So how many senior CBs do we haver at the club now? The 5 we've bought in the last couple of years and Kaboul and Vertonghen? Hope we've managed to get a good one this time and that we can sell a couple of the surplus. We need one of them threads with a list of the current squad with how many there are and how many are home-grown. I'd do it myself but laziness prevents me (actually it's cos I'm on my phone and it's hard enough just typing this).
Very pleased that this signing has been completed, now just need to add another DM and some additional quality up front
"It's official. You've signed Toby on a five year deal. Congratulations - no bitterness towards you lot." A bit sad for Soton IMHO. What more could you have done to have got the outcome you wanted ?? Atletico obviously decided they wanted more for him than your original agreement. And if he was really committed to Soton, then Spurs interest would have been moot. Such is the nature of the game nowadays.
"Let's sell Ade and LOLdado as a job-lot." Tell me which players you want rid, and I will leak to Chelsky that they are now in London for a pending medical with Spurs.
Yeah we're gutted and it's hard in some ways to shake the suspicion that we may have been able to do this better, but who knows. Look, I get why he's joined you - probably more dosh, plus the big sway of the other Belgian players, and I'd be very surprised if the Belgian coach hadn't been in his ear to tell him it might be a good plan to play alongside Verthongen too. I do think he'd have been perfectly happy to come back to Saints, but I get why he chose you first. We aren't too far apart right now in footballing terms perhaps, but you're a bigger club, plus the pull of London etc. It's a shame, but we have a habit of uncovering gems, so let's see. I wish him all the best (which is painful to say) - he's probably the best CB I've seen at Saints, and I'm over 40. You've got yourselves a great player there at a very, very good price. The only niggling thing I have is why AM didn't want to keep him, and at that price why one of the top 4 weren't in for him.....no idea on that.
Some very good players do get overlooked. Who spotted Modric's potential, for example. Not Chelsea, who ended up tapping us up to try to steal him off us.
"Yeah we're gutted and it's hard in some ways to shake the suspicion that we may have been able to do this better, but who knows." The cynic in me suspects a bit of Levying may have occurred (assuming Pochettino wanted Toby) , and Atletico were weak/greedy enough for more money. We just hope you didn't flick the "kill switch" on him before he went on his hols.
I’ll trust others’ judgement on Alderweireld. If our problem was defending, uniting our best defender with his former Ajax partner would certainly seem like a good step towards a solution. It also has to be said that announcing this and the NFL deal on the same day does make it look like we almost know what we’re doing. I can’t explain how players are valued. Cabaye to Crystal Palace? I don’t know what the fee is, but I think he would be a great fit here, with all our young CMs needing to learn their trade, and us in need of improvement in the "2." If I were a glass half empty type, I might wonder if any of our collection of CBs besides Vertonghen prefers the left (I don’t know, really)--if, in other words, we have a real backup for him. Also, we now have four options at RB which are even enough I can’t tell you, if I’m honest, which one I prefer. I suppose it’s between Dier (if he wants to play there) and Yedlin for me, but Trippier, who seems to be a one man direct football machine, could be good for what ails us, and Walker has been one of our best players. I have the strong feeling that Alderweireld had no strong preference. I’m certain his dad was trying to get the best deal for him, and believe he was perfectly content to go along with it. I also don’t understand why Southampton didn’t bid more for Alderweireld. It seems to me he was worth considerably more to you than us. Well, good luck next year. Southampton has been a real bright spot in the PL, and I hope you continue to be.
Thanks. Yeah, we probably could have done this a little better it would seem, but if we tripped up over our own feet then I have faith we'll not make the same mistake again.
I think that the £1.5m cancellation clause was something of a mistake. It's a very small amount to pay and his value barely had to rise for it to be worth them using it. Can't see you agreeing to any more of those.
Well it was actually pretty smart if Atletico hadn't stitched us up by basically not sticking to that deal and paying that to cancel it. If anything we were probably a bit too trusting there!
Alternatively, AM could have been smart by insisting on the cancelation clause, and would not be shifted on the subject. From AM's point of view, a cancelation clause at £1.5 million was always going to be sensible business, given the fact that Alderwiereld was being show-cased in the Prem, and was always likely to command more than Saints were prepared to pay for him.
I think Atletico was, at best, pushing the ethical envelope. It’s the Madrid in them. As to the strange transfer prices and decisions: http://www.theguardian.com/football...l/08/football-transfer-rumours-premier-league I don’t know why we wouldn’t have snapped up Cabaye, Payet and Shaquiri for those prices. As it stands, expect the poor to keep getting richer, as they did this year.
Frankly, I'm amazed Saints took on the loan in the first place. Loaning in a crucial 1st team player with absolutely zero guarantee that he'd end up as a permanent acquisition is something that no team with serious ambition should ever do, precisely because you end up with situations like this - everyone has benefited in the long term apart from Southampton. I'm amazed you let yourselves be used as a shop window even if it meant you got a cracking player for a year, because Southampton has the potential to be so much more than that right now, but you've been used and hung out to dry by Athletico. I hope for your sakes the people at the top of your club learn the harsh lesson. As for Spurs, we potentially need another DM (depending somewhat on outgoings and which of the youngsters leave on loan/permanently), definitely another Striker or maybe even two, and possibly a wide player as well especially if Lennon or Townsend goes. Get all that done asap, and sell Kaboul, Chiriches, Ade and anyone else deemed surplus after incomings, and we'll have had our best Summer since the arrival of VdV in my opinion.
Anyone seen tomw24 recently? I believe he looks something like this... please log in to view this image
