Yep, zero point buying players until we know who is leaving. At the moment we don't need anyone new.
I'm sure there's in and out lists and there are those we'd like to keep but probably not able to. Can but hope we can keep the best but the choice they have is championship or champions league or other european competitions and the prem plus keeping themselves in contention for international team selection.Our squad is still massive, I’d imagine we will want a few more out the door before we start going after players. That is both players we dont want to lose (Lavia, JWP etc) and players we do (Aribo)
I don't like the fact that the season begins before the transfer window has ended. It favours the larger clubs (including us when in L1) as they can push for transfers close to the end that destabilises everything for the smaller clubs. We could start the season with KWP, Lavia, JWP et al. still around and then have them stripped from us after 4 or 5 games leaving us rudderless. I would hope that there's an internal date that is earlier. If they're not gone by that date then they have to wait until January.
In the L1 days, due to the total change around in the club that summer, we not only started with minus 10 points but also on the backfoot in terms of a settled side. It was no surprise that it took us ~10 games to get motoring. I expect similar this season.
I very much agree with you in hating that the season starts before the window has ended. But it ultimately works both ways (as you somewhat allude to). Yes we could have our squad picked apart by PL clubs throughout August - but what's to stop us then turning around and using that money to buy some of the better Championship players? Because whilst we're now "small" in comparison to the PL, we're "big" in comparison to the Championship.
The Coventry's and the Swansea's of this division I think have a far bigger right to be concerned about being left rudderless than we do.
I'm saying hopefully in parallel, hence doing as much prep as poss and ready to move asap once we know someone is going to be off (soon)Yep, zero point buying players until we know who is leaving. At the moment we don't need anyone new.
Yep, zero point buying players until we know who is leaving. At the moment we don't need anyone new.
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Yeah there must be some footballers out there who actually enjoy playing football.
With sarcasm, is that the team who could not be arsed for the last three months, not necessary my definition of a teamIt’s going to be a difficult transfer window watching the team being dismantled
Hopefully rebuilding at the same time to keep our spirits up
I do wonder if 18 months without regular football due to injury has given him this perspective.You must log in or register to see media
I do wonder if 18 months without regular football due to injury has given him this perspective.
Not many young players show little interest in that sort of move.
Fair point. It's just the Saints he joined were a very different Saints to the one we are now. I'd have thought regular football at a (relatively) stable PL club is a completely different prospect to playing in the Championship.He was academy player of the season or something at Chelsea just before signing for us wasnt he? Seems like he has prioritised playing regular first team football.
He (or his agent) also will have had conversations with say Newcastle about their plan for him and with Trippier still there it is safe to say he wouldn’t be starting all the time like he would be here. I’m sure the reason he and others joined Saints in the first place was so when they (hopefully) got their move to a big club it was to be a first team player after proving their ability at Saints
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I don’t think the premier league clubs that will start him regularly are going to bid what we want for him. Are there any whose top priority target is a right back? And not, say, a striker?Fair point. It's just the Saints he joined were a very different Saints to the one we are now. I'd have thought regular football at a (relatively) stable PL club is a completely different prospect to playing in the Championship.
Either way, I'm not complaining!
Flynn Downes agent was at the training ground today. Could have legs.
That would be a very decent signing imo