Dusic

This current team will be relegated because allied to being poor defensively there just aren't enough goalscorers. There are also too many players who seem like they will play a part despite the Manager having already and rightly IMO written them off as PL players: Long, Obafemi, Valery and Elyounoussi. When he said we would have a deeper squad I never imagined it meant these players. As ever, we havent (yet) done enough in the transfer market to improve our team. The only positice is we must have a bit of cash and there are still three weeks to go. I don't think it is overly dramatic to say the next three weeks will largely define if we can stay up or not as without a good goalscorer we don't stand a chance sadly because we know we will concede a lot still.

Armstrong not in the Blackburn squad...clearly his move will be sorted in the next couple of days, with Palace looking likely at this point. Surely when we sold Ings the club knew exactly what they were going to do, and which targets were gettable both in terms of fee and wages. Re Sorloth, clearly the Palace spell didnt work out, but watching his highlights from Turkey and Leipzig he clearly knows how to finish. Interesting that it was Dan Sheldon who first mentioned him...quite a left field name to mention unless it came from a good source... Edouard I don't see happening as he has been linked with Brighton all summer and in the last couple of days multiple reports suggest they have put in their first proper bid. Surely if we had been in for him we would have had a stronger link before now as the club knew Ings would be going this summer. For all those mentioned so far, I reckon Sorloth is most likely. Kind of strange that these are all very different types of striker too...surely we know what we want?

Aside from goals, Ings was an absolute pressing machine. Would image that ability is high up on the list of required attributes, and not all strikers are capable of it. Will certainly be interesting to see the links that will surely emerge in the next week or so. Still have both loan spots free too...

The names that have been mentioned are all so underwhelming aside from maybe Armstrong, but he seems very highly priced. The Greek lad has a stack of red flags - massive avoid signals there. Personally at the prices we could stretch to Edouard would most fit the bill and probably be the least risky - but seems he is off to Brighton (if he does well I think they will push top 10). Really hope they have something as yet seen up their sleeve otherwise its hard to see anything but a monumental struggle to stay up. Last season we conceded way too many but did have a goal threat. This year we could well be shit at both ends.

I don't think there is a better time to play Everton. They won't have Richarlison, DCL not long back training, no Sigurdsson, no major signings as yet and fans unsure on Benitez. Not saying we will win, but nothing to scare us IMO. Aside from GK, team picks itself: GK KWP, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud Armstrong, Romeu, Diallo, Redmond Adams, Tella

https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial/status/1423359692475142146 Open and honest communication from Villa CEO Purslow. Very good use of a release clause, good forward planning knowing that it was likely to be activated. Why does it only seem to be Saints that are unable to replace a player before we sell them? Surely with a player of Ings' importance the club know right now who they are moving for and a well in the process of doing so? They would clearly have known at the start of the summer what the budget was with Ings staying and that if he went it would be for a fee in the £20m-£30m range. So no excuse for being caught on the hop by it and therefore can only assume we haven't been. Clearly there is no point massively overpaying for a player but if we felt Armstrong was a good signing earlier in the summer, enough so that we made an official bid for him then I am sure having extra cash makes it extremely possible to sign him if we want him and if he wants to move down south, and if its going to happen then it will do so quickly. If they think he is that good then to not get him would be a shame but would be compounded by a rival at the bottom of the league signing him instead. We have had a year of knowing Ings was likely to go this summer so I am sure they know what they want to do.

I assume this is why Ralph keeps saying about needing a CB. If Vestergaard were to stay then numbers wise we have four plus Simeu which is fine. I think they are factoring in that he will go - and thats the right decision as no point missing out on £15m+ and our other left sided CB Salisu wasn't signed to be a back up for his whole contract!

Ralph has mentioned we want a CB who can also play as a #6. One name springs to mind that totally fits to our usual signing principles...Ethan Ampadu. - Plays both of those positions - 25 apps for Sheff Utd last season - 26 caps for Wales - Still only 20yo Came on as a sub in Chelsea's last friendly but surely would be available on a loan with option or a permanent move with a buyback option for Chelsea. Needs a longer term home as unlikely to get many minutes for Chelsea but is still a very highly rated player.

From a sensible perspective its surely at a stage where you hope we can sell Vestergaard in this window as we should at least get our money back. Fail to do so and its probably £5m or so in January or nothing next summer, with potentially a season of an unsettled player. Get it sorted now and move on.

Initially it was stated that he was expected to be back in training the morning after the Cardiff game. So it is somewhat strange, and seemingly a worse injury than they realised...if indeed there even is an injury.

Will be interesting what Ralph says as usually this week he will be specifically asked about it. Of course, he may be genuinely injured but it seems too convenient at the time he is most strongly linked with a move away. Would be a shame, actually very poor, if our captain doesn't play in the majority of the friendlies and the first league game because of transfer interest.

Trialist A who is still unknown (its not Ethan Ross the Aberdeen guy) scored just after HT to make it 2-0 to Saints. Olaigbe got the first. Now 2-1 pen rebound after a Simeu handball. Triallist B now on, seems to be Abdulmalik.

