I was at Old Trafford to see Yan's thunderbolt of a strike and will never forget it. All the best for the future Yan.
I know it doesn’t necessarily mean much, but 3 is usually a full back’s number. Possibly could indicate where he will play? Although I doubt it. I thought he was more a CM and expected him to take no.5 or 6.
I was going to post a similar list to this. We've upgraded on every player that we've got rid of, in my opinion. There are a couple of unknowns, and it's unlikely every player will settle quickly and hit the ground running, but overall, very good. I was worried about the striker situation, but as we've seemingly changed to 4-3-3 (or a variation) and only really play one central striker, three is enough. Adams, Adam Armstrong and Mara. You'd like to hope Armstrong will push on, a bit like Che did in his second season, and Mara is a young unknown with potential, like Broja was, so who knows how he'll perform. Don't forget, many clubs around us were keen on signing Che, so I'm happy for him to be leading the line. His hold up against Chelsea was class, he just needs to convert a few more chances.
Can’t remember where I read it - here or Twitter - but apparently he prefers to play on the wing as opposed to a full back. That said, in his welcome video he sensibly says he’ll play wherever he’s asked to play and will give his all
Ross Barkley still being linked to Saints as a free agent. Can’t see it myself. Wages could be an issue. Then there’s whether he would actually get on the pitch
That just about sums it up. You would think that football journalists would know about many of the players from around the European leagues but apparently not. There was hardly any mention of Saints' transfer dealings until we played Man U and then beat Chelsea. All of a sudden the so called football experts gave a collective howl of surprise. If they spent a fraction of the time on other clubs rather than the usual suspects not only would they be better informed but it would make their football reporting more interesting.
Southampton’s transfer window: Maitland-Niles, Caleta-Car and a very busy last month Jacob Tanswell Sep 2, 2022 3 As the window neared its conclusion, Southampton’s head of recruitment Joe Shields could often be seen walking around the Staplewood campus with a phone glued to his ear. Throughout the summer, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad had been in a state of flux, with several moving parts… well, not actually moving. Southampton did not receive an offer for any player in June or July, leaving a number of those the club were open to letting go in limbo. Hasenhuttl wanted to streamline his squad while strengthening key positions. He sought a versatile full-back and a striker who could transform Southampton in attack. It was no coincidence, in his opinion, that the best spells of his tenure have always coincided with a clinical forward leading the line. Earlier this summer, it had been mentioned that Southampton were willing to move past the £20million ($23.1m) mark and the club-record fee paid for Danny Ings in 2019 should the right calibre of attacker be available. Southampton stepped up attempts in the final weeks of the window. On August 9, Sport Republic co-founder and Southampton director Rasmus Ankersen flew to Denmark to watch his former club FC Midtjylland face Benfica in the second leg of their third-round Champions League qualifier. That evening, Ankersen spoke to Benfica’s president Rui Costa over the possibility of signing forward Goncalo Ramos. It is thought Ankersen wanted to work out the parameters of a deal in view of a potential bid. Sources in Portugal say Benfica were keen to sell the 21-year-old for a fee considerable enough to reinvest into the squad. Their thinking, in part, was influenced by another forward on their books, Henrique Araujo, who is a year younger and internally regarded as the better prospect. However, one source involved in brokering deals across Europe told The Athletic that Ramos has a release clause of €50million (£43m, €49.74) in his existing contract. That, though, is believed to protect his value should he develop over subsequent seasons rather than being a realistic price now. please log in to view this image Southampton baulked at the potential cost of a deal for Ramos (Photo: Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images) Despite reports elsewhere suggesting negotiations were advanced, any deal for Ramos to move to the Premier League — Newcastle and Wolves also held talks — were only likely to materialise in the final week of the window. Ramos is thought to still have a good relationship with Wolves boss Bruno Lage, having worked together in Benfica’s B-team during the 2018-19 season. Ankersen also led talks to sign PSV Eindhoven’s Cody Gakpo earlier this summer and had an initial bid turned down for the 23-year-old. It reached the point where Southampton thought they had met the asking price, believed to be in the region of £30million (€34.8), and those with knowledge of the deal expressed confidence Southampton would ultimately get an agreement in place. But a delegation from Leeds, led by director of football Victor Orta, offered a more lucrative package than Southampton and ultimately it was decided that Gakpo would remain in the Netherlands. There is now hope Gakpo will sign a new contract at PSV. Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been a long-standing target of Southampton. They first came close to securing a loan deal in January 2021, only for the Arsenal player to join West Bromwich Albion instead. West Brom’s pitch, in which they promised him game time in his favoured position of central midfield as opposed to full-back, was seen a determining factor. It is, however, thought Maitland-Niles’ stance has since relaxed and he is prepared to play full-back if circumstances necessitate. Southampton, ideally, wanted a player who could operate at both left and right-back and Maitland-Niles fits the bill. He was viewed as a reliable presence in Hasenhuttl’s squad, especially when there may be uncertainty as to how Tino Livramento comes back following such a lengthy absence. Significantly, Maitland-Niles would also provide ample midfield cover to compensate for Oriol Romeu’s departure. please log in to view this image Southampton have tracked Maitland-Niles for a long time (Photo: Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images) Given Hasenhuttl’s optimal squad size is between 18-20 first-team players, with the rest supplemented by promising talent from the B team, Southampton still had to shift players on. At the start of August, they had 27 in the senior squad, including six senior centre-backs. Hasenhuttl later publicly accepted he had an excess of centre-backs, felt keenly by the club wanting to strengthen in that position. Talks were held over signing Conor Coady before his loan move to Everton from Wolves. Southampton’s hierarchy also asked about the possibility of signing Tyrone Mings when he was left out of Aston Villa’s starting XI in their opening-day defeat away to Bournemouth. Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens were made available for sale all summer, with both attracting interest in the final month. Having initially viewed Bednarek as the defender likely to generate the most money, Southampton were in dialogue with Villa over a loan move before West Ham United’s proposal of a permanent deal came close to an agreement. Ultimately, Bednarek decided to join Villa and travelled up to the Midlands for his medical on Thursday afternoon. He completed a season-long loan with an option to buy. Stephens, meanwhile, held talks with Championship outfit Watford, but they broke down in the final week. There was hope a deal could be resurrected should one of Watford’s centre-backs depart. In the end, Stephens joined Bournemouth, attending their goalless draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night before undergoing his medical the next morning. The defender joined on a season-long loan with no option to buy. Since signing last summer, there is an acceptance on Lyanco’s side that he has experienced challenges in adapting to the Premier League but was understood to have had his heart set on staying at the club and playing in the top flight. With one year left on his deal, Yan Valery’s exit was not being ruled out on the morning of the final day of the window. The player sought regular game time and was inside the final year of his contract at St Mary’s. The defender travelled to France later on Thursday to complete a medical at Ligue One side Angers before joining on a permanent basis. Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car, in the meantime, was heading in the other direction. Caleta-Car has been the subject of interest from several Premier League clubs in recent years, with Wolves among his long-term admirers. The total package of Southampton’s deal to sign the defender, who was in the final year of his contract at Marseille, is worth between £12-15million. please log in to view this image Caleta-Car was a deadline-day signing from Marseille (Photo: Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images) Ibrahima Diallo was another the club were willing to listen to proposals for and Southampton would look to have replaced the midfielder had he left. But any move was thwarted when La Liga side Girona were prepared to offer Romeu a three-year contract. Girona’s pursuit of the 30-year-old was hastened following two lengthy injuries to midfielders Yangel Herrera and Ramon Terrats at the weekend. A return to Spain close to his home in Catalonia was thought to have appealed to Romeu and Southampton were reluctant to stand in his way. Earlier in the week, the two teams were some way apart in agreeing terms for the midfielder but Southampton’s acquisition of Manchester City pair Samuel Edozie and Juan Larios helped the deal get over the line, with Girona under the City Football Group umbrella. Theo Walcott’s future had been in doubt for most of the summer, with a departure only likely to transpire towards the end of the window when the player obtained a clearer overview of his status under Hasenhuttl. Walcott’s experience is seen as a valuable contributor and he was always content to stay should no transfer be finalised. Sources close to Walcott vehemently denied Cardiff City’s interest after reports surfaced on the morning of deadline day. A viable approach from West Brom did arrive later on, with a season-long loan discussed. Another winger whose future was up in the air going into the final day was Nathan Redmond. Southampton had been keen to offload the wide player, with Hasenhuttl omitting him from the previous five matchdays squad. Both parties sought a resolution. The Athletic reported Wolves were among the teams interested in signing Redmond, with the player able to help fulfil their homegrown quota. However, the possibility a deal could be done appeared remote and was likely dependent on Hwang Hee-chan leaving Molineux. Other clubs in Europe also expressed an interest in taking Redmond on the final day but talks were still in their preliminary stages in the afternoon. Bournemouth, having secured Stephens, began making enquiries about the 28-year-old. With Bournemouth unable to loan another player from the same side, the question then centred on whether Southampton would terminate Redmond’s contract or if the buying club would pay a fee for him. There proved to be too many hurdles to overcome and from Southampton’s side, the move was called dead in the water. A week before the window closed, Hasenhuttl insisted for the first time this summer that Che Adams was not for sale. The club had previously been willing to sell the forward, and were described as wanting “a change of direction”. Everton had initially explored a loan-to-buy approach for Adams, but Southampton made it clear they would only countenance a permanent offer. Frank Lampard advocated the signing of Adams and saw him as a capable foil and deputy to Dominic Calvert-Lewin. This led to Everton having a £14million bid rejected for Adams. Southampton were unprepared to lower their asking price and, signalled by Hasenhuttl’s comments, decided to draw a line under the matter. Everton lined up alternative targets such as Neal Maupay, which was seen to be the more straightforward deal to do. Southampton’s summer finished how it started — proactive, youthful and a clear desire to reinvigorate an outdated squad.
Interesting fragment from the article Tom posted; "Earlier in the week, the two teams were some way apart in agreeing terms for the midfielder but Southampton’s acquisition of Manchester City pair Samuel Edozie and Juan Larios helped the deal get over the line, with Girona under the City Football Group umbrella." Didn't Pep say Oriol was one of the best midfielders in the PL? Maybe we could of given Girona another one of Pep's "favourites" for some more M.City youngsters. Would have been less bizarre than ACFC's lamentable attempt to sign Nathan.
He was really pushing to play CM when he went on loan to West Brom but apparently he’s softened on that somewhat. He’ll cover RB and also play at 6 I imagine. He looks like the best athlete of our potential CMs and with Ralph’s talk of the mobility needed to be a solo 6, it would make sense.
Window is still open in Turkey and several other European leagues. Wouldn’t be surprised to hear of a couple more outs. Redmond was heavily linked to Turkey. Walcott could be one on the way too.
Only Turkish and Middle East clubs could get close to the wages of players we want rid of. I guess Redmond might go. Walcott won’t Given late interest in Redmond from the premier league he might just stick around until January and try and get a move then
