Well, that's the worrying thing. All of our sound business decisions have left us in worse business shape than we were in when everyone was freaking out about our overspending. We have an awful lot of liabilities these days, we're going to have a bunch of positions in the squad open in the summer, and we no longer have a couple players sitting around that can be cashed in at any time to pay for a major squad overhaul.
I very rarely worry about the business side of the club unless it is clear that the football on the pitch is suffering from it. At this moment some of the football we are playing is the best in the last 4 years and the results are much better too. I'm still hoping for a top ten finish and a decent cup run as it stands.
Of course. But lets not pretend that is what you said. You stated the decisions start and end with Ralph, and we established they dont.
Just for the hell of it, here's the presumed state of our squad at the end of the season, with their contract expiry date in parenthesis. I'm excluding the players that seem to be on permanent loan duty/will be sold if at all practical: GK - Gunn (2023), McCarthy (2022). RB - Valery (2023). CB - Bednarek (2022), Stephens (2022), Vestergaard (2022). LB - Bertrand (2021), Vokins I guess? (2021). CM - Romeu (2021), Hojbjerg (2021), JWP (2022). AM - Armstrong (2022), Redmond (2023), Djenepo (2023), Boufal (2021) FW - Ings (2022), Adams (2024), Obafemi (2022). 18 total players, though one hasn't featured in a league game. Of those 18, we're likely going to need to sell/renew about 13 of them within the next couple 18 months. Matt Crocker is going to have a lot of unused vacation days come 2022.
https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/...eal-southampton-callum-slattery-de-graafschap Confirmation of the Slattery loan. Interesting they haven't mentioned about keeping an eye on him or welcoming him back next season like they often do.
I don't think Matt Crocker is going to have anything to do with transfer business, he's nothing to do with the first team. He is being brought in for the academy only, for synergy and a pathway between all age groups. We are bringing in someone for transfers in the summer. The person we have identified is not available now so we are waiting until the summer. It will be that new persons responsibility for transfer ins and outs, nothing to do with Matt Crocker.
As DOF it would be rather strange if he didn't have a hand in contract decisions and the like. If his job was simply to manage the academy, it would have made more sense to re-appoint him to his old position...as academy manager.
Sad end to Mayas saints career. Why we are keeping vesty and hoedt and shipping maya off I will never know.
Leicester City are keen on Southampton's Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 24, whose contract runs out in 18 months' time. (Ekstra Bladet - via Leicester Mercury)
Pretty sure we are keeping Hoedt and Vesty because the footballing world know they are utter ****e. So Nobody wants them. Maya has not been 'shipped off'; he wants playing time. Very sad to see Maya go. Contrarywise; l will be ecstatic when those two those two are gone.