Think Bednarek will move to take #3. On Obafemi - I would try to extend his contract and send him out on loan to the Championship if we do get another striker. If we don't then we will need him anyway. Reason for it is purely business, if he did well out on loan he would be worth a lot more than £6m and it would seem crazy to sell a young striker with some obvious attributes who has scored at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge for an amount like £6m. To become the club we want to be we really need to get better at selling players and that starts with not letting them run contracts down to less than one year.

How does this play out then? At the moment it appears the situstion is: - Villa have been interested since the start of the summer but have chosen to make an official bid recently. - At around the time of that bid JWP hasn't been training with the squad or playing in the friendlies - and is surely unlikely to play in tomorrows game as nothing has seemingly changed. - Villa have had ample time to be informed by JWP that he isn't interested, which added to the above suggests that he is. - Saints are adamant they don't want to sell him, but history shows that if a player strongly suggests they want to go then we will sell for a fair price. My opinion: - This has probably been rumbling in the background for a while and isn't going away any time soon. - Very interesting that there were no quotes from Ralph after the Swansea game about the whole situation, almost as if the club don't want it leaking out that JWP is kicking up a fuss. Blackmore obviously knows something he isn't releasing. - Something will surely develop in a big way this week as we can't have a situation where the captain isn't playing for basically a whole pre-season. Wouldn't suprise me if there is a national report about him wanting to leave in the next few days. - If he doesn't play the next two friendlies then surely he won't play the first league game whatever happens.

Will be interesting to see if thats it now in terms of full back cover. Livramento definitely right sided, but KWP has played a fair bit at LB so if Perraud is unavailable then KWP can shift across and Livramento could play RB. Then you have the likes of Djenepo, Diallo, Salisu, Stephens who become 3rd/4th options. I think we will stick with that now.

Strong argument that if Chelsea end up buying him back and he goes on to play for their first team then that shows other young talents that a move to Saints has played out absolutely perfectly, and starts to rebuild our rep as a strong developmental club. If he turns out to be a player Chelsea want back then he will have done very, very well for us and will have cost just £5m. With a 5 year contract we are well protected too so its a no brainer.

This is exactly the kind of signing we should be making! Very highly rated player so a good boost that he sees the best pathway at Saints, and that will definitely catch the eye of other players which could benefit us in the future. He will surely get a decent amount of games and that is our USP - we will give players a chance in the first team that they won't get at other clubs. Buy back clause doesn't bother me as quite simply without agreeing to one I doubt Chelsea would have accepted our offer. If he does well and they want him back for a lot more than we paid then fair enough - it would be a sign all round that the move is the right one for him at the right time. Surely curtains for Valery, and makes you wonder if we will bother signing a specific LB cover or if we will use Livramento for that, with Djenepo and Salisu as other options?

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/19483897.walker-peters-wants-saints-keep-hold-top-player-james-ward-prowse/?ref=twtrec Somewhat strange that KWP was asked about JWP but not Hasenhuttl - surely he would have had a question on it...

£20k a week extra is over £5m across the duration of a 5yr contract. Thats a lot to pass off as not being a factor! I highly doubt JWP's agent is working behind his back to try and get a move that his client has zero interest in. We will see what happens, but whilst he isnt playing friendlies and Villa keep bidding it doesn't scream to me that JWP isn't interested.

Why no reference to the ultimate factor of anyone in a job: how much cash you get paid? His agent has obviously told Villa its worth their time bidding, otherwise they wouldn't be wasting their time. I'm sure he is happy at Saints but that doesn't mean he wouldn't move, we know that from the recent past.

If Villa keep bidding then they obviously feel that stance can be changed. We will sell if JWP makes it clear he wants to go. History tells us that.

As ever, it will be down to the player. If JWP wants to move to Villa then it will happen because they have the cash to significantly up their first bid (which never gets accepted). The only reason they make a second bid is if they have been encouraged that JWP would welcome the move. It will come down to how strong a desire that is. The timing of his injury is an unfortunate coincidence I'm sure...

If Saints know that he wants to go to Villa then I'm sure they would consider any bid upwards of £40m if it were structured right. Whether Villa would go that high, who knows? For the club it wouldn't be a great look to lose him to a team that finished 11th last season! Not convinced by his injury in light of this.

Second bid expected suggests Villa have been encouraged, plus a current niggly injury. Every player has a price, especially if they push for a move.

We will obviously replace Ings when he goes. But wide attacker we have Armstrong, Redmond, Walcott, Djenepo, Tella and Elyounoussi who play there plus even Smallbone when he is fit again. Not saying we shouldn't target that position but we would surely need to let two of those go first? Personally I don't think Elyounoussi deserves another chance, nothing against him but its a tough business and he 100% isn't good enough to have an impact at PL level. If we got him out on loan then I could see another loan for Minamino late in the window. But for a permanent signing I don't think we could afford what it would take to sign a starting player...and its the one position where we have plenty of cover.