qwertyell

The manager already stated he wasn't going to disrupt the u21s preparations for whatever tournament they're about to play by dipping into their relatively settled squad to make up the numbers. All things being equal, Maddison and AWB would breeze into the seniors. Probably Foden too - he's played more for Man City lately than Delph, who is inexplicably retained. It's a nice pick me up for Prowse and Redmond at the end of the season, but it'd be no surprise if they were both cut from the final 23. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Niklas Stark, perhaps. Although I prefer Hertha teammate Jordan Torunarigha as a real prospect for the future, as we're desperate for pace in the back line. Desperate. Personally, I'd be happy to sack off pretty much all our centre backs bar probably Bednarek and bring in two young, fast guns like Fikayo Tomori and Torunarigha and try and develop them. Yes, they'll make mistakes due to their inexperience, but our current centre backs make loads of mistakes anyway - what's their excuse? We can't afford the "finished article". Bidding for the most mediocre of them starts at around £30m these days, so we either invest in potential, or blow our budget on established dregs like Vestergaard. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Villa have the same problem - their star striker and both centre backs are loans. Good luck replacing them all at once. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Yes. Mings has done his ACL at least twice, and when he has played for Bournemouth, he's been pretty shocking. And ill disciplined - got a long ban for stamping on Ibrahimovich's head. So they've generally not selected him unless they had to. Moving down to the championship, he seems to have found his level. Not saying he's much worse than our collection of catastrophes, but he's not likely to be an improvement. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Pleased that the kids will be playing at a higher level next season, but I didn't think there was really a lot of quality on show. It was hoofball o'clock for much of the time. O'Connor has caught the eye - comfortable in possession, has played at the back as well as in midfield. Could he potentially be a ball playing holding midfielder? Might need a bit more oomph in his tackling. Vokins looks busy and punchy down the left. Klarer has done okay, albeit lacks pace. Not sure there's much else to write home about. More than happy to be proven wrong. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Don't see what anyone's issue is regarding firing Hughton - he was the same at Brighton as he's been in all his other jobs: a relatively competent, defensive manager who retreats into a narrow 10-0-0 at the first sign of trouble. Eventually clubs (and their supporters) begin to wonder if there's more to football than simply grim, joyless survival. He'll get another gig and it'll go the same way. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Delusional. Vestergaard can't play in a back four because he can't move. Bednarek has been all right - but is again wildly exposed in a back four due to poor mobility. No defence in the history of football with Yoshida in it has ever been described as a "strong base". Given that Hasenhuttl wants to play a back four, the fact that two centre backs don't have the attributes for it, and the other barely qualified as our third choice in the days when we had good defenders, I'd say the rebuild (not that I have any faith in it happening) is going to be extremely hard. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Part exchange for Che Adams would be nice. Straight swap would be even nicer. Doubt they could afford Austin's wages and pie bill. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Wolves (likely Europa League qualifiers) wanted him in January. The player still believes he can make the grade at Chelsea. Given that they've got a transfer ban and only two over the hill strikers in their current squad (and in any case Higuian is only on loan), Abraham might be wise to keep his powder dry for another season or so. Chances may be about to open up. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Somehow I don't think we'll be in for the most in demand young striker in European football on the market. Barcelona or Madrid. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Yeah, I made a dog's dinner of the conversation from 1.78m, which is what Wikipedia claims he is. 5.8 feet is not the same as 5' 8". He's 5' 10" according to that - but I'm more than prepared to believe he's taller, having never seen him (or maybe I have but didn't notice him). A tall left sided centre back with pace is something we could seriously use (albeit he sounds like one for the future). Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

No chance at Chelsea. Jonathan Panzo has already given up and moved abroad in the hope of game time. For Guehi to get in the Chelsea back line, he's got to get past: Luiz, Rudiger, Christensen, Zouma, Tomori, Ampadu - five internationals and an u21 international. Personally, I'd like us to try and exploit the elite clubs' stockpiling of more talented youngsters than they can ever use and try and pick off the likes of Tomori and Guehi by offering them a more realistic pathway to first team Premier League action. (Regarding the Huddersfield game, the PL2 play off match has been confirmed as being on the Monday, so I doubt we'll see any youngsters feature on the weekend. Same squad as usual.) Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

The exception not the rule - and he never played in England where half the league love a hoof up to the big man. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

5' 8" centre back? Unless he's got a hell of a jump on him, I suspect his career will be spent at full back. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

