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max_saints

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  1. Imagine the meltdown on here if we'd signed Vergini and O'shea from that Sunderland side (Yes I do know bert was sent off after just 12 mins and Vest hauled off at HT)
  2. Seems the trend lately for old boys 'coming back home' Bale -> spurs (sort of) Lukaku -> chelsea CR -> man u and we've got walcott 😐
  3. Oops must have stumbled on the tactics thread, can anyone point me to the transfers thread? Only slightly more than a week till deadline day and we still have no idea who we're targeting as Vest's replacement. 😐
  4. https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12383685/brandon-williams-norwich-in-advanced-talks-to-loan-man-utd-full-back Brandon Williams: Norwich in advanced talks to loan Man Utd full-back Looks like our protracted non saga is drawing to a close, wonder what went on the last 3 (?) transfer windows of will/will not join.
  5. https://reddt1.soccerstreams.net/ was a reliable option for me during the Euros and is free. Based on my experience, reliability of streams do not differ too much between a paid service and a decent free service, so I am not a fan of paying for these
  6. Clubs like ours will never be able to compete consistently at the top but instead should accept that we will go through peaks and troughs in terms of our levels of success. Peaks: When everything clicks, recruitment is spot on + we get a golden generation from the youth teams + this group sticks together for more than a season. While we were enjoying consecutive top 7/8 finishes, the likes of Villa and Leeds were going through their nightmares in the Championship. Troughs: Inevitably after a peak, the vultures will start circling for our top players, players who know their careers are short and they won't get many opportunities to earn more or prove themselves at the highest levels. We start getting more misses than hits reinvesting the money from sales. All the head start we got from our peak is eroded and the rest of the pack catches up and we assume our place back in the average chasing pack, waiting for our next lucky break to hit a peak again. If the question is, will we ever be able to compete with the likes of the top 6, consistently being right up there, and becoming one of the clubs young players grow dreaming to eventually play for. Nope, not in our lifetimes I don't think. Are we able to compete with the likes of Villa and Leeds who are now enjoying what we had a few seasons ago? I don't see why not. If Villa invest the Grealish money poorly the same way we squandered the VVD money, they will eventually lose their momentum too (not that an 11th place finish is anything to brag about mind). Key factor is how selling clubs like ourselves reinvest the money we get from our departures. Note that we can have the most spot on recruitment team and strategy, but a huge amount of luck is involved too
  7. Big money for a player with only a year left on his contract, and not interested in signing a new one. Yes, we've traditionally sold our key players to the top 6 and this is worrying for the optics, but in this case I am guessing top 6 wouldn't take the 30m risk on an injury prone ageing player. Have a feeling we nudged this a bit on our end too due to the money involved. We could have made him stay and survive another season with his goals but we would be back in the same situation next year, and without the 30m for reinvestment. Calculated risk on the club's part to see if they can reinvest wisely, and hopefully plug the deficit of Ings' goals. (IF we do reinvest in a replacement, cue last min diego costa free transfer)
  8. Who are the other 2, get them all in and build a little Chelsea. Oh and, WHAT AN INSANE SIGNING!
  9. Not sure who else is interested but @ 8.5m, HCDAJFU https://theathletic.com/news/liverpool-transfer-news-ozan-kabak/AwQWdKH31vXk https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-transfer-news/2021/7/14/22577353/liverpool-fc-transfer-news-reject-chance-sign-ozan-kabak-8-5m-schalke (if athletic is behind paywall)
  10. It started with a phone call just over a week ago. The message was clear: “Theo Walcott’s available. He wants to come home.” Once that conversation was held, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl wanted to know the answers to three questions: Is he a good character? Is he intelligent enough to adapt to a new system? Will he turn up to training on time? When the resounding replies were “yes”, “yes” and “yes”, the wheels to sign Walcott on a season-long loan from Everton were set in motion. Hasenhuttl was also informed the 31-year-old former England international is one of the “best professionals” you could work with. But before we get to Walcott’s homecoming, it is worth reflecting on how this fits with a transfer policy that has seen Southampton target players of a certain age so they can be sold later on for a profit. Going into this summer’s window, defence and midfield were the areas that needed addressing as Maya Yoshida, Cedric Soares and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg had to be replaced. Mohammed Salisu and Kyle Walker-Peters were bought for a combined £22.9 million, with Ibrahima Diallo arriving for another £12 million to fill the void vacated by Hojbjerg, who joined Tottenham Hotspur in August. Those new players are all aged 23 or under. It became clear early on that Sofiane Boufal was going to be leaving as well, creating a space in the No 10 positions Southampton’s attack-minded wide midfielders operate from. But at the time, Walcott wasn’t top of the list of potential replacements the club drew up. Had Mohamed Elyounoussi’s second successive season loan to Celtic not been agreed so early in the summer, The Athletic is led to believe there wouldn’t have been a desire to go shopping for another attacking midfielder. Sources at Southampton believe Norway international Elyounoussi is capable of making his mark in the Premier League, also adding their belief a player who cost the club £16 million two years ago will prove to be a good signing. But Celtic wanted an answer in June, which didn’t give the St Mary’s top brass much time to think it through as they were in the midst of tackling the challenges of Project Restart. With this in mind, there’s a chance Elyounoussi will be given a shot to impress Hasenhuttl next summer. Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson and Demarai Gray of Leicester City were also considered, although moves to sign them didn’t get much further than initial discussions. The new season then started away to Crystal Palace with Nathan Tella, an academy graduate who had played two minutes of senior football for the club, on the bench. Southampton lost that game, and were then battered 5-2 at home by Tottenham a week later. Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong also picked up injuries and it became abundantly clear another signing in that department was crucial. Concerns have been raised privately about the fitness of players used in the No 10 role, and Moussa Djenepo limped down the tunnel holding his hamstring after being substituted early in the second half of Sunday’s win over West Bromwich Albion. Redmond, Armstrong and Djenepo all missed games because of injuries last season too, which only added to the discussion when bringing in a replacement for Boufal was being discussed. The question confronting Hasenhuttl and the hierarchy at that point was whether they sign a young player, investing for the future, or go with experience. Due to the unique situation, it was decided to go the latter route. Former Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana is believed to have been open to returning to St Mary’s but that would have been a huge, long-term financial investment — something the club weren’t willing to commit to — and he moved as a free agent from Liverpool to Brighton & Hove Albion instead. As the window drew to a close, it was obvious that Walcott’s homecoming was a deal they could make happen. There’s an argument that his recent injury record isn’t much better than those of the players already on their books. However, as they’ve done with striker Danny Ings, there is a confidence at the club that any underlying problems he may or may not have can be managed in a way that will see him stay fit. It’s also worth noting it’s unlikely Walcott, who left the club for Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2006, is going to be a regular starter in Hasenhuttl’s team. The Athletic understands he’s viewed as someone who can come on in the final 25 minutes of a match and make an impact. But there’s a desire for his influence to extend beyond what he can do on the pitch. To put it bluntly, he’s not Boufal. The Morocco international, who has joined French top-flight side Angers, didn’t add value to the group behind the scenes. While Boufal’s ability was never doubted, a can-do attitude is everything to Hasenhuttl. Walcott, on the other hand, is expected to come in and be a positive influence on the likes of Djenepo, Tella and Yan Valery, while also pushing Redmond to up his levels and improve. Not only can he make a difference on the wing, the man with 47 England caps can also play as a striker if With everyone behind the scenes at Southampton keen to make the transfer happen, it became a matter of reaching an agreement with Everton. This is thought to have been fairly straightforward. Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti decided Walcott was surplus to requirements and the club wanted to get his salary off the wage bill in a bid to balance the books after a series of high-fee incomings during this window. Southampton always had the upper hand in terms of signing him. Walcott informed them he was only going to return to St Mary’s if he left Goodison Park, seemingly not interested in a move to Burnley, Crystal Palace or Fulham. To boost his chances of securing a loan move, Walcott turned down certain bonuses he was due to receive from Everton. All in all, Southampton will be paying slightly less than half of his wages until next summer, and there was no loan fee involved. This is certainly being viewed as a win-win situation inside St Mary’s. They were able to sign a player with a wealth of experience, who wasn’t going to cost them an arm and a leg. The Athletic understands that the financial outlay on Walcott falls below the level of the club’s highest earners. It’s understood there are ways Walcott can make more during his Southampton loan. Should the club end up qualifying for Europe this season, for example, he’ll be entitled to a bonus. As was seen earlier this summer with Gareth Bale’s return to Spurs, there is a certain pull about going back to a club that holds a special place in a player’s heart. Whether it’s unfinished business or a feeling of familiarity, the connection is always there. “I had a few opportunities from other clubs but as soon as Southampton came in for me, it’s part of me and has made me into the player I am,” said Walcott, who first joined Southampton at the age of 11. “It’s in my heart. “I will probably cry, I bet, when I first play and it means so much. All the people that made it happen, I can’t thank them enough. Honestly, I’m so pleased.” There was also a telling line from Hasenhuttl, who, let’s be honest, has always discussed how he prefers signing younger players. The tone set by the manager would have provided an element of comfort to the players at his disposal. Had Southampton signed another winger permanently, what would that say about, for example, Djenepo’s future? By opting to go for Walcott on loan, the hope is that the dressing room should — and almost certainly will — remain a happy place. “His experience and influence will also be important for our young players,” Hasenhuttl said. “The idea is not to block their development but for this to make it faster. From this professional, they can learn and grow as players for the future of our club.” The fact Walcott was available on loan was crucial to the deal becoming a reality. Hasenhuttl was happy to veer off-track and opt for experience. But a player who turns 32 this season was never going to be signed permanently. Walcott’s Everton contract expires next summer, which will make him a free agent. The Athletic understands the possibility of Southampton retaining his services beyond that point has not yet been discussed by the two parties. Although, if he comes in and performs in a way that means the club would be crazy not to open dialogue about signing him permanently, this is something they would be open to — just not yet. His return to Southampton was, largely, met with a warm welcome by the fans. When he left to join Arsenal, it wasn’t under a cloud. The £12 million deal was — and still is — a lot of money to any football club. Southampton had hoped he would return before, in January 2018, but they were unable to match the package Everton offered to Arsenal. That’s in the past now. Walcott is home — and it won’t be long before everyone finds out whether this move was a masterstroke or wishful thinking. https://theathletic.com/2118760/2020/10/07/theo-walcott-southampton-transfer-hasenhuttl-loan/?source=user_shared_article
  11. Decent window. Slowly we are clearing out the deadwood that has hampered us the past few windows. Back to making smart and value transfers. Hopefully means we are back on an upward trajectory again after the puel/pellegrini/hughes dark period.
  12. At that point of time, I was thinking JS was stupid to have left his hand up in the air. Having seen this, I can understand why and how he might not have meant it. Do not think it is possible or natural for his arms to continue moving downwards while there is additional downward force from the tug. BUT does not excuse the fact that we escaped from the first half penalty call
  13. Is this a loan with an obligation to buy or just an option? Hopefully the former, he really is carp
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