qwertyell

Although not to the extreme some have expressed their concerns, I don't think it's unreasonable for fans to feel a little deflated at the way the off-season/transfer window has panned out (so far). After finishing in their highest ever (Premier) league position - three points off a Champions League place - qualifying for the Europa Cup group stage, signing the most lucrative kit manufacturing and shirt sponsorship deals in the club's history, on top of the financial windfall of the biggest ever broadcasting contract kicking in, Saints have never been in a stronger position to build on their progress. And yet, far from strengthening the team and looking to push on, we've contrived to start the season in a weaker state. All the optimism built up over our storming second half of last season (second only to Leicester in points gained in 2016) has ebbed away, along with the manager, coaching staff, best attackers and midfield man mountain. I've no doubt the club know what they're doing and we'll possibly have a half decent season after everything has settled down again, but the dreamers among us had probably hoped we'd aspire to more.

Born in Paris, I think. Has a French passport anyhow. So, no.

So that's Rodriguez, Forster, Flanagan (twice), Clinton, Seager, Gardos, Slattery, Barnes, Pied in the last couple of years. Bad luck? Something wrong with the training/conditioning/pitches/boots/medical team? Seems an awful lot of major knee injuries in a short space of time.

Too injury prone. That's been the biggest stumbling block to his progression.

I think we've filled our quota of ex-Burnley strikers with dodgy knees. Ings hasn't proven he's fully back up to speed after his serious ACL injury. We'd be pretty desperate to be throwing money at him, IMHO.

Might not be the worst idea in the world (if - big if - Saints are recruiting more attacking talent). Rodriguez needs to play games and prove that he can still cut it at this level. The signs so far haven't been promising - his pace and mobility seem seriously compromised. At the moment he's at the back of the queue of our forward options.

Mane tore up the Austrian league, was an established full international and also starred in the Olympics. In no way is Redmond roughly at the same level (although I do think he's a promising player).

Unfortunately, Rodriguez isn't even worth a place on the bench these days and Ward-Prowse has no business starting games. In my opinion.

Maybe we can get Caulker back on loan - killing two birds with one stone as he can play up top too... Sent from my VF-895N using Tapatalk

No, but they didn't sell their best attacking players either.

Born in Portsmouth, cites David James as his hero... I think the odds were stacked against him from the start.

If memory serves, Sammy immediately tried to change their style of play, only to find a squad built by Allardyce that wasn't overly stocked with players who could pass the ball on the ground.

Good stuff. Always seemed a level headed chap (apart from getting sent off against Swansea having lost his head) and has learned the hard way that a football career's a lot more fun when you play every week. Future captain? Sent from my VF-895N using Tapatalk

So the answer to "who replaces Wanyama?" is the same as last season's "who replaces Schneiderlin?". No-one, really. Seems remarkable that we've merrily gone from a powerhouse axis of Schneiderlin and Wanyama to a Chelsea reserve and a little Dutch boy who can't play for more than an hour. Doesn't auger well for those of us hoping for Mane and Pelle to be replaced with quality...

Man United had midfielder Daley Blind as their 2nd CB...

Wouldn't be much of an endorsement of the fabled black box if we're signing our third right back in a year - having had plenty of time to prepare for Clyne's exit in the first place. I can only assume we're looking to cash in on Cedric if we're adding a bang average journeyman right back to the squad. Can't imagine anyone wants to buy Martina. Sent from my VF-895N using Tapatalk

That's all well and good, but he was supposedly clocking all kinds of impressive numbers last summer too and still looked a sad shadow of the player he was when he was actually required to play some competitive football. Fingers crossed that he does make a full recovery - it'd be a feel good story and a half. But the longer he struggles the less likely the chances of that glorious comeback becomes.

He had a full pre-season last term and still looked miles off the pace, so I'm not confident of his chances of returning to anything like his pre-injury level. His doddering cameo against Man City at the tail end of last season was a sorry sight. His future - if he has one - is surely away from the wings if, as it seems, his mobility is compromised (whatever swollocks Saints are spinning about him gaining pace). He's still likely to be quicker than Austin or Pelle and theoretically a decent all round striker who can score all types of goals. It'd be a great shame if his best days are in the past, and I'd love to be proven wrong, but I can't think of too many players who've lost two years to injury yet have returned as good as ever. Sent from my VF-895N using Tapatalk

Aside from being unable to last 90 minutes, play two games in a row or keep up with the pace of the league, he was all right...

Don't see Saints shelling out £10m on a back up LB when they've got Targett and some other youngsters (Debayo and that 15/16 year old who played some games at the end of the season for the u21s, I think) in the wings. The only way Amavi is coming is if Bertrand is leaving. In any case, didn't he do his ACL? Hasn't played since. I'd like to think we've learned our lesson with Rodriguez about giving contracts to players who haven't proven that they've fully overcome a serious injury. Sent from my VF-895N using Tapatalk

Unless we already have replaced him with Redmond. Which would be the opposite of something to get excited about.

Although it's a laudable ambition that Saints want to push academy players into the first team, it will ultimately be at the expense of the overall quality of the side if - as with the current generation - the standard of the young players coming through is mediocre at best. I know Les and his mate Hunter have to justify the efficiency of the youth set up by showing that x number of players have walked the "pathway" from fledgling to first team, but it's a pointless exercise in back slapping if the players aren't good enough - and I think most would be hard pressed to name many lads outside of the first team squad who should be anywhere near a Championship side, let alone a top six Premier League team playing in Europe. But good luck to the new manager in any case. Every appointment is a gamble - the very few managers who "guarantee" success don't come to Southampton. Sent from my VF-895N using Tapatalk

I thought he was meant to have an £8m release clause. Anyway, it seems a sound investment - as a squad player. As others have said, if he's a direct replacement for Mane, that's such an inadequate downgrade for a key player, it's almost funny. Sent from my VF-895N using Tapatalk

£30m plus Ibe, pays for Redmond and Kostic with plenty left over and we lose one wide attacker and replace him with three. In terms of squad building, that gives us two left wingers (Tadic being the other) and two right wingers. Don't really want to lose Mane, but if it balances the squad in a similar way, perhaps it's good business - especially as he's itching to leave. Sent from my VF-895N using Tapatalk

They'll be lucky to manage 15 starts between them. Sent from my VF-895N using Tapatalk