HarvSFC

Solak said we could sign three players before we sold anyone. The first being Quarshie and the second being Downs. Two players that we could get in early, as weren't too difficult to sign. Then, when we start making some sales, hopefully we can then start moving for the more established/marquee signings that are a bit more complicated to sign. But, with the wage budget being reduced and transfer budget being increased by the sales we should have enough financial muscle and pull in the Championship to attract those to us later in the window.

One of their centre halves is an ex-Saint academy man in Christoph Klarer. I was interested to see how he'd do there, and he seems to have done very well. Birmingham have already signed England U-21 goalkeeper James Beadle and are signing frequent Saints linkees Demarai Gray and Bright Osayi-Samuel, who both should be two good Championship signings. Think they'll be up there next season. We could do with them sacking their manager in the play-offs and going for someone like Wayne Rooney again.

"Marking his arrival across the Channel with a goal in a riveting 4-4 draw at Liverpool." That was three months after his arrival in a dead rubber match, although he did score two, so they have also slightly downplayed him.

There's always going to be some apprehension regarding our transfer dealings under SR, until they have consecutive successful windows, which so far they've failed to do in their three and a half years in charge. Of course, it's nice and good to sign some young and up and coming players, but we can't purely look in that market if we want to go for promotion. It would be repeating the mistakes of the summer of 2022 again when signing Bazunu, ABK, Lavia, Mara, Edozie and Larios, and only one of those proved to be any success. Hopes still out for Edozie, three years on. We need to mix these types of signings with good, marquee ones, who are ready to improve the first team from day one. Like Ramsdale last summer, and like Downes and THB, for this level two years ago. 11-12, we had young stars like Lallana and Schneiderlin. But we also had the experienced pros of Davis, Fonte, Hammond and Lambert. Even Fox, Richardson and Hooiveld played good and important parts. That was all solid recruitment and a top budget, which we won't be able to replicate, but can hope to see something similar from Spors and SR this summer.

Missed the opportunity to say Romeo done to Romeo Akachukwu. James Bree's ventured out to Turkey during the summer.

Get Brooks and he can do another job on Ramsdale, get him to give us another season. 😉

I'm in the underwhelmed on the face of it camp. I've never seen him play, but the last few years have given me my own scar tissue regarding these type of transfers. You just have to hope that the current recruitment team are capable of unearthing gems, unlike the old lot, and they're using their knowledge of Germany so far, which we always wanted Hasenhuttl to do. With Downs, Archer and potentially Ballard, it's a young set of options with Stewart, who we can't rely on. Think we need another one to come in.

If only Rusk was still around! 😂 Getting annoying every time we have a bit of success/reputable backroom staff member, they get snapped up by one of the big six straight after.

Neither Sulemana or Onuachu work hard enough off the ball for a pressing team. The press starts from the forwards, and they haven't shown they've got it in them. There were times last season when the opposition goalkeeper had the ball, would delay the play, and was allowed to delay the play because Sulemana and Onucahu were standing still, watching. It was infuriating. Time to move forward.

Best thing Ivan Juric has done for us, that. A fair amount of money back on Sulemana and Onuachu, plus the £8m from Strasbourg for Amo-Ameyaw and it should give us a bit more flexibility going forward. Clubs were only willing to loan Sulemana last summer and nobody took a punt last time we got relegated, so definitely pleasing to get some form of return for him. £18.3m gets a top end Championship player. Just a shame Bella-Kotchap couldn't adhere himself to Juric.

The time to sell Adam Armstrong was last summer when his stock was high. We gave him a new contract instead. Now, this summer, I understand why he's difficult with him neither being a striker, nor a traditional winger. However, he's also more of a guarantee next season than our other forwards for goals. It would also be very stupid to sell him to a division rival this summer. If he is to go, hopefully it's to Rangers.

You'll start to see a few more of the businesses around the stadium catch aflame over the next few years.

This was the season to go up. Bournemouth have already lost two of their best players, as well as Kepa. Semenyo and the other centre-back are also linked with moves away. Brentford lost Flekken, replaced with Kelleher, who has just one more cap for Republic of Ireland than Gavin Bazunu, despite being three years older. We've been burned plenty of times by these squad goalkeepers at top clubs. Lost Frank and are replacing with Keith Andrews and Mbuemo is also on his way out. Wolves have lost Cunha. Plenty of question marks over these clubs this summer now. We went up into a fairly stable league. Not that we'd have done much more with Martin as manager anyway.

After last season and many years of failure in recruiting a decent striker, please make this a statement signing, and not a young and inexperienced up and comer.

Remember Saphir Taider? Steven Caulker was so good he got a move to Liverpool after his loan.