Verdict: Squad for 2020/21 + transfer business

What do we think then, now that we know the way the window played out?

Personally, I have to say I think Martin Semmens and Matt Crocker have done what certainly looks to be a smart job of getting what needed to be done, done.

The club now seems really well-placed for a takeover both in terms of the balance of the squad and the decreased wage bill, while still having quality and additionally retaining the services of an impressive manager. Plus, we tied down Prowsey and are fairly well-reported to be in talks with Bertrand and Ings about new terms.

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Summary of ins and outs at the club since the end of the season...

IN: Walker-Peters, Salisu, Diallo, Walcott
OUT: Cedric, Yoshida, Hoedt, Hojbjerg, Lemina, Reed, Boufal, Carrillo

Bonus: Hasenhuttl and Ward-Prowse sign new long-term deals, Smallbone and Vokins also given long-term contracts

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The senior squad is now down to 24 players.

Assuming Gunn goes on loan to Stoke in the next week, a 23-man squad is decent enough.

Two senior players for every position and then academy lads to be roped in if need be.

Crazy to think our squad was in the high 30s not so long ago...

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Positionally...

* Walcott listed as AM/ST as it remains to be seen if Ralph plays him up top or in the wider spaces between midfield and the strikers

GK: McCarthy, Forster, Gunn

RB: Walker-Peters, Valery
CB: Salisu, Bednarek, Stephens, Vestergaard
LB: Bertrand, Vokins

CM: Diallo, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Smallbone

AM: Armstrong, Redmond, Djenepo, Tella

AM/ST: Walcott

ST: Ings, Adams, Long, Obafemi

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So what do we think of the balance of the squad now and the work during the transfer window?

DTLW

 

The outs have been handled well. Good job.
The ins look promising.
Overall squad looks maybe one light at CM (depending on Smallbone development) and CBs with a question mark.


Overall rating as it seems = good

 

Pleased with this window, especially the outs as there was soon much excess baggage
As you said it’s vital with drastically reduced income that we reduce the wage bill proportionately
Probably a few more domestic loans to be done like Gunn, Sims, Hesketh and Slattery
Very well done to our management team

 

It's easy to find fault in this squad, and I'm not banking on us winning the league this year. Outside pubs the length of Hampshire the ten 'o' clock curfew doubtless prompted socially distanced (?) pavement conversation along the lines of "Yeah, it's all very well buying some cheap lad from France, but .."

However, I'm not sure they support the same team as the one I've followed through thin, thinner and positively bloody emaciated for decades. We've had good times, of course. But let's be honest, if we applied logic to football supporting only the insane would choose to support Saints. And yet, and yet ... the buzz I got when Romeu shocked everyone, himself included, on Sunday has been supplemented by a transfer window in which:

one or more of our star players hasn't been moved out;
we may have made a very shrewd signing of a young guy from the French league;
we've moved out some dross;
we've brought back an old fans favourite.

The new contracts mentioned are a great fillip too; a few good wins and a cup run in the new year and maybe Ings will go for the contract that is obviously being dangled.

But that's down the line. For me, I went to bed a happy Saint. Well done to all.

 

Ultimately how good the window is depends on how good Diallo and Salisu are surely? If they're good then it's been a decent window, if they're rubbish then it's not been.

 

It feels like we broke away from the shackles of Les Reed and his parting gifts this window.

The opening two games of this season dampened the optimism somewhat, but the overall outlook is very good and I’m excited with a manager we can all get behind and a handful of young players who I’m hopeful can get us back up to the top half of the table.

 

I think it is has been a good window for Saints, if Salisu and Diallo are as good as we hope. Competition in all positions, some high earners out the door, no huge fees paid for players, Ralph get his smaller squad. Doesn`t seem to be any future for Hesketh, Sims, Slattery however, so best move them on if possible.

 

Pleased with our dealings, both in and out. Salisu will be a very good player when he gets up to speed. Theo is a feel good story and he's clearly delighted to be back here so will be motivated. Diallo looks a good player in he making too. Just need Ings and Bertand signed to new deals and then I'll be very happy.

 

Don’t think we could have expected much better

This is getting nearer to being 100% Ralph’s team

Thank god we can stop talking about the legacy of the unwanted players during transfer windows at last

Maintaining that team spirit in the dressing room gives us an edge against some bigger teams and the new guys seem right for that

I do think we still need a leader on the pitch when games are going against us, expensive and risky to try and bring that in. Step up JWP? Or maybe Diallo or Salisu ?

 

Yeah this. Really hard to judge a window a few hours after it shuts.

They did well getting rid of the deadwood (though I seem to remember a lot of people moaning last summer because we only loaned them out, which we have done again, Carrillo apart who we paid to leave)

On paper squad looks ok but agree with Fats that one more CM would’ve made me feel far better with the window. If Diallo takes a while to adjust/isn’t great then we look very light in CM.

Hopefully Salisu also can hit the ground running when he plays as the two clean sheets I feel aren’t really reflective of where the centre backs are at because of how **** Burnley and West Brom are.

