Chez

maybe, but Walcott signed a first professional contract, when he didn't need to, that guaranteed us £10m quid, at a time when we really really needed it. He's a fucking Saints legend in my eyes, no matter how his return to the club turned out.

I swear to god I was going to post earlier that I wouldn't be surprised if they announced his signing tonight, as attention would be on the Euros, but then again, the window opened today, so it was bound to be announced today at some point.

Certainly something you'd need to investigate a little before spending millions. Funny there was never any issue while he was at Forrest and he seems to have been a massive success at Genoa, so why did things go smoothly there, but not at Leeds? Did he become billy big bollocks after getting his Prem move? I think it was Warnock that loaned him out while at Boro. One reason for that was that they played a flat back four, had a decent right back already at the time and Spence was more of an attacking player. He played wingback at Forrest which better suited his skillset. I wonder if we will play wing backs anyway? Might be an idea, as our CBs are not good enough to cover so much space, but equally, gaps behind wingbacks get exposed far more in the top flight.

To play in Rome or Southampton...its the eternal question. Roma want Jonathon David. Hopefully they get him and then we can grab Simon Banza. I've read on t'internet that Banza has been "offered to Roma" (how true that is, who knows) so maybe Braga are looking to cash in (mid twenty million euros mentioned, which is one kind of money)...so maybe we will be the `next best car on the lot'.

I like O'Riley too. Might cost a few bob though. O'Hare and Hamer are other options. Prefer all three to Lallana, although i guess he'd play slightly deeper these days. Prefer Sander Berge or Ben Sheaf would offer a lot more energy. Downes goes without saying, but Sara might be an alternative option Out wide, we are obviously signing Fraser, but could we consider Fabio Carvalho or Summerville perhaps? The latter might be too expensive. Fatawu is another winger option. I think Leicester only need to find €14m to sign him. Sessegnon is worth a look, maybe as winger rather than a wingback. If we are going to play wing backs then Spence is an option, as he thrived in that formation, but he looks like he is going to sign for Genoa. If ABK is going to be back in the fold I can't see us signing another CB for a season, but Greaves is certainly an option. Is Chalobah out of our league? I still think Omar Richards could be the answer at left back. We must address that position. Is Dubravka going to be available? Caoimhin Kelleher is another option. I think we may McCarthy, but we should reinvest in this position. In terms of a striker. Blow every last penny on Simon Banza. Yeah, OK, Shankland it is then.

I see that West Ham have offered the (often mentioned) Ben Johnson a five year contract. That shows considerable faith and probably puts the kibosh on us signing him should we ever have been interested.

what has all that got to do Strachan?

I suggested 18 months ago the reason he had not signed a new contract was probably because he wanted £100k a week and we simply weren't offering him a deal like that. Not sure his stock has `risen' since then or our budget has increased, so if he does re-sign, I suspect it's because no one else is interested in him at that price and he has had to reevaluate his worth.

It seems strange that Che move was not locked up ages ago. Perhaps no other Prem sides have been interested and in reality we are the only top flight side making him an offer (and the Wolves stuff is just regurgitating the previous summer link)?

we are not selling by players by the yard.

Good to hear that, but in truth he has been pretty poor for us. It looked like RM didn't trust him or want to use him at all in the back end of the season. He's young and still learning the game, but he's going to need to show some progression, much more intensity and that quality you describe in preseason otherwise he isn't going to get a look in. I hope he does, otherwise it's yet another player we will need to bring in.

They did manage to buy Jordan Beyer. Did they want to sign the others? Obviously not at the prices required. I wonder what our limit is for Downes. £15m?

I worry about that. There is no guarantee at all we get him back here, which is a nightmare as he has been so important to the way we play. I guess other players can do the same thing, but it would be good to avoid another `learning curve'.

Feels like a Stephens type signing (maybe his replacement in due course. I think we loaned Stephens to a few league 1 sides then brought him into the first team fold several years after signing him. Maybe we do that again?

