“We have to invest this summer and we will within our limits by buying young players who allow us to compete in the future. We will spend in the summer, and we already are well into the process of doing it.” Those comments were uttered by a confident Martin Semmens, Southampton’s chief executive, when he addressed a fans’ forum in May. Since then,Romain Perraud has been signed for a fee believed to be in the region of £11 million andTheo Walcottjoined as a free agent on a two-year deal. But while recruitment work continues behind the scenes, there are yet to be any fresh arrivals. Supporters are desperate to see additions, but the transfer market is slow and you expect it will take a sizeable domestic deal to bring it to life. The Athletichas extensively reported that Southampton want to add another full-back to the side and are also looking to bolster their forward line. Manchester Uniteddefender Brandon Williams is keen to spend the season on loan at Southampton, although that move has stalled due to the Old Trafford side’sdemands over the loan fee. As first revealed byThe Athletic, United are seeking more than £2 million and the St Mary’s hierarchy have no intention of meeting it. They are more than prepared to walk away from the table and explore alternative options if a suitable agreement can’t be reached. Uncertainty continues to hang over Danny Ings’ futureafter he turned down the club’s offer of a four-year contract, which means he’s now in the final 12 months of his current deal. Multiple reports suggest he topsTottenham’s list of transfer targets, although Southampton are yet to receive any offers for their star man. It has been claimed that Southampton would be reluctant to do business with Spurs after their pursuit ofPierre-Emile Hojbjergleft a sour taste in the mouth. ButThe Athleticunderstands that there isn’t as much animosity between the two clubs as there once was. That doesn’t mean, however, that Ings will be joining Tottenham. “We need this player, we want him to play for us,” manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said of Ings on BBC radio. “But I think it’s never helpful to go into the last season with one year left — this is what I think he should know.” Southampton remain interested in Blackburn’s Adam Armstrong, a striker compared to Ings, but are not prepared to pay over the odds for a player who is out of contract next summer. Supporters may have seen a clip put out by Southampton on social media, which included Sam McQueen. The 26-year-old defender hasendured a tough timesince 2018, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament on loan at Middlesbrough. Although McQueen’s contract expired this summer,The Athletichas learnt he has been given a new six-month deal by the club, taking him up to January. The left-back has been involved in the first-team group since pre-season started, and the short-term extension will afford him the chance to impress Hasenhuttl. After such a horrific setback, Southampton were keen to stand by the defender and offer their support, rather than just cutting him loose once his previous contract ran out this summer. MidfielderAlex Jankewitzdeparted the club earlier this week, securing a move to Swiss side Young Boys, where he will be managed by former Huddersfield boss David Wagner. The 19-year-old, as first revealed byThe Athletic, handed in a transfer request in January after a perceived lack of opportunity at St Mary’s. It brought an end to his three-year stay on the south coast, with his arrival in 2018 coming with plenty of fanfare from the club. Supporters were disappointed to see him leave without the chance to truly show his potential, but it’s a deal that suits both parties. Jankewitz should hopefully get the game time he craves and Southampton believe they have secured a good deal. Sources have toldThe Athleticthat Southampton will receive an initial £1 million for the sale, although that could rise to £4 million depending on certain clauses being met. The St Mary’s hierarchy are also understood to have included a sell-on clause, around the 30-35 per cent mark, should Young Boys sell Jankewitz. That, however, will decrease if the overall fee rises to the £4 million threshold. Callum Slattery is another player who is also likely to depart the club this summer, bringing an end to his 13-year association with the south coast side. The 22-year-old midfielder has garnered a lot of interest and, with only a year left on his contract, it’s understood a permanent switch could be on the cards. Since making hisPremier Leaguedebut in February 2019, Slattery has gone on to have loan spells at De Graafschap and more recently Gillingham. Mario Lemina, who is out of contract next summer, continues to attract a lot of interest after spending last season on loan with Fulham. The Gabon international was admired byNewcastle Unitedand has also been noted by Premier League newcomers Watford. But while talks continue between Southampton and potential suitors, it’s believed nobody has been forthcoming with an acceptable offer. Jannik Vestergaardis another player with less than a year to go on his time at Southampton and will have to decide whether he wants to stay put or seek a new challenge. The Denmark international wanted to wait until after Euro 2020 to make his mind up, andit’s unlikely he’ll be short of suitors. Dan N’Lundulu has already left to join Lincoln on loan after signing fresh terms on a new three-year deal at St Mary’s. Question marks also hang over the futures ofMichael ObafemiandShane Long, with both forwards having less than 12 months to go until their contracts expire.
