Chez

If he isn't our number 1 come the start of the season, will you/everyone be disappointed and equally, would there be concern - i.e. if he ain't good enough to take McCarthys place now, then have we signed the wrong guy? It was February before Gunn started in the Prem for us I believe.

Blimey. Well I was wrong about that one then. I never thought we'd sign him and loan him straight out...I assume that is the plan, seeing as the journalists were right about the move they would also be right about the detail (the loan).

not exactly mystic meg, as it was only posted a week ago, but I've been saying it for a while now that we'd sign a young keeper to give balance to our ageing keeper group and provide us with at least one opportunity to make a `sell on profit'. Looking forward to seeing him in a Saints shirt. Hope he puts the issue we have had in that position to bed for the foreseeable

They give us absolutely no insight into what our kit will be as it is bespoke, but still interesting to see what `we could have won', the standard of other Hummel kits in 22/23 and have something to look at while we wait. It's pretty standard posting on this annual thread.

Are you talking about players on existing contracts they could not shift or new signings last summer? Sunderland were paying £70k a week to Rodwell in League 1, doesn't mean they'd sign a CB on £50k a week from Saints.

Championship sides don't pay circa £50k a week wages though. The Athletic suggested he signed a four year deal in 2020. He is here until 2024. He is going nowhere. No championship sides are buying him or even taking him on a free. We are not paying him £20k a week or more to play for someone else. Not a chance. And he will have no desire to drop down a league until he has n choice, which will be in 2024.

Wise was ancient. Grobbellaar was pretty old too.

of course, but who is gonna pay Stephens what we are paying him? Offloading unwanted Premier League players is almost impossible.

Joel Voelkerling Persson scored 12 goals in 26 starts for Roma U19s last season. He's a really big powerful lad, shoots with both feet, holds the ball up well and links the play. Not quick, like Broja.

I've only seen us linked with Ronnie Edwards Chris Richards Levi Colwill Phil Jones Koni de Winter but we perhaps need to offload someone to create space for another as we have Salisu, Bednarek, Stephens, Lyanco, Valery, Ramsay and Simeu

he was, and we can't compete with Bayern Munich obviously, but we desperately needed cover at left back 2 years ago, so should have been all over him then, never mind last summer (when it was too late). Maybe we were, maybe he was holding out for a free, who knows, but we spent how many millions on Perraud that we could have given him instead?

Calvin Ramsey, a suggestion made earlier on this thread has signed for Liverpool: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61828651 I recall someone saying he wasn't great, but he certainly looked decent to me. Right back perhaps not what we need right now, and no chance anyway if competing with LFC. The big clubs again cleaning up the young talent.

Very disappointing. Hope we have a sell on and a buy back, or is it just the big clubs that can dictate how these thing go and smaller clubs like us have to feed off scraps?

prefer Omar Richards myself. Maybe we can get both, although not sure how we plan to handle full back with Small not yet stepping up an Livramento injured. Are we going to sign another. If we do, I think it needs to be a left back and we should have secured Omar Richards two years ago.

Reasonable enough opinion - and we already have young guys in Salisu and (perhaps his replacement down the line) Simeu. However, unless someone departs, will we even sign a CB this summer? It's usually a one in one out type thing these days - and we have a slight full back issue with the Livramento injury. The Stephens contact from 2020 hampers us a bit. Newcastle seem to have moved on from Salisu back to Botman, and that then leaves Bednarek as the guy we could (hope to) sell and then replace.

good question. Is he neat and tidy enough on the ball for Pep. if yes, then he would really add to them as boy does he get around the pitch - and adding that athleticism might be that little extra ingredient they need to `win it all'.

I don't agree fully with that Scottish article. At the time McCarthy was offered a new contract, he was our number 1 and there was no reason for the manager/club to offer him a contract (in terms of value) that reflected a demotion, so to speak. Forster was a different case entirely as he was on huge money and considered second choice at that time. That doesn't mean McCarthy automatically would get the first 11 shirt or indeed even stay at the club, as things change quickly in football. But he has the three (now two) year contract, which will be sizeable - more than Bazanu I suspect, but perhaps less than Forster was on previously - so if he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to go anywhere, and certainly won't for less money. I genuinely think Ralph will see McCarthy as the starter initially, and Bazanu will be the second choice and will replace him at some point. But that might be as quickly as the first game (Livramento style) depending on how preseason goes. Yeah, a fair bit of wedge, but as with Gunn, we are spending money on what we believe to be an exciting young keeper that we hope will thrive at SFC, and then go on to bigger things, helping us make a profit down the line that we can reinvest.

Ah yes, my mistake. Forster got injured didn't he. Scrub that thought then...I still think McCarthy is highly likely to be the starter come August, unless Ralph throwing him under a bus after Brighton has caused a rift/changed his opinion of him - and I have zero evidence of that.

did I say it was?

Can't see that. Happy with that signing though. He did pretty well after the first game nightmare. Pretty decent third choice for a cub like ours.

I agree. They make money and then get the chance to buy an amazing keeper on the cheap, should he shine. We on the other hand take all the risk and then don't make top dollar if he is a success. The big clubs just get stronger and stronger.

I have always thought McCarthy would be our starter next season, but the fact Ralph didn't play him in the last couple of games when he was fit (and he knew Forster was gone) makes me wonder if the relationship (and Ralphs opinion of him after the Brighton game) is what it was. We shall see.

like when Arsenal signed Chamberlain from us? League and age matter less than quality.

they must have crap goalkeeping coaches too.

how's he done at Norwich since he left?