Fabrice29

Bringing in Ings would only push Ballard back. Don’t think he’d be pleased unless you sold at least 2 of Che, Mara, Armstrong.

If/when Sport Republic own a top division club, especially when it’s in La Liga, I’d understand and expect that particular route to be explored. 2nd Division Turkish and French clubs I’m not sure would benefit any of our young players.

This is going to become one of those tiresome things people say and assume will happen but rarely actually does. Not sure what a loan deal to Goztepe really does for any young players development if they have desires to be included in PL football. There’ll be better options out there. Very rare that dealings happen that way around I would suggest.

People develop at different ages. We’ve given some young players opportunities but the 19 year olds and younger we’ve really thrown into PL have been exceptional talents. I don’t think we were ever really relying on Larios, Edozie or Mara for example. Tino, Lavia and Bazunu. The rest have rightly been dropped in and out, I see no reason why this kid won’t be the same. Tella and Smallbone are 24 and 23. Signing 19 years for a couple of years time doesn’t seem strange to me at all.

Always good to remember that if a selling club is leaking fees they want to the press it’s for show. If a buying club is leaking figures to the press it’s also for show. There’ll be a middle ground and any further leaks about the final fee will be skewed from each side and also for show.

So 19 is too old now? Blimey.

Thiago will go and if they had youngsters in that position they wanted to play they wouldn't be keen on Lavia.

He’ll get plenty of playing time at Liverpool. Only Fabinho ahead of him in that deep lying position and he can learn from him and put pressure on him also. Big platform that will boost him into the Belgium squad. Good environment that won’t turn toxic unlike Chelsea for example too. Maybe Arsenal equally as good as an opportunity as well but I feel like Liverpool would be best for his development. Will be interesting to see where he fancies.

I'm judging him as a player whose fitness has seemingly been a concern and a player who isn't going to get any better. That is at any level. If we're all agreeing he's not good enough for the PL but also agreeing we want to be back in the Prem next season then what's the point in matching Leicesters offer of a 3 year deal? I also don't think Lyanco and Stephens should be anywhere near our squad next season either fwiw.

He's past his best and has clearly been concluded not good enough by two teams and managers in the last 12 months. Doubts about his abilities to play in a 2 suggest fitness concerns too. He's also been given a 3 year deal so there's a massive chance that in those 3 years he becomes a burden on their wage bill for little return. Good signing for how long? 6 months? A season? Do you think he plays 46 games? If they get promoted will they want him next season? Maybe he's decent for off the field stuff and maybe he leads them to promotion and it's all worth it but that seems like some big maybes and big risks. Not sure we should be aspiring to be a club that is into signing players who are past their best, will only be declining and is likely to be on big wages that will become a burden within the life time of their contract.

I'm pretty sure he wasn't in their squad. They have also been knocked out of the tournament now.

It's not though is it? He's clearly scored quite a lot of goals for them. I think the four player's you've talked about there are all really young and it shows you it's not easy to make an immediate step up, which is what is so impressive about Lavia. Tella is 2 years older than Delap and Edozie. 4 years older than Larios. He's just had his first proper break through.

Don't you find it interesting that City were happy to sell the others but not this kid despite the seemingly big bids? Maybe the players pushed for moves a little more than Delap did but City being happy to sell Lavia and don't seem keen on bringing him back but had no interest in selling Delap can only mean they rate him and aren't probably judging him on a slow first season in first team football.

You’re viewing 3 minutes of clipped up footage. Forming any opinions, good or bad, Jones or Martin, based on these would be nuts. ‘Drills far more what you’d expect at high level football’ ffs 😂

Our squad has a host of players who aren’t young and have experience including players in this league. I’d like to see a lot of those leave in fairness but suspect some will naturally stay. We don’t need to sign players who are exclusively under 21 but don’t really get the desire to sign players who are clearly past their best like Coady and Winks. You can get experience and still haven’t reached their ceiling.

The desire for people to spend their money watching players past their best knows no bounds. Much rather watch young and potential stars play every week than players I know have a ceiling. Neither strategy is guaranteed results.

And if you do that and Lavia wants to go there, you'll get a knock on the door from Lavia and his team wanting to know why it's been rejected. Player power is huge especially when you set yourself up as a club who wants to attract youngsters by promising them you'll sell them on when the chance arises. So the next youngster through the door will also be asking why Lavia wasn't let go and you'll have to try and convince him to sign. There's knock on effects too. It's obviously not a pre arranged transfer but it's a value Saints agreed to a year ago and I doubt Lavia and his team will be chuffed if we suddenly start doubling that value and pricing people out. Also your second point is interesting because I'm pretty sure City sold him less than a year ago. They put in a just in case clause and like you say there's no evidence they want to exercise it. City are not in the business of selling the hottest prospects in world football, they sold him for £12 million last year. He's done well in his first season, he's an attractive talent at an attractive age and will likely attract interest because he can be further developed but if we price him out of a move clubs will find another and not only will he want to know why but so will any further young players we're signing that summer. He's done nowhere near enough to be demanding half the price of Rice and Bellingham and a season in the Championship will not change that.

We are the selling club and we’ve already agreed a deal to sell him next season for a specific price. Put yourself in the buying clubs shoes and ask yourself how delighted you’d be to be quoted a higher price for the same player. ‘Yeah we’ve agreed to sell Grimes to (insert club here) for 10 million, they don’t actually want him but for you it’ll be 20.’ You aren’t going to pay it and if you are you shouldn’t be allowed to make financial decisions in your family. You might pay £15 million now though to get it done a year early. Anyway, he’s not staying and nobody in their right mind thinks he is so if you want to get worked up over that good luck to you.

Just mad that anyone thinks a buying club with any sense next year is going to come along and say ‘nice little clause you’ve got there, let’s offer you £20 million more than that and still maybe lose out’ 😂 I repeat, if Lavia has a preferred bidder and it isn’t City, they would be utterly nuts to go over an already agreed amount with another team. But anyway, it quite clearly isn’t coming to that. We’ll sell this year because Lavia will want us to and because we can sneak a few more million out of clubs to do it now.

I don't really understand what you're asking here but anyway it's all irrelevant because I suspect he'll have a preferred team he wants to move to this summer and they'll offer just over £40 million in some form, we'll want more and there will be some sort of add ons attached and ensure we get a little more than we would next year and everyone will be happy. Nobody will be paying anywhere near £60 million.

It's not though is it? If you're a buying club and you're coming in for him next year why would you pay over that? If City do come in for him, you match their offer and if City don't come in for him then you go to Saints and say the max we'll give you is what you agreed with City so if you want that money take it or leave it. In fact if City don't come in for him next year, which is very possible seeing as they were happy to sell him last year, then any buying club probably comes in under that price.

It's not a free for all if he has a preferred option, which is normally why clubs do their work with the player first so they can go to the club and say "Unlucky lads, he only wants to play for us so here's our offer and we'll pay you a bit extra this year than we would next year" They'll all be sniffing around trying to convince him to signal his intent to join them.

Why is next years price irrelevant? If you wanted something from a shop and it was set at a price in a years time but open to negotiation now how much more would you pay for it a year earlier? Maybe a bit more to ensure you got it over someone else. I doubt you would be paying double.

We've effectively accepted a £32 million bid next year for him already. Even if City don't come in for him next year (Which I suspect they won't) any other team would be mad to go above that next season. Nobody is paying near double for him this year. £40 million for a kid with one season behind him is very good and all parties will know that.

Because he will want to leave and it’s only going to get less each season we don’t sell him.