God save our Sam McQueen Had a bad injury God Save McQueen La, la, la, la Send him victorious Happy and glorious Plays on the left for us God save McQueen
If you liked this article, you may want to consider subscribing to The Athletic. As a reminder folks, there are month long guest passes available if you want to try it out. I’m a member and I know others are too. It’s really good, very reasonably priced and absolutely worth the money. I renewed at £35 for the year. Other sports are covered with similar depth too (I’ll never forgive them for sacking Fran from the MMA coverage though!) More paid eyes on Dan’s stories can only be good for him. Maybe one day when Saints are winning the title and there’s tons of paid subscribers reading his articles he’ll be able to buy a boat made of solid gold. He won’t even give a **** if it sinks!
Southampton transfers: Full-back still needed, no offers for Ings yet, McQueen given new deal please log in to view this image By Dan Sheldon 5h ago please log in to view this image 7 please log in to view this image “We have to invest this summer and we will within our limits by buying young players who allow us to compete in the future. We will spend in the summer, and we already are well into the process of doing it.” Those comments were uttered by a confident Martin Semmens, Southampton’s chief executive, when he addressed a fans’ forum in May. Since then, Romain Perraud has been signed for a fee believed to be in the region of £11 million and Theo Walcott joined as a free agent on a two-year deal. But while recruitment work continues behind the scenes, there are yet to be any fresh arrivals. Supporters are desperate to see additions, but the transfer market is slow and you expect it will take a sizeable domestic deal to bring it to life. The Athletic has extensively reported that Southampton want to add another full-back to the side and are also looking to bolster their forward line. Manchester United defender Brandon Williams is keen to spend the season on loan at Southampton, although that move has stalled due to the Old Trafford side’s demands over the loan fee. As first revealed by The Athletic, United are seeking more than £2 million and the St Mary’s hierarchy have no intention of meeting it. They are more than prepared to walk away from the table and explore alternative options if a suitable agreement can’t be reached. Uncertainty continues to hang over Danny Ings’ future after he turned down the club’s offer of a four-year contract, which means he’s now in the final 12 months of his current deal. Multiple reports suggest he tops Tottenham’s list of transfer targets, although Southampton are yet to receive any offers for their star man. It has been claimed that Southampton would be reluctant to do business with Spurs after their pursuit of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg left a sour taste in the mouth. But The Athletic understands that there isn’t as much animosity between the two clubs as there once was. That doesn’t mean, however, that Ings will be joining Tottenham. “We need this player, we want him to play for us,” manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said of Ings on BBC radio. “But I think it’s never helpful to go into the last season with one year left — this is what I think he should know.” Southampton remain interested in Blackburn’s Adam Armstrong, a striker compared to Ings, but are not prepared to pay over the odds for a player who is out of contract next summer. Supporters may have seen a clip put out by Southampton on social media, which included Sam McQueen. The 26-year-old defender has endured a tough time since 2018, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament on loan at Middlesbrough. Although McQueen’s contract expired this summer, The Athletic has learnt he has been given a new six-month deal by the club, taking him up to January. The left-back has been involved in the first-team group since pre-season started, and the short-term extension will afford him the chance to impress Hasenhuttl. After such a horrific setback, Southampton were keen to stand by the defender and offer their support, rather than just cutting him loose once his previous contract ran out this summer. Midfielder Alex Jankewitz departed the club earlier this week, securing a move to Swiss side Young Boys, where he will be managed by former Huddersfield boss David Wagner. The 19-year-old, as first revealed by The Athletic, handed in a transfer request in January after a perceived lack of opportunities at St Mary’s. It brought an end to his three-year stay on the south coast, with his arrival in 2018 coming with plenty of fanfare from the club. Supporters were disappointed to see him leave without the chance to truly show his potential, but it’s a deal that suits both parties. Jankewitz should hopefully get the game time he craves and Southampton believe they have secured a good deal. Sources have told