Dusic

If those reports are true, and the stated €30m clause is also true then we are very close to that so would assume we will up our offer and get it done if there is a willingness from the player. To rake in the VVD cash and then lose out on Promes for the sake or 2 or 3m would be a shame.

Reedo must getting nervous. Without Promes (or similar) then its a very, very poor window, no question about that: - Sold best player for a world record fee for a defender and didn't replace him despite numerous examples of being poor from crosses -Suggesting the VVD money was up front (and would be reinvested), then saying it was in installments - Sizeable number of puff articles suggesting interest in Tosun, Walcott, Benteke, Shaw, Sessegnon, Sturridge, Mawson and suggesting we would be very active in the window - Only current signing is a squad player from another club who is a big risk for a big fee who quite possibly won't even be a nailed on starter - Sitting on a whole lot of wedge whilst we have struggled to score more than a goal a game for 18 months and are in the relegation zone. - A couple of other sides have added better players without a wedge of cash to spend Spartak seem to have signed what could be a replacement -Sofiane Hanni - so lets hope he gets the job done in the end but for huge a big deal as this a breakthrough would be needed very soon and MP didnt seem upbeat earlier. Tick tock, tick tock...

Did they ask MP about Promes in the press conference?

Resigned to the fact they don't see another CB as required. We are very susceptible to conceding from crosses but defending otherwise is decent enough. How do you see it all, Warren?

Key one is adding some attacking pace. If we don't do that then its a ****ing awful window - selling our best player and just replacing Austin. Carrillo looks a decent signing but is a slow player, which is fine as he is a targetman. However if paired with say JWP and Tadic then its too slow a front three to be effective unless we have 75% possession every game. Next few days are huge for Reed. We have told everyone who our target is, so go and get him.

Sounds like this is a long way off happening. Hard to see it being done as we won't pay 30m IMO. In the Echo Pellegrino adds that he isn't sure we would move on to another target if we don't get Promes. Whilst obviously not MP's decision that would be madness. We are such a one paced side, even more with Carrillo and JWP in the front three. To not get Walcott, Promes or an alternative and just end up with buying Carrillo and selling VVD would be a 2 or 3 out of 10 window IMO.

Unbeaten in four, one defeat in the last six so certainly improving to an extent. The next two games will define the season IMO. Brighton is an absolute must win, no question about that.

So...4 days left of the window. As it stands we have sold our best player and signed a replacement for Austin. Really need another good signing shortly to call it a successful window.

The original article quotes "the British press" as the source though and I havent seen that anywhere reliable over here i.e that he doesnt want to sign for us because of league position. Crux is will we pay 30m and the answer to that is surely, no. Hopefully our back is Dany N'Guessan who is surely an upgrade on Redmond or something.

As ever, its a question of money. We have money, they know we have money and probably rightly they won't sell for less than his release clause. If we want him that much then we will end up paying that or we will go for another target that you would hope has already been lined up. If Carrillo is our record sogning at £19m can anyone really see us suddenly going out and spending £30m just a few days afterwards? Unlikely IMO.

Tadic has been good lately IMO, easily our best ceeative player in terms of tangible output. Hooefully signing Carrillo will give him a target to work with like he did so well with Pelle. Likewise if we sign a decent wide player with pace then he should also be able to combine well with them. He will be key for us the rest of the season and is miles better than what our relegation rivals have as equivalents.

Personally not convinced we will be able to get Promes. From his perspective surely you would just wait until the summer and assess your options rather than making a big move to a side that could be relegated. He is represented by SEG who also have Hoedt on their books, so that may help slightly. This will be a saga over the next few days IMO but sounds like we have a backup, so it may well be that player that we end up with. If it were Gaitan then he doesn't give us the pace we need.

Most deals happen late on in the window. Shame everyone is aware of our interest but not many teams have the money to spend that we do, certainly in the bottom half. Hopefully we have a backup lined up incase it doesn't happen.

This is well worth a listen for those who have never seen him play live (probably 99% on here). Tim Vickery is extremely knowledgeable about South American players and is quite complimentary.

