Chez

Straight replacement for Mane. Can't be long before we return to two wide men...

Should have signed him last January (HCDAJFU) and saved ourselves a few bob. It was obvious to anyone that watched him that he was a talent. Sadly even the likes of the of the scousers have him on their radar. I've seen him quite a bit and can say, although not the finished article, he would pose a threat straight away, if not perhaps the final ball or finish. He has great pace and is very direct. He wasn't short on confidence last season, but at the moment he's off the scale taking on anyone and everyone. He's also bulked out a fair bit since last season, which makes me think he might be effective immediately. Having said all that he doesn't feel like our kind of signing.

do they want him?

I'd be surprised if he was on 2.5m euros a year at Nice. That sounds very high to me.

When's this bloody Burke deal going through? Gee, I give the club the benefit of my free scouting advice and they just seem to sit on their hands...;-)

How long is Bertrand expected to be out for?

First of all I don't think Arsenal or ManU are interested in signing Fonte at all. I think the media have been spoon fed stories to create a bargaining chip in contract negotiations. As for those, I wouldn't want to be adding an extra year to Fonte's contract. I can see the benefit of keeping him happy with a raise, but it makes much more sense to see how things pan out this season before offering another year to the two he already has. Personally I think his positioning and reading of the game are perhaps at their peak, but he has certainly lost a yard of pace and that will only get worse. Can we find better? There are players out there as we ourselves have proved...but will we?

All that matters is the number of away tickets that will be available.

If we'd spent £27m on Bolasie I'd of been absolutely thrilled with that signing. He's one of the few players outside the big teams and the champions that I look at and think he should be. I am a huge fan of his and I would have instantly forgotten Mane. Shame. As for the OX, with him in the squad we could revert to a standard 442 never mind this diamond ****.

Pretty fair assessment, although not certain all is lost with current squad. Have to agree about Redmond.

Remember the days when it was us that dominated midfield? Lose control in that area and you will struggle to win games. I don't see a single saints player in that area that is top quality. Lots of OK and average...

didn't they use us to get United to show their hand?

I just read smalls previous posts...inspirational poster

Will Hughes?

Only Jon Obi Mikel plays more square passes than Morgan and because Louis van Gaal was getting slaughtered for United's boring style of play, he dropped him, despite them tending to win more with him than without him. Carrick, someone that never plays a square pass, came in, had a decent game and it was bench time for Morgan thereafter. Even with the new TV money I doubt we could afford to take on his wages, so cant see him coming back even if wanted to get away, which I doubt he does.

has a diamond formation worked for anyone, ever?

the one issue with `fox in the box' type strikers is that you need to get the ball in the box for them to be of any use and to do that you tend to need strikers that are good outside of the box...

What do you think of it so far?

him going would be no stranger than him coming, but maybe its just his agent trying to squeeze a new deal from Saints. Good luck with that one...

I suspect there are quite a few skates on here pretending to be saints fans who post the odd normal post so they don't stand out as obvious skates, don't post a great deal, but are at the front of the queue when there is a chance of a wind up.

Isnt Charlie Austin one of those?

I mentioned him last season, but having watched the game last night it reminded me of what a prospect Oliver Burke looks. Pace to burn and now he's filled out a little he is now even more of a threat. Perhaps not ready for the prem yet, but maybe a loan back deal would work here.

He is highly rated and worth a look ourselves. One decent season in the prem and he will be worth a damn sight more than that.

Nice. Always exciting when it comes to strikers. Wonder what type of player we are looking at, small and pacey, a fast dribbler, a big man like Pelle or something else... That's the beauty of the closed season, you get to dream about making a couple of top notch under the radar signings that become the next Henry or Mane, whilst wondering if you can replicate the form from last year having lost a couple. No point in sweating over it. Enjoy the ride...

their fitness worries me too, but there is that Shane Long fella too s'pose.