Transfer Rumours Summer transfer rumours 2023

If we're that intent on maintaining the relationship, we could also offer him back to them for £40m now, too.

Realistically, we can't keep him. We need to sell a bunch of players simply to comply with the Championship financial regulations next year, and Lavia is likely to be the most lucrative and in-demand.

 

Yeah and this is what I think will happen, he’ll go back to City this summer. I don’t think it will be for £40m though, can see a Delap/McAtee loan coming in and a smaller fee. Possibly another youngster or 2 being signed with buybacks as well

But yeah I can’t see any way that Lavia is here next season

 

Maybe we don’t care about the relationship with City given the 25% success rate and us signing four players from them didn’t exactly work out for us did it?

 

Bit harsh. Larios has been injured most of the season and him and Edozie weren’t bought to be the finished article and straight in the team anyway. Baz hasn’t been great but has been thrown in at the deep end and may still come good. Meanwhile Lavia has far exceeded expectations. I don’t think there was anything wrong with bringing those 4 in. The issue is that our other signings that were bought as starters and to make an immediate impact have failed, and we’ve had to use Baz and Lavia more than I imagine we’d planned to. How bothered we are about continuing the Man City relationship and strategy remains to be seen though, especially with all the staff changes at all levels. I still think it’s a good strategy personally, so long as you get other signings right too.

 

I mean, it objectively did work out for us. If we sell Lavia, we will have broken even financially for all four, and we will still have three talented young players who have every chance to work out.

The kids didn't sink us here, the sheer incompetence of our veterans did. Che, Moi, the Armstrongs, Aribo, Theo, Djenepo, Onuachu, none of them are young. They played more than 10,000 minutes combined this year. They scored 13 goals in that span. That is extraordinarily bad. A goal for every 775 minutes played.

In his final six seasons with us (ie., after the couple where he scored at a decent clip), Shane Long scored about 50% more goals on a per-minute basis than the above combination of players. In no universe should your attack be 50% better if you replaced all of the players with over-the-hill Shane Longs, but that's what we just witnessed for nine excruciating months.

The kids didn't fail us, they just failed to save us from the diabolical ineptitude of our senior players, but they should not have been expected to do so.

 

For the sake of completeness: we signed four young attackers in Camel Dean, Edozie, Mara and Alvarez. They scored 5 goals in 2927 minutes. Also not at all great! Still better than the vets.

 

I actually think Mara will outscore Armstrong and adams next season in the championship. Top scorer lads, assist leader - Lyanco.

 

Hypothetical. Assuming ABK and Salisu leave, how would people feel about bringing BACK Vestergaard or Fonte? Both reasonable targets who would add quality at that level and have some fond memories of saints.

 

Wouldn't touch Vestergaard with a bargepole - we robbed Leicester blind there.

 

Can't see it myself? For me he's offered nothing going forward, poor decision making, poor hold up play, no physical presence, poor header, one footed, but he has got a bit of pace about him.
Really awful signing, hopefully he's one for for the future I'd certainly like to be proved wrong.

 

I think Jose back as a player/coach could be a good move.

 

Having said that what the heck is Selles on? This quote today from him -
Selles on expiring contracts: “I think Moi and Theo are the professionals, in capital letters. They gave everything for Southampton until the very end. They are players who every team should consider to have in their dressing room.” #saintsfc

 

Jeez, the others must be 100% ****e

 

Selles didn't say 'on the pitch'...

 

Surely we don’t need to raise that much. If our net spend is a profit - job done

 

Considering we went for their coach, maybe not that bothered!

 

He has been advising, coaching and now managing in our worst season for decades so forgive me if I don't trust his judgement, I wish him well elsewhere but I think he has a lot to learn still.

 

I agree with Walcott as I have said before. He has something to offer us in the. Championship and loves the club. Obviously on Championship wages.

Moi may be a good head to have around, but he is a worse footballer than Walcott and doesn’t have the affiliation Theo has.

 

If we can persuade Tella to stay here I would make a clean break with Theo and look to the future, we have Edozie and Djenepo too.
There is no way on earth that Mo El has done enough on the pitch to earn another presumably lucrative contract and Smallbone returning should replace him in the squad.

 

I would not be against Theo being here for another season if he wanted to stay then maybe coaching.