The9

It's on the list on the BBC website.

The third most expensive Arsenal signing in their entire history. He cost more than twice what Dennis Bergkamp did, and the same amount that Arsenal received from Barcelona for selling Thierry Henry (who also cost them £6m less than Chambers did to buy). Even considering inflation that's still an extraordinary fee for a back up right back.

This is what happens when there's absolutely no defence for some of the extreme positions adopted in the past 2 months - and the date on which we were asked to judge shows us in a much more stable and promising position than that of the last week of July, when many toys were flung and some of the more childish positions were adopted. Having just re-read Crab Lungs' post, all of what he said may still be true - but it looks more and more that the departing players used Cortese and Pochettino's leaving as an excuse to bail and make themselves more money. I can't even be critical of the club for ignoring phone calls or not liaising with players who, by most accounts, had already decided to go and nothing was going to stop them. The club may indeed be "for sale", but that doesn't mean the owner is actively seeking a buyer. The Chambers deal was different, and fortunately served as a tipping point - and you do have to wonder what would have happened with Schneiderlin and Rodriguez if it hadn't been - but since then, the board's played a blinder in keeping them AND Boruc... with the obvious rider that we don't yet know the true abilities of some of the signings and whether they'll be up to standard. The main thing I've learned from this summer is that Financial Fair Play is the unfunny joke most people anticipated it would be, and that we shouldn't place too much emphasis on player loyalty, because it pretty much doesn't exist in football any more, partially because of those restrictions. Personally I've also resigned myself to us regularly losing our top players and needing to replace them on an annual basis, but that's ok, at least that's more interesting than just coming mid-table all the time. Though the last time I complained that mid-table was boring we went on a 7 year tour of the Championship and League One...

Posted on 28th July, the day after Lovren left and the day Calum Chambers went. Since then we have signed: Ryan Bertrand (loan from Chelsea) Fraser Forster (£10m, Celtic) Shane Long (£12m, Hull) Florin Gardos (£6m, Steaua) Toby Alderweireld (loan - Atletico) Sadio Mane (£11.8m - RB Salzburg) Released/loaned out: Dani Osvaldo (loan - Internazionale) Jordan Turnbull (loan - Swindon) Billy Sharp (sold - Leeds) Gaston Ramirez (loan - Hull) Jack Stephens (loan - Swindon) Jos Hooiveld (loan - Norwich) And signed and released: Saphir Taider (end of loan) 7 in, 7 out... plus we kept Schneiderlin, Rodriguez and Boruc - can't really complain about that - we're still a long way short of where I thought we might be, but we look like we could finish in the top half again, which I didn't think there was a hope of on 28th July.

This is true. But it's a long way from "selling off all the assets to sell the club to someone who doesn't want to pay the going rate", isn't it?

I know which one of them has a successful Premier League career so far.

He may well have dual nationality having played for Metz a couple of years ago, so he'd be an EU citizen and not need a permit.

Sorry, did you go to the Chimpstitute?

And Lovren. And Wanyama. In the only Transfer Window he was at the club.

I'm pretty sure he's already better than Chambers was for us last season. The interesting thing is whether he and Fonte can play at CB together.

Contrasts with another thread where it was noted that he's a RCB/RB, as Fonte is also right sided. Hopefully Gardos is not quite fit, as opposed to Forren-fodder.

I honestly can't be bothered to decipher that. You've managed to get 4 correctly spelled and correctly capitalised surnames out of 17.

It's as legal and binding as the contract they've got in the first place.

Why? We've agreed fees, they're ours unless we don't want them, which would only happen if they were cack, and in that case, we don't have to spend the money. I never want to see another window like it, but I suspect they're all going to be a bit like that from now on.

Which of course is what the rest of us were saying they should do at the time.

With the full picture, I mean. Yes, we have to see how they gel, but apart from back up right back we've got more depth and similar potential. Not sure about Gardos or Mané yet, and amazed Mayuka is still around, but shifted some fringe players on, given others experience and importantly some options to buy after loan which could be great business too.

You would have to be an absolute bona fide bell end of the highest order to think this was an asset strip or an untrustworthy or incompetent board, I know that much.

Gaston confirmed http://mobile.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/20140901-gaston-ramirez-hull-city-loan-1892179.aspx

Like I said, mate with history of misreporting on Twitter, so I checked for myself and updated the comment.

I heard late nights were a Taïder speciality?

So he should be at home by now...

I'm passing on what a dodgy source of mine said he said on Twitter, seems too stupid to make up. Edit: Just checked Twitter: SP said "not a Hull player yet contrary to reports, nothing sorted". 29 mins ago.

Just for the record, Peach is saying on Twitter that Gaston isn't happening, and the only "Saints confirm" came from the SSN reporter outside Staplewood...

Saints don't do anything at THE Uni, they so a load of preseason tests at Solent Uni though (aka Southampton Chimpstitute).

Well, no, because he's already played for Inter, for Algeria in a World Cup, and also scored in his only appearance for the development squad as well as looking quite decent in the Leverkusen sub appearance. Considering all that, he must be a right bell-end to get the boot that soon.