He's broken. The player he was and built his reputation as played on the shoulder of the last defender and ran in behind. Now his pace has gone, we're committing £20m on a player having to reinvent himself as a striker who comes deep to the ball, in spite of him having no track record of success whatsoever playing that way. Five goals from open play this season - the same as Shane Long FFS - is not an encouraging start: Jay Rodriguez managed that in his last season with us before we got rid of him because he, too, was a different animal after injury. If we were spending £20m on today's Long or Rodriguez, everyone would think we were mental. And yet here we are. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Jesus - if we're playing five at the back and a couple of holding midfielders at home to the second worst team in Premier League history in a match of no consequence, we really are in trouble. Gunn; Valery, Bednarek, Yoshida, Bertrand; Hojbjerg, Lemina, Ward-Prowse; Redmond, Sims; One of our phalanx of incredible strikers. Give a bench look in to Ramsey, Vokins, Johnson, Slattery and O'Connor. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Not going to happen, obviously, but I'd be more than happy if we had a mass clear out in the summer - we've got so many horribly mediocre players and those past their prime and in terminal decline it's beyond parody. From today's line up, it'd be no loss at all if Forster, Stephens, Armstrong, Elyounoussi, Ings and Long weren't Saints players next season. Throw in Austin, Hoedt, Cedric, Carrillo, Clasie, Boufal and probably call time on Academy graduates who just aren't quite good enough: McQueen, Reed, Hesketh, Gallagher, Targett, Jones. Push the reset button and start again. The Les Reed era is over and the sooner we can rid ourselves of all of his accumulated crap, the sooner we can move forward. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

WTF kind of goalkeeping was that? Thought about diving, thought about sticking out a leg, eventually just did f-all. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

That was pretty abject. All the fringe players suggesting that they're not even good enough for that status - Forster has at least made a couple of fairly routine stops. We're badly losing the midfield battle - not surprisingly, as we're carrying two players out there. Elyounoussi has touched (and lost) the ball about five times; Armstrong is just a horrible footballer, a midfielder who can't pass, tackle or control the ball. The tactical plan of playing a high defensive line with two centre backs who are slower than coastal erosion and a goalkeeper who has abandonment issues with his goal line is, let's say, a bit of a gamble... Danny Ings has lost his pace. Liverpool fans told us that when we signed him, but we still committed to a physical wreck whose best days are gone anyway. What a mess. Valery is having a stinker. Not sure he (or Bednarek) is suited to a back four - his limitations are too exposed. Still, we're going to storm the top ten next season with just a couple of tweaks of the squad. Apparently. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Seems pointless playing Forster - we have an excellent young, developing keeper, and the best thing for his development is to keep playing games. He'll learn more on the pitch than on the training ground with Dave Watson hitting drop kicks straight at him. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

No-one's going to sign Hudson-Odoi this summer - he's got nine months of rehab ahead of him after rupturing his Achilles. And at the end of next season, assuming Chelsea can't persuade him to sign a new contract, foreign clubs will be able to pick him up for free. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I, for one, am looking forward to our "rumoured" interest in Bayern Munich's first choice centre back, £60m+ rated Niklas Sule, pay off. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Leipzig have just qualified for the Champions' League again. Seems pretty unlikely that their best players will swap that for scrapping around in the lower reaches of the Premier League. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Alfie Jones who can't even make the bench when we've only got two fit senior centre backs? I think it's pretty clear the manager doesn't even rate him as a viable option over Kayne Ramsey - an 18 year old right back played out of position! From what I've seen of Jones in u23s football, he's painfully slow and has no obvious stand out attributes that suggest he could play at a high level. I'd be amazed if he was still at the club next season. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Always quite liked Huddersfield's Billings when I've seen him. Not sure he's much better than the midfielders we've already got, though. Sessegnon is the only Fulham player that would suit us, and he's both out of our price range and been massively underwhelming this season. Doesn't look skillful enough to be a winger at this level, and too poor defensively to be a left back. Cardiff haven't got anyone worth a damn - and still beat us twice! I'd be more interested in raiding a few teams that miss out on the play offs from the championship. Grealish, at Villa, won't be in our price range, but their other quality midfielder McGinn might be. Jack Clarke at Leeds is a prospect. I know he's only on loan at Derby, but I think Tomori is someone we could potentially pick up - Chelsea will never play him, and we're crying out for a mobile centre back. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk