Dusic

First and foremost most of us are Sport Republic fans so need to change our Saints mentality and adopt more of a stable-based view. The club are already making strides like enabling Goztepe and Valenciennes fans to stream Saints games, hopefully a reciprocal arrangement is on the way for us. #SaintsFC #GozGoz #ValenciennesMeUp

Hopefully Chelsea just offer us the cash we are looking for today and we can move on. Have clearly budgeted for selling Lavia and he won't be playing in the Championship this season whatever happens.

We may as well fully embrace our EFL status so would be good to get this reverberating around a near capacity St Mary's on Saturday. Edits and alternatives very welcome: Rasmus had a dream Based on a multi club scheme Funded mostly by Dragon's serbian dough We got Tella back Added Valenciennes to the pack With our new game model We're on our way back!

Chelsea would certainly have a better pool of potential loans for us than Liverpool do, if we were interested in that. Either way, fingers crossed these Lavia and JWP deals get wrapped up by early next week at the latest. Why anyone is worried is beyond me. Its literally playing out exactly how the club, manager and DoF expected and told us it would so they have clearly planned for it.

Whilst seemingly some of our fans are suprised that we are selling our best players despite both Russell Martin and Jason Wilcox telling us that this is exactly how it would play out, we can take comfort from the fact that presumably Russell Martin and Jason Wilcox are not taken by suprise that what they told us was likely to happen has actually happened. They will have plans, they have been expecting this, they know as RM said after the Sheff Weds game that we will need to replace these players with starting XI signings. Interesting that we actually had an offer accepted for Aarons even if he then chose initially Leeds (Farke reunion) and ultimately Bournemouth ahea of us. Suggests they know KWP will be going too as Aarons wouldnt stay in the Championship to be a sub.

The likes of Lavia, JWP, Tino were always bound to leave as they are good PL players and we have been relegated. Can understand a bit of sadness about JWP but don't see why anyone is suprised. Before the window Adams, KWP and ABK will also go, probably Sulemana too because teams higher in the foodchain will see a value in signing them, despite what a wally like Fareham James thinks. The issue for Saints isn't and never has been selling them because it was always going to happen, and RM and JW have both pretty much said this. The key is replacing them well. And the sooner they all go, the sooner they can be replaced.

Feels like we still have so much business to do and really need to get on with these outgoings, including JWP, to get a sense of certainty. Its a hard sell to Aarons, or any other RB, to join whilst we still have KWP but do we know that he isnt going to be leaving? Probably not, so very difficult to plan. We probably have four or five first team signings to make in 3 weeks whilst also making 4 or 5 key sales of good players as well, so might as well start the domino effect. Absolute needs: 2 x CM 1 x RB if KWP goes, two if Bree does too 1 x CB 1 x Striker

After tonight its extremely obvious which players just won't be successful or contribute anything meaningful this season...Lyanco, Djenepo, McCarthy, Bree - senior players behind the level of the better players in the squad. Would hope we can still shift at least half of those, in addition to the inevitable sales of some of the better players. Also for the likes of Doyle and Ballard...no league cup games to feature in...they should surely be sent out on loan til January? Don't see either making first team squads too often and they won't learn much in the sterile U21 football. Although Doyle having less than 12 months on his contract is ominous anyway.

Unless there is a specific contractual clause then you would think probably not, but it doesn't matter anyway as he will go this summer. Would assume part of our agreement with Liverpool will be a hefty sell on clause for when he joins Al-Someone for £200m in a couple of years.

The bit lots of people seem to muddle about this buy back is that its up to City if they want to activate it next year (they don't have to) and also there is literally nothing stopping them moving for him this summer if they wished to, they would just need to negotiate like everyone else and the current price minus their sell on is pretty much similar to their agreed buy back anyway. Personally I don't get the logic that City are seemingly ok for Lavia to go to Liverpool or Chelsea this summer hence they havent got involved in bidding for him but that next summer they will suddenly move for him as a priority. If City saw him in their future plans they would be in for him now to stop him going to a rival, so I would assume on that basis that they don't see him moving back there any time soon.

He was a starting GK the last two years in the Championship so I doubt we would. Certainly not the usual profile of a no3 keeper. I wouldn't be suprised if he is no2 by the 1st Sept and then the club have their options open for next summer with only Bazunu under contract. From what I have read it sounds like Lumley is a good character (was Players Player of the Season at Reading last year) so seems a handy cover signing. From someone who actually watched him last season: https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/sport/23541843.former-reading-fc-captain-bringing-back-middlesbrough-loanee/

Its Premier League, a big pay rise and European football. If they agree a fee with Saints of course he will go.

According to Nixon, whose strike rate is even worse than Adam Armstrong.