Ultimately I don’t think we will be troubling Europe this year or too involved with the relegation battle (Unless we get injuries to a couple of key players) so bringing in some highly thought of younger players and slimming the wage bill for the year is a pretty good window in my eyes. I’d give it a 6/10

 

I think given the constraints we are under financially and with the restrictions of so many overpaid players that nobody wants we've done well. It's not a fantastic window or anything, but hopefully a very positive one. In terms of outgoings we've done about as well as we could hope to do and in terms of incomings it's a wait and see for Salisu and Diallo but cautiously optimisitic. Getting KWP in is a great bit of business for us.

 

The difference this year is that, as far as I can tell, all the deadwood we've loaned out are in the last year of their contracts, apart from Hoedt? Although the Hoedt deal has a low option to buy, so if he does OK or better, I expect Lazio to purchase him. If not, a Dutch/Belgian team will get him very cheap.

So we've essentially seen the last of them, which is why I think the fan base, and presumably the club, are pretty pleased. They won't be returning and it allows us to look forward with them in the rear view mirror. That equals a positive mindset which is only a good thing.

 

Overall, a solid window. Gao twinned with a global pandemic meant we were never going to spend big, and it was never going to be straightforward.

KWP is the best signing and is proving key to our attack, albeit with three of four signings yet to feature.

It will all come down to fine margins though. If we get one or two serious injuries, we could be in trouble, notably full back or CM. I'd like JWP to push on again, we lack a bit of creativity in the middle and that's not coming from Romeu.

On the flip side, if we are lucky with injuries and the team stays fit, we have a good 11 (like we showed after lockdown), with some solid additions to the bench.

Said it on another thread, but if we can finish comfortably mid-table again, we're set up nicely for next summer when we're hopefully under new owners.

 

I'm pretty happy with the squad depth tbh. Got alternatives in every position. My only worry is if we lose Ings for a sustained period of time.

I know some people aren't sold on Valery/Vokins as options, but for the amount of games they'll play, they are more than adequate whilst we develop them further.

 

From the board’s viewpoint, cleaning house was clearly the priority this window, whereas from Ralph’s, plugging the gaps in defence and central midfield simply had to happen. For the first time in as long as I can remember, we have had a window where both sides of the equation can feel satisfied that they’ve done a good job. Finally we aren’t throwing millions and millions down a black hole paying players who can’t or won’t play up to their price tag, while at the same time we have a balanced squad with real quality available on the bench, and one or two good Academy prospects pushing for a place. There were even hints dropped that we might go back for the likes of Joey Veerman and some sort of full back cover in January.

Of course I agree that Salisu and Diallo are as yet untried at this level, but I would beg all fans to give both of them a chance. I imagine Salisu will be on the bench against Chelsea, alongside Theo, but Diallo may take a bit longer to appear.

Given that cautionary caveat, I’m very pleased with the window.

 

I agree. Just looked at our fixtures and we have just 8 games, with no mid-week fixtures, between now and 12th December. The first mid-week game is 15th Dec but most matches this year will have a full week's training in the lead up.

Probably looking too much into it, but it's 13 games and 11 weeks between Chelsea on 17th Oct and Liverpool on 2nd Jan.

Obviously anything can happen in that time, but it isn't the most arduous of schedules and hopefully we can keep key players fit until the window re-opens.

 

On paper it’s a good window. Especially with the constraints of COVID, deadwood high earners and an owner who can’t invest. First window in a long time that I don’t feel like we’ve weakened. A lot relies on how Diallo and Salisu adapt, but I’m hopeful about them.

The poor start seemed mainly fitness related, the players are looking sharper every game now and hopefully they will be at post-lockdown levels of fitness after the break. I worry for our squad youth players (Smallbone, Valery, Vokins, Tella) who seem like they need a bit more coaching / confidence / physical training. Hopefully they can access this and develop as they are meant to, they all look like promising players who are just missing a few qualities.

 

I think it’s a solid window. With the exception of KWP who was already here, all the signings are going to need time. The rigid system that Ralph prefers means that they are going to be given time to get acclimatised and used to pressing triggers and the like. Walcott will surely be ready first, along with Diallo. Salisu is a project who will need time but has lots of potential and we have three starters when it comes to CB which is enough to do the heavy lifting until he gets good chance.

We got the urgent work done early and it was a window full of decisions that made sense. It was never going to be spectacular, fireworks stuff. But you can see the direction.

 

As others have said the OUTs were finally done and was needed, I am still unsure if Theo is correct for us although if his enthusiasm is to be believed he may convince me otherwise. If the new incomers can come in with the right attitude and not disrupt the rest of the team then it will be a good window, if they can successfully push into the first team then it will be a better than good window.

 

The success is who has left. The high earners are gone and replaced by players on, l presume, less money or were surplus to requirements. We could be saving £million a year in wages.

The loan window for the EFL is still open so we could see further out goings

We will have to wait and see how good Salisu and Diallo are and if Theo is still up to it. If all perform to standard then it has been a fantastic transfer window.