Hopefully like the last few days with Carrillo, no news is good news. In theory, if Promes had no desire whatsoever to join Saints then his agent would have told us and we would have walked away - so their must be some kind of willingness to make it happen on the right terms or if its the best gig in town for him and he wants to move now (although not sure why the urgency to do so). Equally if he has a release clause then that helps not having to negotiate heavily with the Russians. I still think Promes will likely wait until the summer and assess his options, so hopefully we have a backup. Carrillo is a good signing IMO as we lack that profile of player. But alone he makes a static and slow attack even slower, so to have the best mix then we need the pace and directness, as well as the goal record, that Promes would bring. Lets see what happens, but no news may be good news, especially as we havent been linked strongly with others in his position.

Good move. We are crying out for a targetman and he might also help defend set pieces better as we are a small, fragile side. Get Promes as well and its a decent window for us.

Was better than Palace at the weekend but still fairly poor, despite the amount of rain. Hopefully better for Brighton, our team is based around technical play and in a league of marginal gains, a crappy hoke surface does our chances no good. Strange that this season it has been worse with fewer games than we had last year.

The Sturridge one was clearly a possibility much earlier in the window. I think Wilson mentioned it and then later said it wouldn't happen. These things are very fluid. We have probably enquired about 20 or 30 players. Carrillo is clearly a main target. Promes I am far less convinced on the liklihood of that. For those saying we won't sign anyone, we obviously will. They just might not be that good if we don't get the ones nesr the top of our list. It also doesn't really matter if its today, tomorrow, Saturday, Monday etc as long as we bring in quality.

The situation is pretty clear: the club, especially Reedo and Wee Willo will be judged at the end of the window. Not today, not tomorrow but on the morning of 1st Feb. We know we have sold our best player for a lot of money, but if they use that money and bring in 2 or 3 players who instantly improve our side then fair play, they will have done a good job. If they just bring in one player, or none, or sign utter dross then it will be judged as another cluster**** window. Until 1st Feb you cannot really judge. And you certainly cannot claim they are not doing anything because you have no idea if that is true or not.

IMO it would be mental not to rest at least: Hoedt - only quality CB we have Romeu - on 8 yellows Tadic - only effective creative player Bednarek must start at CB to give him game time as will likely be needed in the league assuming we don'!t bring in another CB.

What do we think the chances of the currently linked names are? I reckon: Carrillo - 7/10 Promes - 4/10 Another different wide player - 5/10 VVD replacement - 1/10 Hope whoever joins they are in to be available vs Brighton. Even if from bench it would be a big lift.

You would hope we have been given a bit of encouragement by his agent, otherwise its a massive waste of time at a crucial point of the window and very naïve. For the player it makes more sense to wait until the summer and assess his options. But if he wants to join Saints and has a release clause then it would be very possible. The key part is if he wants do, which should be easy to find out. Hope Les the Postie doesn't get his hand bitten through the letterbox by the Spartak bulldog.

Much better today and suprise, suprise, it helped the players. People at the club know they have made bad decisions, taken too long to spellcheck pledges and sign players etc but supporting the actual players on the pitch is always going to be more conducive to getting a better result than stupid protests. Fans were better, Manager was better, players were better.

Definitely missing a defensive leader. Stephens, unfortunately for a centre back, is better on the ball than off it.

Totally agree. Supporting the team gives the best chance of a good result. In some ways I see this game as a free hit. We likely won't get anything and most results went well yesterday with only Stoke winning in the bottom half. The biggest games are Brighton and WBA plus the whole of March - that will determine our fate. Was noticeable the positivity and excellent atmopshere at Anfield last week when Liverpool beat City. We could do with some of that, otherwise I feel playing at home is a disadvantage to us. You know all the oppos will be saying keep it tight, score first and the crowd will turn on their team. Reed et al will know they have made some bad decisions, MP will know his position is precarious. They don't need pieces of crap A4 photoshop waved in their faces to work that out.