Willo of Whiteley

Rumours is a very loose term nowadays given that 99% of tabloid and social media chatter is bullshit.

I think ABK will be released or loaned out on the final day of the window. Ben Brereton Diaz will leave, probably on loan and I think that maybe Nathan Wood, Jan Bednarek, Aaron Ramsdale and Joe Aribo will leave. The rest of the squad I see staying. I think Dibling and Fernandes will be Saints players come September. My concern would be the incomings, because letting those go would mean we still have a Championship capable squad but you need those sparks from players, and there’s none at the moment that I see as creating that something special for us. They’ll be fifteen teams going for promotion this season at least, it’s that competitive, and the club surely won’t be selling to rivals, and these players are not Premier League level, so it’s either take the hit to a rival or keep an unhappy player, and they got on board for a season or they sulk.

I hope Spors phone is permanently on charge and loud as possible. It’s going to be a busy end to the window.

Will Still saying there are some that have said they don’t want to be there speaks volumes, I’d be hoping those that don’t want to remain were left out the Spain camp but given that three were injured, the only other ones that remain are Bella-Kotchap and Bednarek. We need to clear a few more than that; and desperately need to freshen the squad up with new talent. The squad on paper is a Championship squad, but we need a couple of special players to have us be fighting for promotion. Looking up and down the league and you could argue they’ll be at least fifteen times eyeing promotion this season.

The Ramsdale comments are just weird, is it an in-joke? Is there offence that has taken place?

I do find it odd that you wouldn’t have Sugawara at RB for one half and Bree at RB for the other. Ryan Fraser down the centre seems bizarre too (if that’s where he ends up playing).

I’ve certainly been encouraged that we’ve been playing a back four all pre-season.

As a squad, it is a strong Championship squad, you can’t deny that. My concern at the moment is a competent and clinical striker, we don’t know enough about Downs to work out whether he’s been brought in as a striker or a prospect. Maybe out wide too, Ryan Fraser was excellent a couple of years ago, I doubt he’s the same player, we need a bit of pace out wide. It’s worth bearing in mind that the likes of JWP, Tella and Lavia were all in the squad for the first game or two of the Championship two seasons ago.

I don’t think they’ll be any major signings for the Championship. A few good players will be sold to the Premier League but I don’t see many other Championship teams picking anyone significant up. Saints, Leicester and Ipswich will go out of the transfer window with largely the same squads I reckon.

Saints probably trying to call ABK’s bluff. How desperate does he want to leave? Not enough as long as he’s picking up massive wages. He’ll be released on deadline day, they’ll come to a compromise. Would be even funnier to see him sulk for four months. 🤣

Dibling will still be a Southampton player at the end of the window. Clubs aren’t paying more than £30m for him, and that’s only cos he’s English so there’s a tax increase on him of about £20m.

There’s nothing particularly significant in the squad that’s been taken to Spain, only that a number of the players left out have picked up knocks or are injured.

I’m guessing some people on this thread have missed the fact that a number of the excluded players are injured. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤣 The panic in some people.

Man United to still be negotiating for Bryan Mbuemo the week of the first Premier League game.

BBD was a way better player when he was younger, as soon as he became a Chilean international and added “Diaz” to his name he became poor. You simply cannot call him prolific in the Championship because quite simply he hasn’t done it for years. Adam Armstrong is a much better player than BBD. BBD has done nothing to even warrant that he is a footballer let alone a Championship level player. The risk you run is selling him to another Championship rival, because he certainly isn’t good enough for the Premier League, and he seemingly won’t be moving abroad any time soon. (Recently became a father and only lasted six months in Spain with Villarreal).

Ramsdale will go, Fernandes and Dibling I’m 50/50 about. Fernandes lit up the league more than Dibling did, take out the fact that TD is English and he had a couple of flashes of brilliance but not much more.

The home kit has grown on me in recent days, but not massively. You’d have to put these sets alongside the ones of the 22-23 season - and they were poor.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wan Bissaka back at Crystal Palace in a year or two. Munoz will move on. I had a bet with someone that KWP would move to one of two London clubs, Fulham or Palace. 🤣

Absolute non-post really 😂

I’d like to have been a fly on the wall when the likes of Brereton, Harwood-Bellis and Archer said to Will Still in their first meeting that they want to leave and WS being like “you’re an absolutely shit player, you’ve had a piss poor season - you’re lucky we aren’t kicking you out”. 🤣

Heard the same thing. There is no word in the world that rhymes with “orange”. Mad right!

No qualms with him wanting to stick around, I didn’t think he’d want to. With a stronger squad around him and at this level, he could learn a lot and really flourish. A back four of Sugawara/Bree, THB/Stephens/Edwards/Wood/Quarshie/Bednarek, Manning isn’t terrible for the Championship. But I fully expect two or three of those CBs to go and maybe a full back to come in. Maybe Andre Garcia from Reading, lots of potential there.

Watford signing Nestory Irankunda from Bayern is a coup. The type of player we should’ve been all over, this guy is so quick and technically good. He’ll walk the Championship and go on to bigger things.

I think it would just be nice to consider buying players of decent quality that you know are going to be dependable for a fight out this league. You have to hope also that the likes of Brereton Diaz will be on their way, absolutely no benefit of having someone like him who doesn’t want to be here and certainly hasn’t got the ability. People can say “he’s done it in the Championship”, seemingly he didn’t do it for Sheffield United for five months; and prior to leaving on loan he did nothing to shower that he was even remotely close to being a footballer. This is just one example of many, but I’m sure they’ll still be a clear out.