Chez

There was a story a few weeks ago about Porto putting in a £20m bid.

OK, but you did not say that, you said "Now it just feels chaotic." Every summer we hear the same thing: "I would have expect the club to get business done sooner". Why? We are not a top of the pyramid side that dictates the transfer window. We are well down the pecking order, and reliant on other above getting deals done to allow them to offload players. We are also reliant on players departing to free up squad places and ensure we have the cash to pay them all. Two signings is fine by me at this stage. Whether they are any good is a different matter. We have also offloaded, what 8 or 9. Not too bad either. Doesn't mean the window is good or bad, but the pace seems completely normal.

Daily Echo reported that Saints want "more than £40m". Who knows what they will get, but if you turn down £27m, an offer of £3m more would seem to be far from certain to be accepted.

We have signed two young players. Is that chaos?

that's the nice bit of losing Fernandes and Dibling - hopefully we sign someone like Spertsyan and they turn out to be amazing.

OK, but originally you didn't say that. You said "those interested can't afford £25m." I disagree. He would be better off playing in the PL. Plenty of sides there will help his career along nicely. Many better than we will. His agent isn't "stirring the shit". Why do agents always get blamed? His agent is doing his job, which is to get the best deal possible for his client. And that deal is not going to be with a championship side. When players depart, it's not because of agents, it because the player can do better elsewhere. The only way you keep players is to give them a better deal here than they can elsewhere...and that means more money and also a progressing club moving forward, quickly. When that momentum goes, the stars depart.

Aye? I think all 12 rumoured to be interested clubs can afford £25m. The problem for them is we are not selling him for that amount. He wont be loaned out. Not a chance. Buy options are pointless.

Just because there are no quotes on Google doesn't mean players haven't expressed their desire to leave.

Sure, but not necessarily something the owning club has decided to do. Sometimes, and I know this for a fact, players are advised to stay at home, use a bollocks 'illness' excuse in order to put pressure on the club to sell. It's an unofficial down tools. Both parties know the score.

This thread will be good to cycle back to next summer.

Very good. The problem is, it probably means Fernandes is actually pushing for the move and following the agents 101 on getting a transfer.

It's amazing how often a player falls ill just before he departs.

wasn't he a prominent part of the 'ull side that took the piss out of us at SMS?

Yep. You cant play Archer down the middle on his own (I still think we should have sold him to Leeds in January) or Armstrong. Maybe 4-4-2 would get the best out of those two?

He's a winger. Simple as that. Did you not think he look like his legs had gone as some have said on this thread?

After being sent out on loan, you have to imagine he wants out. I know its a different manager, but players like to be wanted and as a club we didn't want him.

Axel Tuanzebe to Burnley. Not sure if he was all that anyway. Ensico went back to Brighton too. They look decent. Is Hutchinson not going to leave?

Do the highlights do the game justice as it looks like we created almost nothing...which has long been a concern.

Maybe worry about the PL another day? Winning games at this level is going to be hard enough.

Would it not be the same proportion as last season?

Every club is going to try to get as much money as possible. No one lets a player move to a big club unless the offer is too good to turn down. Likewise no one really says no, they just say, a bit more money please. Where things come unstuck is when a player and agent thinks their value is, say, £30m, but the club sets a price of £60m.

Grealish spent three years in the championship with Villa. Should Dibling spend three years at that level?

I have not issue with loans and the fact is, if every other championship side has strengthened its starting eleven with loans, you need to do the same. Because we have more money than most, we should be able to get better, or certainly more highly paid loans. It's hard to buy PL-level quality when you are in the league below. Loans gives you that opportunity When you get promoted, you can attract better players. Also, better to have the money in the bank (saved by loaning this season rather than buying) next summer.

Will be interesting to see how Sunderland fair. They have spent about £130m according to transfermarkt, which tends to be conservative and not include add ons. Just how much does a promoted side (especially one coming u through the play offs) need to spend to have a chance.

If you spend the money now, you have the player, but the money you have just spent is not there the following summer. The end result (players in and bank balance available) is the same.