The Athletic that Southampton will receive an initial £1 million for the sale, although that could rise to £4 million depending on certain clauses being met. The St Mary’s hierarchy are also understood to have included a sell-on clause, around the 30-35 per cent mark, should Young Boys sell Jankewitz. That, however, will decrease if the overall fee rises to the £4 million threshold. Callum Slattery is another player who is also likely to depart the club this summer, bringing an end to his 13-year association with the south coast side. The 22-year-old midfielder has garnered a lot of interest and, with only a year left on his contract, it’s understood a permanent switch could be on the cards. Since making his full Premier League debut in February 2019, Slattery has gone on to have loan spells at De Graafschap and more recently Gillingham. Mario Lemina, who is out of contract next summer, continues to attract a lot of interest after spending last season on loan with Fulham. The Gabon international was admired by Newcastle United and has also been noted by Premier League newcomers Watford. But while talks continue between Southampton and potential suitors, it’s believed nobody has been forthcoming with an acceptable offer. Jannik Vestergaard is another player with less than a year to go on his current deal at Southampton and will have to decide whether he wants to stay put or seek a new challenge. The Denmark international wanted to wait until after Euro 2020 to make his mind up, and it’s unlikely he’ll be short of suitors. Dan N’Lundulu has already left to join Lincoln on loan after signing fresh terms on a new three-year deal at St Mary’s. Question marks also hang over the futures of Michael Obafemi and Shane Long, with both forwards having less than 12 months to go until their contracts expire. (Photo: Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images)
Would be a pretty risky move. KWP backed up by Valery, and Perraud backed up by McQueen? No thanks! Our lack of activity so far is frustrating, but you only have to look at other clubs and their lack of signings to understand how difficult getting players will be this summer. Palace have made two promising signings, but they need about another 8 don't they? They've got their work cut out. Everton are looking at Andros Townsend! So it's going to be tough to improve our squad by much, and I'm sure the club are wary of signing players for the sake of it and being stuck with more Leminas/Hoedts.
As suggested in the article, and by others on here, the transfers of Kane and Haaland are a logjam holding everything up. Things will start to free up once those two find a new home.
Would like to see us Swoop In and Take Willock From under the Noses of Newcastle (And Arsenal). Especially now Carroll has left them.
I'm not sure Dortmund will let Haaland go seeing as Sancho is off. Haaland himself may also not want to join City or Chelsea, and they seem to be the only choice for him if he goes this summer. If he doesn't want to join them, and waits until next year, a clause in his contract activates meaning he can go for something like £70m, which would give him the pick of whoever he wants. I think he'll stay, but that will mean another delay and knock-on effect to the market, particularly in the Prem.
Agreed. But look at it another way. KWP could be also be backed up by JWP and Stephens. Also, Perraud is two footed. Perraud himself could also be backed up by Salisu, Diallo or Djenepo. I see Adam Armstrong as a natural replacement for Ings assuming he doesn’t sign a contract (which I haven’t ruled out) but barring injury he won’t get much playing time this year so happy to wait and pick him up for a free next summer. With Valery, Long, Lemina and Ely all impressing pre season, the squad suddenly looks healthier despite a (so far) modest transfer window.
It was well documented on here how the poor results coincided with KWP's periods of injury, we never really replaced him adequately when he was out and despite being "only" a RB he is a key cog in Ralph's style and system both offensively and defensively. I also wouldn't want JWP to be pulled out of the midfield for any period of time.
Again, I agree. Though our poor results coincided with a number of injuries including Ings, Romeu and even Smallbone. I agree on JWP who is a key player in midfield (a phrase most would have smirked at a couple of years back) but nevertheless still gives us an option.
I mean, just to make clear my thoughts; I haven't given up on Valery. But it's a massive 'NO' regards Lemina and Elyounoussi. Shane Long is a barely audible, tear-filled, heartbroken kind of a 'no'.
I’m trying so hard not to be the pessimist these days. Pretty sure all your worst fears are mine too.
Blackburn will really want to sell him this window, hence our cautious approach. As a championship club unlikely to be challenging, they cant let him go for free, as we can just about with Ings.
