Chez

very good post. I guess we do have Adams (obviously not in the same ballpark as the City players) as a senior guy to lead the line and enable Delap to be filtered in, however if we play two up front then like Broja, we will want/need Delap (or whoever) to make an immediate impact.

I'd go Broja just because of that pace. He is a real threat all on his own - which we need as we don't create much. However, maybe Delap has attributes that Broja doesn't? Better vision or decision making? More clinical?

We don't know. But other than a few posts on here suggesting he looked unhappy at being subbed (and seeing Shane Long then score) and obviously not doing a lot in the last ten games, what evidence is there? I'd suggest his farewell message felt a little `final' and didn't hint at the possibility of him coming back or even wanting to, but I've probably read far more into that than I should. If I put myself in his shoes, I'd be thinking, I've done my time at Saints, now what is the next step - a bigger club or even first team Chelsea. Wanting that and it happen are two different things of course.

yeah, I've seen that clip a lot and he certainly does well (all be it against another nipper), but when watching his youtube videos I don't see any pace. He can move, but its not a weapon. Smashing it in the top corner is though.

very very good point.

is he not from Finland?

Does the Daily Star have the inside track?

Can you summarise it?

potential, mega, low risk?

Agreed. I guess the more city don't want him to go the more confidence I have that he's mustard.

All fair points, but the long and short of it is that Scamacca actually scored 16 league goals in 36 games in the Italian top flight - and looked bloody good doing it. Delap, well, your guess is as good as mine if he is the next Harry Kane or Freddie Atu. As for Shields providing the 'best and most thorough scouting possible', sure, at youth level, but what insight can he provide as to how he will perform at senior level? Spending £30m on a guy that hasn't really played senior football is as big a risk as you're gonna get, isn't it? Just to point out that I've no qualms about signing him. But £30m though? Blimey. That's a lot of wedge (I struggle to accept it's real). Not even the big boys dont gamble like that.

I'm not bothered about experience too much, it's more about having the proof that he can cut it in Premier League football. How do we know he is good enough? I guess that's not for us to establish, and we should just let those in power get on with it, but this is a saints forum, where we look at things in as much detail as we can and it is pretty normal to highlight concerns. Even if he is the next Harry Kane - he has that same lack of pace, but eye for goal - took a few years to get going.

Agreed. He's never gonna to sign for us. But when you compare the two, the reported £30m fee seems high for Delap. I guess our head of recruiting has the inside track and can see he could be the next Harry Kane.

West ham get Scamacca for £30m. 23 year old Italian international, who just scored 16 league goals. Perhaps we had no chance of getting him, but if we are considering paying that kind of money for a striker, isnt that the kind of CV we would want?

Not if you have an agreement in place where he can't be sold elsewhere unless SFC decide they don't want to buy.

he looks pretty slow. That doesn't mean he won't be effective. He certainly hits a decent ball. But Broja's combined pace and power brought something very different to the party, and something that opposing defenders struggled with. A big slow centre forward can be brilliant - we know that better than most - but the likes of Sir Ricky developed their technique over a number of years. Playing with your back to goal doesn't seem to be what he does best. Is he really a target man? Scoring 32 goals in that City youth team (that no doubt completely dominates other teams) is not the same as scoring goals for Saints in the Prem.

If the only change to the starting eleven is in goal, I will be concerned. Bazanu would likely have made no difference to the result of any of the games in the run in. Nearly all the goals conceded were 'unsavable'.

Sure does. Big strong lad, with good feet and can finish. Exactly what you need leading the line.

We seem to loan players out when we don't want them, rather than to get the experience needed before inserting them into our first team side. Loan Smallbone out last season and then maybe he flies into our first team this.

did Small look sharp, busy and quick?

Excited but nervous. I've wanted us to spend big on youth for years and years. Now we are, I'm as nervous as hell. I really hope we are buying the right ones. As always, the success of signings is critical to our improvement and taking us from relegation possibles to UEFA hopefuls. Last summer's Broja and Livramento signings should give me a lot of confidence, but only time will tell.

Have west Ham really got £70m of loose change for Scamacca and Broja?

Was thinking the same thing, but relegation followed by them being kicked into the national League due to financial issues, currently being appealed, will no doubt be an issue.

There is no evidence of SR: A) not touching the £28m in the bank left over from the loan - and why wouldn't they use this money? It's the club's money in the club's bank account. B) paying down/off the loan this year - but I sure hope they are as the debt will continue to grow. C) SR investing/putting their own money into the club - the transfer fees paid so far could be covered by the existing money in the bank account. You could argue that the transfers we have made so far would have been made should Gao have remained the owner. Not sure we are now in a different league. I think I'll reserve judgement until I've seen a couple of years financial accounts.

people keep telling me SR are doing things differently, so who knows.but in reality we ain't spending £40m on a player. Jury is still out as to whether they are investing/loaning/gifting much at all. Have they just used the cash from the loan to sign these promising youngsters and are running the club as a self sustainable business? If that's the case, we probably need to sell Bednarek sharpish.