RinNY

After our bad start last season, once Ralph got things figured out and sorted, we were easily a top 10 team. We have retained all of our key players except Hojbjerg, and improved in two key areas by bringing in KWP at right back and swapping Walcott in Boufal's place. Barring any significant injury disaster, I can see us finishing around 8th, plus or minus one or two places (i.e., as high as 6th, as low as 10th). Everton and Villa look stronger this year; Sheffield, Burnley, Crystal Palace and, to a degree, also Wolves look weaker.

Basically a very good transfer window, in my view. Exchanging the frustratingly unproductive Boufal for Walcott is a clear upgrade: to all the Walcott critics, you do have a point but even at his worst Theo offers so much more than Boufal ever did, and if he recaptures even 80% of his best form (not at all impossible at only 31), he';; be a terrific signing. To all those complaining thsat he can't score: 108 goals in under 400 games for Arsenal give you the lie: that is an outstanding return for a winger. If he gets even close to that rate for us, he'll be three times the player Boufal was, and that's not even mentioning assists. KWP a clear upgrade at right back over what we had before, giving us solid Prem quality fullbacks on both sides, with promising backups. Ultimately, the success of this window hinges on Salisu and Diallo: if they live up to their promise, it becomes an excellent window; if not, it becomes mere a so-so window. Let's be optimistic about them: at least we didn't overpay the way we did with the likes of Hoedt and Carillo!

Hoedt to Roma (or is it Lazio?) and Boufal to Angers both pretty much done, according to reports.

Theo scored 65 or so goals in 270 odd PL games at Arsenal, a damn good return for a winger. He's a decent goal scorer at his best. He's past his best now, but still a better goal scorer than Boufal, or than Shane Long, for that matter.

Theo only has to be better than Boufal to be positive for us this season. Even though he was not all that productive at Everton, he still offered way more return in goals and assists than Boufal did for us, so I see no reason not to be optimistic. At 31 he'll be playing to get one more contract, so he should be putting in the effort for us.

Any news on Kevin Danso? Loan is at an end, but he is still on the official site as a first team player: are we exercising the option to buy, anyone?

Obafemi and Adams are very different players. MO has electric pace, great strength and a low center of gravity, and knows how to score. He tends to drift out of the game too much, and doesn't read the game well and make enough good runs, but he's young! He's improving and has great promise. Adams had some bad luck failing to score, and it affected his confidence, but he holds the ball up well, has an eye for a good pass, works damned hard, and now that he has finally got a couple of goals I think he could be a real asset next season. Keep them both, partner Adams with Ings, bring Obafemi on to run at tired defense would be my strategy ... but what do I know?;)

It's interesting to me to see how down some 'fans' are on our own players; I tend towards the opposite, being if anything a bit too optimistic about our guys ... because I'm a supporter! That said, I think our performances since November, and especially since the restart, show that we have the core of a very good PL team, capable of a strong top half performance. We do need to get stronger in a few areas, but only a few. If Hojbjerg goes we'll need another CM, because we can't be sure either Reed or Slattery can be a reliable backup to JWP and Romeu. We need at least one CB, two if Vestergaard goes; and ideally if we can find one who is better than Stephens or Bednarek, that'd be great ... but it won't be easy to find and sign a CB of that quality. OK, Stephens and Bed are no Rio Ferdinand or VVD, but if they were they wouldn't be playing for us; they have shown this year that they are a capable PL CB pairing. We have good quality and variety up front with Ings, Adams, Long and Obafemi: all except Ings have shortcomings, but we're Southampton, not Liverpool or ManU! If we sign KWP and keep Bertrand we're solid at fullback, with Valery and Vokins as decent backups with potential to improve. In other words, we really don't need that much: KWP, a good CB or two, and a CM; anything more would be gravy, but with those signings we could be very optimistic for next season, imo.

I'm not saying we could get them: the question was who would e like. It only makes sense to sign players who would make us better, and those two would. Not so sure any oyhers would.

Grealish and Ake: transfer business sorted (along with Salisu, who seems to be coming, and KWP of course)

We missed the hell out of Oakley when he got injured: took us a couple of seasons to replace him adequately: the kind of composed, consistent, effective player every team needs: gets hardly any credit, but leaves a huge hole in the team when not available. JWP is indeed like that: a terrier of a player. He's never likely to be the kind of player a top six club will try to sign away from us, but that's all to the good! I agree with those pointing out that he has added an edge of aggressiveness to his game the past two seasons, under Ralph. I recall Ralph pointing out that JWP needed to get a but stronger and add more power to his game, and he has done it. An ever-present on the team sheet for a reason.

The think I've noticed about JWP is that he is so sound. He doesn't have that little bit extra -- electric pace, creative vision, whatever -- that marks the real superstars; but if he did, let's face, he wouldn't be at Saints any more now. But if you watch our midfield play, the one player it's always safe to pass to is JWP. He does not mess up taking the pass, he does not get dispossessed, even if he's under pressure, his passes invariably reach the intended player. He just doesn't make mistakes. He is always involved in the play: defense and attack as well as patrolling the midfield; he'll crop up on either wing, or through the middle. He is naturally a box-to-box midfielder -- the fittest player on the pitch invariably-- but he can fill in at full back or winger if needed. As Ralph said, the guy is a machine. Lacking the little bit extra means he can be a career Saint, a natural captain, the foundation of our team for years. And then, he does have that special skill with the dead ball that puts him above the average solid midfielder. I just love watching him play, when I get the chance.

The interesting thing about that table is that it's largely the same as the actual league table, with a few teams moving up or down a place or two but nothing significant, except us! This has really been a tale of two seasons for us: the first 12 games or so, and ever since. For whatever reasons, it took Ralph those 12 games to sort out the squad and the right system/team: but once it was sorted, we've been a top 8 team. Now that he knows the capabilities of the squad and the best system to play them in, we can look forward optimistically to next season, I think. Dead wood is being pretty ruthlessly weeded; a couple of good signings (KWP and another CB at least, I'd say) and we can challenge for Europe next season. No reason we cannot rival Leicester and Wolves ...

I do hope we keep KWP!! A great performance from him, but among so many great performances: McCarthy, Stephens and Bednarek all immense, Ings giving a masterclass on how to defend from the front, Romeu rock solid at the base of midfield, Armstrong full of lung-busting runs, a fantastic goal and work-rate from Che Adams -- and a true captain's performance from JWP who never stopped running and working, tackling, intercepting, making himself available, holding the ball, finding the right pass. I was so sure de Bruyne was going to spoil it with almost the last kick, but we held on: magnificent day to be a Saint!

I saw a brief report on NewsNowSouthampton; but I see there is a thread on this, though with a mysterious name referring to McQuarie bank rather than Dell