Apologies if this has been posted before, but I found it interesting:- http://afootballreport.com/post/68065774976/the-curious-case-of-gaston-ramirez-by-aniefiok
"When Ramirez arrived, several labelled the transfer as a ‘stepping stone’ yet eighteen months on unexpectedly it may be Southampton who angle for a premature move." Sums it up perfectly
Excellent analysis. I tend to agree that Ramirez is not at all lazy (as some people have asserted) but seems to lack the ability to play the kind of defense MP wants. I also agree that lots of little things conspired against him-- injury, Confed Cup, etc. I'm not sure his style of play is outdated, but this may not be the right side for him. Clearly MP prefers Jay Rodriguez's ability to tirelessly press and chase down balls over Ramirez's superior creative offensive skills. I root for Rodriguez but I often find him frustrating to watch. But his pressing and his speed bring something to the table. It quickens the tempo of the game, whereas Ramirez is the kind of guy who slows it down.
What we all knew really, though well put. Ramirez struggled for various reasons under Adkins, then the goal posts were moved when Mauricio arrived. The present Saints team consists of players who play well and hard for 90 mins, leaving no place for a player with flashes of brilliance. He may get us the odd goal but only at the cost of disrupting the team ethic. Always had a soft spot for Gaston, but a move in the summer is inevitable.
No, not really. He has earned a permanent little space in my heart, but he has gone and what he did for us can not be taken away. It can be seen however, that the decision was for the better of the club.
Great article and in my view a good understanding of the subject. Especially his slow defensive anticipation. Whether the club can coach that into him is a difficult one. If he does end up staying i hope he benefits from a good break from international football over the winter
I only meant his quirky ways, not suggesting it was the wrong decision. In nooooo way do I want to start that bloody boring debate again! On the subject of Gaston if he fits poorly into the high press why did we buy him? Cortese was lining up Poch long before Adkins sacking. Cores and Les must have had ideas about the way they wanted us to play. Do you think a player such as gaston could adapt? Is the no 10 role set in stone, firmly ingrained?
Tancredi is suggesting that Genoa have been in contact regarding a loan move for Gaston. Sky Italia reporting as well.
Really, the loan/sell decision comes down to whether we need the money to add in January. If it'd allow us to strengthen, it might be smart to sell even at something of a loss...if not, sending him back to Italy for a few months to reestablish his bona fides could pay dividends in the summer.
Loaning him out seems pointless unless there's a clause in there to make it permanent for a certain fee. If we're willing to let him go then there seems to be little point in having him back next season.
Although I'm sure Saints plan for the future in their searches for players, they also have to search for the player they need now as well. As for Cortese lining up Pochettino at the same time, I don't think it went back quite as far as the search and signing of Ramirez. Ramirez arrived at the season start 2011-12 and Poch was at Espanyol until the following November. Also, when Poch did arrive, he can have felt reasonably confident that Ramirez could adapt just like the rest of them have. It hasn't worked out that way. EDIT: As MMJ points out it was 2012-13. Poch was still at Espanyol until the following November though.
Genoa isn't likely to shell out the desired money, but it's a good way to keep him in the minds of execs at the bigger Italian clubs.
Ramirez was brought into the fold before Pochettino was with us as has been said....The high pressing game that he has introduced probably doesn't suite Ramirez quite so much as he is more likely to have played in the gaps. Where as our high pressing game calls for someone with closer quarter skills perhaps, as there certainly is not the usual room. As for sending him out on loan not sure if that is a wise decision as I do not feel Genoa is a big enough profile team...unless the move is conditional on a full transfer in the summer with a fee agreed. I doubt that that will happen with Genoa as I am not sure they have that kind of money.
Clubs will make approaches if a good player is out of favour...nothing wrong with asking. I suppose the question is...will we have need of Ramirez between January and May? Are there no circumstances where we might need him? If we may need him and Poch would consider playing him in an emergency, then we shouldn't part with him unless a replacement is brought in. It's a long old season. I don't pretend to understand Cortese (one of life's imponderables like the dark matter in the Universe), but he can be an eensy weensy bit intransigent. Will he let Gaston go cheap (a word that brings him out in a cold sweat) in order to get him off the book and ease the burden on Mauricio (as unhappy players take up more of a managers time than happy ones)? Or will he hold onto him unless he gets the quoted 20 million?
I'm not too worried about that. Cortese is a banker, no way could he have gotten to where he is if he didn't understand sunk costs or if he demanded too much due to emotion or unrealistic valuation. I worry about Cortese seeming to be a bit of a perfectionist nut and maybe micromanaging in areas where he lacks expertise and/or a cold-blooded financial approach is not the optimal approach. But this sort of thing is his forte. Besides, he doesn't seem to have anything against Ramirez. Ramirez hasn't complained out loud about wanting away. Cortese seems to be on good terms with Ramirez's agent. If I recall, Ramirez's agent waived his fee to get Ramirez to sign. And he's been saying good things about Cortese. I mean, the agent has definitely put Ramirez up in the shopping window but it's quite possible he's working with Cortese on that, or at the least not raising his ire. If it's not working out, it's better if the agent says Ramirez is happy to go than if Cortese says Saints don't want him. It seems as though everyone has been careful not to set a price or demand out. I don't know if Gaston will go or not, but for now it seems as though there is a plan that everyone is on board with. There seems to be a price that Ramirez's agent thinks he can fetch and that Cortese is happy with so everyone is working to make it happen, or if not then a loan deal or Ramirez just keeps trying to get into the first team. There may be fireworks late in or after the January window as the tension increases but hopefully the situation is resolved by then.