I actually thought second half he was pretty much our only threat for most of it. He had a big role in the winning goal which was a great team move but he was the player who committed defenders and opened up a bit of space. Totally get that he is nowhere near a finished article but his potential is extremely obvious and whilst his decision making may not be natural, his ability to glide easily past opponents is also something inate rather than overly coachable. If he did it all then we would never have signed him because he would be in the City first team. Tella had shown pretty much no end product until last season in the Championship and I think Edozie could be a big player for us this season. Promising start for sure.

Plenty of time for desperate Prem clubs to meet our valuations. Still far, far more likely that proven PL, English players like JWP, KWP etc leave rather than stay. All this stuff about JWP only wanting to stay near to his home is also pretty ridiculous - plqyers are always moving all over the place and I highly doubt he would turn down a decent midlands or northern club because he only want to play for Bournemouth or Fulham so he doesn't need to move house.

Good to see him play well yesterday, was a big threat all game and had a hand in the winning goal. Yes his final ball/shot needs improvement but as that improves he will be a major weapon at this level. He had Paterson and Delgado on toast all game and got both booked as they couldn't really handle him 1v1, so created good set oiece opportunities also. Encouraging signs and good to see that he kept trying to be positive almost every time he got the ball. We don't have many (any?) other dribblers in the team really so he is a nice point of difference especially as so many teams will defend deep.

Lumley has been a starting player in the Championship for the last two season and won Reading's Players Player of the Season last year (low bar admittedly). Ages 28 I don't see why anyone would go from being a #1 to a #3 in the same division, so surely he is being signed to actually make the match day squad and be the #2 keeper. Its clear AMC isn't suited to the style and its utterly stupid to have one of your highest paid players as a backup goalkeeper, at alone a thirs choice. Surely this means he will be leaving, even if its just a loan until his contract is up in the summer? Perfectly fine to have one of Bycroft or McNamara as 3rd keeper as if ot gets to the stage where you actually need them to play any games then you can almost always find a more experienced free agent like we did with Caballero. Bottom line - zero chance that Lumley or McCarthy are going to spend a season as a third choice GK in the Championship.

Looks like he is being signed as a no2 keeper rather than a no3 based on recent playing time so I would say McCarthy likely to go which would free up wages.

Its more likely a sign that we want to push him to the exit door but he is standing his ground a bit, no reason to be pissed off if he is about to leave as would be irrelevant. That Besiktas failure has probably thwarted some incoming plans. Still can't believe some on here rate him, shows a decent proportion of fans are clueless unfortunately.

RM very clear when asked this morning: we need to move players out before we will bring any in due to the squad size. Imagine no chance of a striker until either or both of Adams/Onuachu go and the same at CB, we have 4 senior CBs plus Charles on the books.

Will be interesting to see what happens at centre back, if we say now we have ABK, Bednarek, Stephens and Lyanco with Charles able to cover and Awe on the way. Pretty obvious ABK will go if a suitable bid comes in and assume we will try to find someone to take Lyanco even if on loan. Bednarek and Stephens seem likely to stay, Charles/Awe would be 4th/5th choice so would leave a space for one signing to really compete for a starting spot with JB and JS. Haven't really been any strong links in this position and I guess we need to ship out ABK and/or Lyanco before there is really a space for anyone else, but will be interesting to see if we opt for a young player like Edwards or go with more experience like Holgate - especially as we have a young keeper and rookie #6 in Charles.

You have to consider the installments we owe selling clubs for the likes of Orsic, DCC, Onuachu etc. We will probably still be paying out more to those clubs than we will recoup from the sales because the likes of Orsic, DCC are being sold at a loss and Onuachu will be a substantial loss or a loan.

Its pretty obvious we are trying to dump them but are stuck in a difficult position of not having offers that meet our valuation as yet. Will be good tonget Salisu gone, sounds like DCC could follow and have been pretty unlucky with Lyanco's Besiktas move falling apart. The latter two aren't players who will have teams fawning over them, we will do well to shift them at all. Aside from that for the most part its back to the players that probably will go (Lavia, ABK, JWP, Tino, Adams etc) but we obvious don't want to/need to sell them on the cheap and thats why there hasnt been much movement. Its in our interest to get an acceptable offer for at least Lavia as soonnas possible to allow us to bring some people in, and he seemingly isnt going to start on Friday anyway so ita not doing us much of a favour to have this protracted negotiation.

How would we know? For all we know we might have been interested in Coady, Winks and Mavididi for example as have been linked with all three in the past. The longer we go without selling then it surely becomes a bit of an issue unless we are able to buy before we sell. I hope the exits speed up a bit as many are inevitable anyway.

Obviously great to hold out for good fees but also comes a point where we need to sell and be able to reinvest. The players RM said have indicated want to move here and are being patient won't stay that way forever. Hopefully there is some movement out soon, Salisu move should be done shortly and still no DCC training and the Lyon move seemingly being discussed.