Saint Albert

Interesting bit in the Mirror on tapping based on an interview with an unnamed former agent, in the aftermath of the VVD apology: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/inside-murky-world-tapping-up-10586182 “No transfer happens without an element of tapping-up. What usually happens is that an agent goes to the club, says his player wants to leave, asks how much it will take to get him out and then relays the information to the club that wants to buy him....What is much more unusual is for a manager or club to become quite so directly involved without some sort of sign or indication that a player might be available." So basically everybody does it (no surprise), Klopp's direct involvement was unusual and Liverpool were complete idiots getting caught red-handed.

From Sam Cunningham of the Mail. Saints confident VVD will stay, slap 70 mil price tag on him: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4585542/Southampton-demand-70m-Virgil-Van-Dijk.html

VVD's tweet with that thinking icon reminds me a little of Morgan's "Thinking about the future" tweet that he made before his successful move to Man U.

Guardian article on Liverpool's climbdown: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jun/07/liverpool-virgil-van-dijk-southampton-drop-interest According to the writer, Saints confident VVD will remain at club next season.

Credible ITKs seem fairly certain that he has wanted out for some time, both here and on Not606.

The worst aspect of it for Liverpool is that they are already under sanction for tapping up a Stoke youth-level player. If Saints are pushing ahead with the complaint, this could get really damaging for them.

I think that Schmidt's successor was sacked before the end of the season.

Whether or not VVD wants to go, Liverpool may have poisoned the waters for a move to another Premier League team this summer by publicly revealing his preference during Monday's co-ordinated media storm. Would any of the big teams in the Premier League go back in for VVD, when his preference of Liverpool over them became public knowledge?

Having perused a few forums for other Premier League clubs (well City and United), I can confirm that Liverpool are a laughing stock.

VVD will be back on the menu for the other interested clubs but still...wow. The folks in my office have been wondering why I've been laughing for the last five minutes (I've been on RAWK). Liverpool got caught with their hands in the cookie jar...I'm guessing they made this announcement, and in return Saints won't pursue the illegal approach complaint.

Independent reporting high level discussions occurred between the two clubs today: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/liverpool-transfer-news-virgil-van-dijk-latest-southampton-official-complaint-a7778046.html

Wow. If true.

Today's article in the Echo suggests that the club is very reluctant to do business with Liverpool now, and Adam Blackmore tweeted something similar yesterday. I hope Saints continue with this attitude.

Poor choice of words by me - I knew they were not in an ideal position. I tend to follow their qualifying games on the telly in the hopes that they get desperate and pinch Koeman off Everton.

Wilson is generally regarded as an authoritative source. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/06/07/claude-puel-faces-sack-southampton-have-found-replacement/

Here's a good 'un. The RAWK VVD is once again locked. The main reason? Too many abusive posts about Southamptom! https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=335603.2960

Tuchel is one of the bigger names available. He still sounds entirely unrealistic to me, but he'll probably do well in the unlikely event he joins Saints. He may attract some decent players. But he sounds like he is prone to personality conflicts (reported both at Mainz and Dortmund), and if he does well he'll be out the door to bigger and better things within 2 years. Also, if he fell out with Dortmund over player sales, I wonder how he'd react to a summer in Southampton. I suppose if both VVD and Bertrand are gone before his arrival, we could promise him a huge war chest Everton-style. Smash the glass ceiling and all that.

At this point they really should sack him. To say "we were going to sack you, everyone knows it but we couldn't bring anyone in, so you're our man again" puts him and the club in a terrible position. If the rumours of player discontent are true it will go down like a lead balloon in the dressing room, only they will smell blood this time. The club have mishandled this.

Next year is a World Cup year. Assuming Holland qualify, VVD would not want to spend too much of the 17-18 season sulking in the reserves if we ask him to honour his contract for one more year.

Spurs and Vic are a bad example to use...he ran his contract down and only wanted to play with Poch at Spurs. The club's choices were to let Vic go on a free the following year, or hold their noses and deal with Levy. They chose the latter.

That defies logic: why would Saints authorize Liverpool's contact with a player who is under a long term contract?

If Palace end up with Roger Schmidt, what about nabbing Dyche off Burnley? I'm interested to know what people here think of him.

It seems a little bit too early for this thread doesn't it? So far we have probably sacked a manager who many of the posters on this thread want to see gone anyway, and asked the PL to investigate Liverpool for tapping up VVD. Those can be seen by many to be positive developments.

Oh and of course Mitchell and Toby. I forgot about those gems.

I was under the assumption that following Poch, and Bale, and Richards, and Hoddle, the club was unwilling to do business with Spurs unless it had no choice (i.e. Vic running his contract down and only wanting to join Poch at Spurs). Am I right? I'm hoping that I am because for the above reasons, I dislike Spurs more than I dislike Everton and even Liverpool.