Yep that's how I see it. If Caulker impresses I will feel a bit sorry for Gardos tho.
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Transfer Rumours The 2015 Summer Transfer Window Thread
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Whilst I agree in principle - you are still probably talking about £1m+ initial loan fee for Caulker, a player who may well be rejected afterwards in favour of a fit again Gardos. I'd be OK with one top class centre back and using Stephens in Europe. Review the situation in January.
Using Stephens in Europe? Really? Our first European campaign since 2003 and you want to use a youngster?
£1m is nothing for a Prem team and having to rely on Stephens as fourth choice for half a season is asking for problems.
RK obviously doesn't feel the same though. He has said that he wants Stephens involved this season and that he won't be going out on loan. I reckon we'll sign one starting centre back and that's it.
The £1m figure was a minimum fee (his wages are high as well from what I understand). Wsidom going to Norwich, for example, has a £1.25m loan fee and Cualker will attract more.
Ron also said we need 1 probably 2 cbs. He said while Stephens and Turnbull look good they are still young and need to improve to be up with Yoshida, Fonte etc. I said before I can see Stephens being used for the odd game. But Stephens slowly getting game time to improve is different then being actual back up. If Fonte was to get suspended and Yoshida injured it would leave Stephens having to play, putting more pressure on him then really needed. It's better to slowly introduce youngsters rather then just chucking them in the deep end.
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That was a good read, thanks for that. The comments at the end were interesting as well.
I can see the logic, I just don't think it will happen.
If we do sign 2 cbs then I'd like Stephens and Turnbill to go out on loan (with a call back option) to the Championship.
I think Turnbull will anyways. Stephens would be good to keep as he can play in a few positions.
Hope he does get game time. Fine line between needing numbers and blocking youngsters. We've been excellent judges of that line in recent times.
Perhaps signing a starting centre back and a def mid who can play centre back would be a good compromise.
EDIT: Unless, of course, we intend to dabble with 3/5 at the back at any point next season.
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Jack Stephens was Swindon fans' player of the season. I definitely think he is ready to play a few first team games, especially against some part-timers from Moldova.
Of course there hasn't. Did any Saints fan on here genuinely think there was, based on that MIrror article with zero quotes, and the fact that Wenger has slapped a 'hands off' on all clubs loaning him? ie. let's pluck the one club in the Venn diagram of 'all clubs' for whom this may be a news angle for our readers.
RK will no doubt have Stephens involved. He'll get some time, probably a league cup game. The question you need to ask yourself is would you rely on Stephens to be able to play against Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Stoke, West Ham, Everton for possibly a few games during the season should we have one suspension at the same time as one injury to a CB? If your answer to that is "yes" then fine, you don't think we need 4 CBs you would play in the Premier League. I think we do.
In December, we had Gardos suspended and Toby injured. We were a toe nail or a booking away from having to play with one recognized CB. Risky.
Hope this Caulker story is a smokescreen. I have one gauge for our signings - does it excite me? And the answer here is a resounding no.
Did Bertrand excite me last season? No, I'll admit. But his pedigree was certainly higher, and crucially he was not a journeyman. (Please, I know RIckie and plenty of others were journeymen, but we were league one then, and our expectations were different.) If we're competing with Spurs, I'm not too keen on buying their rejects, who have then bounced through two relegated clubs. I trust in Ron, of course, and will weigh him up properly if we sign him (loan or buy), but until then. I hope it's paper talk, whilst we quietly go about digging up a more exciting prospect.
By the way, it's almost exactly a year ago today since the Daily Mail linked us to Caulker. Is this a recycling job?
Did Bertrand excite me last season? No, I'll admit. But his pedigree was certainly higher, and crucially he was not a journeyman. (Please, I know RIckie and plenty of others were journeymen, but we were league one then, and our expectations were different.) If we're competing with Spurs, I'm not too keen on buying their rejects, who have then bounced through two relegated clubs. I trust in Ron, of course, and will weigh him up properly if we sign him (loan or buy), but until then. I hope it's paper talk, whilst we quietly go about digging up a more exciting prospect.
By the way, it's almost exactly a year ago today since the Daily Mail linked us to Caulker. Is this a recycling job?
Someone on a Saints rumours site suggested that if we are after Caulker as a straight Toby replacement we can only assume that the black box has become self-aware and is turning against its human oppressors.
As a Saints fan, I would be all for signing Caulker as 4th choice CB. Serious CB depth.
But if I was Caulker, I would be very much against joining Saints as 4th choice CB. I've no doubt that there are PL sides lower down the league where he could be 2nd or 3rd choice CB.
But if I was Caulker, I would be very much against joining Saints as 4th choice CB. I've no doubt that there are PL sides lower down the league where he could be 2nd or 3rd choice CB.
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