this post grow quickly today and got excited that there was some real transfer gossip, but it's just 3 pages of Reed. I was so disappointed that i wanted to PLANT one on someone. I always rated him, but maybe he's happier being a big Reed in a smaller pond.
I interviewed Dave Jones in the players cafe when he was our manager. I can confirm that Carlton isn't terribly bright. And that's me being extremely generous.
I always liked Reed and still think he’ll make good. If Bielsa is interested there must be something good in him. Unless there was an attitude problem - and it was never apparent in his on field displays- it’s difficult to know why we let him go.
Just clickbait I think and fwiw I don’t expect he has as much insight into Saints as the tea lady does.
Reed always seemed to have a professional attitude. Just seen this about Hesketh/Hassenhuttl. A little worrying if true. I'd see the funny side to it, if we weren't so piss-poor at the moment. https://saintsmarching.com/2021/06/...-surprising-statement-saints-boss-hasenhuttl/
I saw that the other day. Very poor that he didn't even have the chance to train under him. Like Hesketh says, he probably wasn't good enough but would have been nice to have had the chance to show what he could do. What might have been if he was a few years younger.