Likewise. But realistically he's going nowhere until the manager has spoken to him, taken a look in training, maybe even played in a friendly or two and perhaps even replaced with a signing. It looks like they are bringing in Guilherme, who is touted as a real talent, but I think he plays further forward. I wonder whether Soucek will be less favoured by the new manager. Hoefully not less favoured than Downes.

Downes, Stu and Rothwell have obviously departed. How much genuine faith RM has in Charles (I'd loan him out personally) and Alvarez to perform in the Prem next season is to be seen. That midfield area is crucial. Having several irons in the fire makes a lot of sense.

If the TransferRoom is great, why are we telling our competitors about it? Or is every club already using it?

Left footed, comfortable on the ball. He looks taller than 1.85m (as per transfermkt). Hell of a jump from the National League, but perhaps we have some sort of progression plan - loan etc.

Our wage budget will be in the bottom third, but I am not sure wages will be the issue. It's going to be hard to get players that have offers from other Prem sides as Saints are less certain than most to stay in the Prem. That's a problem. We don't really want to sign players no one else rates. Everyone knows everyone these days, so how do we attract the kind of player we need? Gambling a little on Championship talents perhaps? Getting more talent from South America?

no.

we were often poor when he didn't play or was subbed. When he was playing badly and was taken off, invariably we got worse. That was not always down to his replacement, but it certainly indicated a lack of depth. Armstrong was far better playing right wing. He showed that was his best position when giving Newcastle problems in the league cup semi final, but sadly out manager at the time was clueless and couldn't see it. I've never been a huge fan of Che, but he does have the odd game when he bosses CBs (Bournemouth away in the Prem is a perfect example). I hope we are not considering paying him £100k a week. If its that kind of money, I'd like us to take a gamble on someone else.

I'm actually not sure what attributes the central striker in RMs team needs to have. Is it mostly holding the ball up and being able to lay it off and then get in the box for tap ins? Sometimes Che holds the ball up quite well. Other times his touch is woeful. Sometimes his link up passing is OK, other times it is terrible. Sometimes he gets into the box, other times he's nowhere to be seen. When he gets a chance close to goal, sometimes he's ready and takes it, but on other occasions he's leaden footed and doesn't. He's very `hit and miss'. Some would say 'far too often'.

Money usually talks, but if there was a number 1 job available in the Prem (i.e. Saints), that might sway his thinking. If he can earn more as a number 3 at Chelsea than as a number 1 with us, then that would be an interesting choice. Unless you know him personally, it's hard to say how he feels about not playing, even if the money is good. The club will want him to sign a new deal more than the fans do. I think the `problem' the club has is RM will be reluctant to guarantee him first choice when Baz returns to fitness. If he can see that happening, he may as well earn more to be a number 2 elsewhere. What a turnaround though. For two years he was pretty much ignored, but now he seems wanted.

Very strange move. I struggled to get my head around it at the time. If Wolves really wanted him, why didn't they buy him there and then? Sounds like they had no interest in spending actual money on him, all be it maybe FFP was an issue. However, it's not exactly showing much desire to sign him or faith in him - they could easily have loaned him for the season, with an obligation to pay us £15m in July 2024 should they stay up, or suchlike.

As fans we just think £15m, £20m even £30m is automatically there to buy a new striker should the previous one leaves. I am not sure huge sums will be available unless we can actually sell (not loan) Onuachu and Alvarez. And, like you say, even if we do spend that money, what guarantee is there that he even scores 8-10 goals as Che has done? I can certainly understand why the club is reluctant to just wave the likes of Che and McCarthy off into the sunset, no matter how underwhelmed many fans are with those two players. If Che departs and we manage to loan in Brereton (with no doubt a fee to be paid), have we upgraded? Possibly. I think it's safe to say (I think Dragon as said it himself) the club will have a different transfer policy in the Prem this time around. We are looking for a few more experienced guys to surround the promising youngsters. Lallana, Fraser, Che, McCarthy to go with THB, Downes and perhaps one or two others.