Well after my 24 hour sabbatical, the transfer window has now closed (thank god). Whilst we bought no one else in, at least no one else left. So my assessment of the summer transfer window is that I'm not gutted but I am slightly dissapointed. I'm happy with the players we bought in, but really feel we could have doe with a couple more especially CB / RB and a DCM, but you don't always get what you want. My main dissapointments is that after 2 great seasons and with the revenue into the club increasing massively this season, we could have made a real statement of intent to really lush on. Ok, we have broken our transfer record with the £16 million signing of Boufal, but then over half off the premier league have done the same this season, and if you take into account that Newcastle signed Alan Shearer for £15 million pounds 20 years ago, £16 is not mega money nowadays? Our Total Revenue to June 2015 was £113.7 million of which £82.5 million was premier / TV money, which increased to £84.5 million last year. The premier league / TV money will increase to around £125 million this year approx, along with our new kit deal with Under Armour and Kit Sponsors Virgin Media, and this should mean that our other revenue should increase to around £40-£45 million compared to approx £31 million as to June 2015. This means that our revenue should increase to around £165 million for June 2017, a £50 million increase on 2 seasons ago. We also still have approx £20 million in profits from player trading and RK leaving? I know we have done new contracts this season for 7 players, but let's say on average they got 15k a week more, this adds up to approx £5.5 million per year. However we have cleared/ sold some biggish earners with the likes of, Wanyama / Mane / Pelle / Ramires / Stek / Osvaldo / and RK would have been on more than Puel I'd imagine? I understand that Southampton is run as a business and we will never go throwing money around for the sake of it, but I just feel that we are not moving with the the times. Like I said, this season I think revenue will increase by around £50 million, but our spending remains that of figures based 2 years ago. So just to finish of, I'm disappointed as I feel we have missed on a big opportunity to really show intent and to match the ambition the club keep spouting on about. I know people will pick holes in this, but it's my opinion on the debate we all love, about the club we all love. Thank you.
I want to point out that the season we lost Lambert, Lallana, Chambers etc., felt ten times worse than this transfer window, and we still improved, so there is evidence that we can keep improving.
At the moment I feel that we've missed a trick or two. The usual Black-Box knack of pulling the rabbit from the hat hasn't happened this time. For the first time proper since July 2009 I think the Saints momentum might stall. Unless we fully intend to use the January window. But Saints don't, in general.
Surely it's a bit to early too early to judge that TSS, who knows how Pierre and Boufal will adapt and perform in the BPL?. Sadio was unplayable on his day, but he was hardly consistant last season and Vic was a liability at times with his discipline. I'm going to wait a few weeks to decide whether we have gone backwards this season.
I agree. Think I'm trying to say that in business things change all the time,( and saints are run as a business) and if you stand still or keep with previous plans that may have worked at the time, you could / can get left behind. I just feel that we could spent / strengthened a little more, especially as we do have the excuse of having at least 6 more games in the Europa League Guaranteed this season.
Got no problem at all with the additions. Excellent players all. Have zero qualms about their abilities. Not enough though. We're too short on firepower and too thin as a squad to compete properly in both leagues.
Exactly. Will we be in this position again in respect to guaranteed European Football, where with a bit more investment in squad strength, we really could have pushed on again. I'm not saying we won't, but the worries are there. Also if we strengthened would we have to have changed system because Puel is worried about tiredness from Thursday to Sunday etc, of which he has commented is the main reason for the diamond formation?
I'll take you seriously when you have some complaints of actual substance, rather than just crying about not spending enough.
You don't have to take me seriously, as I said in my original post, this is my opinion on a debate board about a football club that we all love.
Why has anybody who shares a debate on Southampton that doesn't say, oh we are great haven't the club done well, we are the best bla bla , suddenly become a bed wetter, or a grown man crying over the lack of money being spent. Seriously!!! People don't read the post clearly, but just pick out the bits where they can shout "bed wetter"etc etc. And I can't be taken seriously?
I think you should wait for the accounts, which are shown soon. I have a feeling we weren't as healthy as people thought. So we have used this year to pay debts etc.
I don't disagree with the fans that suggest that Saints are a business......of course they are. All businesses though want to get bigger and better. None rarely do this without investment. They have done some good things which is encouraging (extended contracts etc) but imo let themselves down by not strengthening at the same time. Based on their own statements prior to the window opening that this was their intention. They have done enough to survive but not improve again this is an opinion........I truly would like to be proved wrong.......I guess we will have to see.........
Money is not ambition. If the right players aren't available, I'd prefer we don't spend, rather than flailing about madly like West Ham and Everton.
Have no idea. I just think it is part of the 'problem' of wanting to run a club that runs itself. While other clubs don't mind getting in big debt as their owners pay it off, ours won't do it all the time.
Which I along with most saints fans would understand. I think our wages were at around £70 million can't see that being much more than £75-£80 million now as a lot off high earners and big flops have gone off the wage bill now, but our income should go up £40-£50 million plus compared to 2014-15 season? Maybe latger sums are being taken out to lay off the loans we had a lot quicker making more available quicker than forecast as per the figures report of last October?
