Along with the healthy profit he is also the trailblazer for our new recruitment strategy. He will act as proof that moving away from the top academies with limited pathways to the first team to Saints is a wise career move. The more Lavia's we buy and sell to top clubs, the more likely it is we pick up the next top talent. Dortmund have been doing this for years, albeit at a higher level, and it is the reason they were able to sign Haaland & Bellingham.
I am still hoping we keep hold of JWP for at least 1 more season. Feel like a lot of people don’t see past his deadball ability. They forget how much of a work horse he can be and distance he covers and just his levels of fitness in general, then you can add that he can provide cover in a number of areas. I would be very disappointed if we accepted anything less than £40 million. He should be a player who can play on into his mid to late 30s so a fair few years left in his legs. I don’t think he is the type of captain we have needed the last few seasons, a leader by professionalism but we needed one of those leaders that would kick you into shape.
Could we not loan JWP for the season? If we don't come straight back up, then we can sell him? WHU can pay his wages. Just a thought.
Smallbone now being linked to premier league sides. He is in his final year of contract so hopefully it is his agent trying to generate interest to give him the upper hand in negotiations.
Reminds me of the Ballard 'links' a couple of weeks before he signed his new contract. Smallbone is going to be a big player for us this year. We do not want to lose him.
Smallbone isn't ready for the PL and has openly talked about his excitement to be back here to be an important part of the team, very much sounds like contract lube.
Should both Lavia and JWP leave how many central midfield signings are we likely to need ? We’ll have Charles, Alcaraz and Smallbone and plan on playing 3 in the middle. Have I missed someone (other than youth team players). Seems like we’d need two players. I guess Stu Armstrong and Aribo could be deployed in the more attacking parts of a 3? No guarantee both of those will be there either. But they might not have takers due to wages (both), injury record (Stu) and ability (Aribo)
Doyle has been playing in those central midfield roles pre-season, so he's another option. Though I think his best position is further forward. I wouldn't be surprised if we signed another there, so then you'd potentially have Charles, Alcaraz, Smallbone, New (+ Doyle / Armstrong / Aribo if desperate)
I suspect we'd need two more but will put us in a tricky spot. Charles and Alcaraz will rightly expect to start every game. Room for one more guaranteed starter, e.g Downes but then it becomes difficult to get a top quality player in on loan or similar to boost things because they'd likely be behind Smallborne (and potentially Armstrong) in the pecking order so game time difficult. Clearly we want to keep improving the squad but we may eventually need to look at one first team CM and one 'development' , or' good to have around' type player. Plenty of games to give everyone game time but the likes of Tyler Morton will expect guarantees to go on loan and play every week.
I wouldn't include Alcaraz in the list, completely different sort of player and position to Lavia/JWP.
We don't have Diallo anymore either. I'd say at least another DM. Can't rely on Charles to play every game not least because theres no guarentee he'll come in and immediately take to first team football as well as Lavia did.
We need one of these. Doesn’t have to be Choudhury but we need an athletic, defence-first screen who can do some dirty work.
