Professor

If the club management is speaking to Van Dijk today, I'd like to think that it is to reiterate the club's position and to discuss the terms on which he will be allowed to train with the first team. If he is still saying he wants to go, the club may not want him with the squad while the transfer window is still open because of the potentially disruptive influence. It would be nice to imagine Les Reed putting the contract on the desk and pointing out to VD that it covers the prime years of his playing career. Those are the years that he is putting in jeopardy. The strength of the squad at CB suggests the club can afford to wait, all season if necessary, and should Hoedt be signed its position would be even stronger. Because Pellegrino has emphasised that his playing model requires a strong team spirit with 100% commitment, Van Dijk may be faced with having to persuade the club of his total commitment and not just offer empty words. If this is settled this week, all to the good but I wouldn't rule out Van Dijk being sidelined for months if it takes that long for the reality of his contract to sink in.

Although League position is what people tend to judge by, I'd rather see more points as a sign of improvement. League position also depends on the results of other teams, over which we have no control. We could easily have ended lower than 8th with last season's 46 points if other sides near us hadn't slipped up. I do think we will do better than last season so I'm going to predict that we'll get around 60 points.

It's an impressive looking squad with a high proportion of players of international standard. Makes you appreciate the difficulty of keeping so many quality players content with the amount of first team game time they can be given. Last year's rotation policy is unlikely to be used this year to the same extent, except perhaps for the EFL Cup (Caraboa Cup this year). Even with the massive pay that footballers get it must be frustrating for a quality player who could be turning out every week for another club to spend his week training and match-days sitting on the subs' bench at best. The manager will always play what he considers is the right line-up at any given time which will mean some changes for tactical reasons. Players who aren't currently first choice must wait for an injury or a loss of form to give them an opportunity and I suppose that competitive element helps to raise standards on the pitch but does it also foster team-spirit? Keeping this many players happy must be quite a challenge.

Unfortunately this may be a problem but perhaps there is no good time to do this. The comment in the Telegraph article does indicate that the Lander investment could have stalled although it might be for reasons outside control of Lander or the club. If this deal falls though I suppose the club would start again to find suitable investors given that this does seem to be the chosen strategy.

Sofaine's opinion that Jérémy Pied is a future 'best full-back in England' carries a lot of weight. That comment by a fellow professional who works alongside Jérémy is very encouraging. Cedric is tough competition for the right back spot but that's just what the club needs.

Can't agree that the club buys players with the intention of selling them on. Every club has to work within the system as it is, which has allowed a small number of wealthy clubs to operate at a different level to the rest. Financial Fair Play, which might have been intended to level the playing field has entrenched the position of the wealthy few because it requires income from player sales and profit from commercial activities for a club to spend on wages or in the transfer market. Southampton has used one route to overcome the limitation on what it can spend by investing in the Academy to produce home grown players. As we've seen, some hold a place in the first team and others are sold which provides money to strengthen the squad from outside. A few players are sold because the club wants to sell them; that may be due to players such as JRod this year, who aren't likely to achieve or hold a first team place. A few are sold just for the profit when the income is so high as to allow the squad to be improved despite the loss of the player. Others are sold because the player is of such quality that he believes he can earn more by moving to one of the wealthy elite clubs and lets Southampton know that he will not extend his contract here. In those cases a judgement has to be made about when to let such a player go for a good fee or see his value drop to zero at the end of his final year. That doesn't make Southampton a 'selling club' but is simply sensible management of the situation we are in. Had the club refused to sell Mane for £34m we could have had two more seasons out of him but he would be leaving next May for nothing. If players were only bought to sell at a profit, VVD, who cost £13m would now be with Liverpool and Southampton would be some £50m better off. Instead we still hold his registration, through until 2022, and it is entirely in the clubs hands whether they let him go, if and when an offer is made that is too good to refuse. Another 3 years out of VVD is perfectly feasible. Board changes and potential new ownership, or part-ownership, suggest the club is seeking a way of moving forward towards the elite group. Owners can no longer pump money into a club in the way that raised Chelsea and Man City to their current level; clubs must try to increase their turnover through commercial income. If investment from China, or anywhere else, enables the club to earn more revenue internationally, then, as the turnover increases, more can be spent on the team. If this works here, it will be to the fans' benefit if the club becomes more successful. At the moment we are a top-ten Premier League club but not one that has been there for very long. We need to became safely established where we are, or better, in order to make the Southampton brand more widely attractive. The Virgin Media sponsorship already looks like a step forward with our club featuring in a TV advert. Only when the turnover rises, will £30m or more become the level at which we buy players instead of when we sell them, but also, if we can compete for trophies and in the Champions' League, players won't be so easily tempted to leave. We should be following this investment interest closely and keeping our fingers crossed that the board, and Katherina, can make the right deal.

This is not correct and is one of the ways that 'tapping up' is done. Speaking to an agent amounts to speaking to the player. It is an 'approach' and under FA rules is only permitted AFTER obtaining permission of the club holding the player's registration. That it goes on doesn't make it right, or something to ignore. Shoplifting goes on but is still illegal. That Liverpool have shoplifted in Southampton before and got away with it shows that if a stand isn't taken against wrongdoing, the wrongdoers are encouraged. It is to be hoped that the club do stand firm this time and that talk of one more season is discouraged when we have the player on a contract until he is 31 in 2022. That doesn't prevent a sale if an acceptable offer is received but it is offer and acceptance FIRST, then discussion with the player.

If the suggestion that Real and Barca are interested it could be an ideal solution to be shot of a player who is close to having burnt his bridges with the club and especially, the fans. This idea was mooted by Celtic manager, Neil Lennon nearly two months ago. Getting rid of Van Dijk now, out of the Premier League sounds quite tempting as we wouldn't even have the embarrassment of him playing against us. The key would be if Les Reed decided the price was good enough. The media who like to portray this as a 'battle' between their favourite 'big clubs' still don't seem to understand that Saints do not have to sell. If there isn't a big enough fee to let him go, the only club VVD can play for this season is the one that holds his 5-year contract, and that we all know, is Southampton. At the end of 5 years he'll be 31 and his career could be a matter of history. Perhaps that will dawn on him when he realises that his future is at risk.

Some people seem not understand the realities that the club has to live with. Mane, like other players who moved to top 4 clubs, was allowed to leave because he was not willing to extend his contract. He was sold for £34m, a price that would have reduced to zero if he had been allowed to run his contract down. That money was used to strengthen the squad which it could not have been if it had been spent on a single replacement. The days when owners could put massive sums into a club ended soon after the purchase of Man City. Financial Fair Play (there's a mis-description if there was one) requires a club's spending to be limited according to their earnings. This gives a huge advantage to clubs with world-wide sources of income. Until you see Southampton shirts on sale in airports alongside shirts of Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea etc, we will have no ability to compete for players worth £20m, £30m or more even if the owner were willing to put up the money.

I think you are right. Van Dijk probably hasn't said categorically that he will not play but that is almost immaterial if his attitude is such that the manager doesn't trust him to prepare as part of the team or to perform if picked. It's good to see the manager taking the decision he has and there can be no doubt that he has the backing of Les Reed and the Board in doing so. But it's difficult to see any outcome that would leave the player at this club because even if Van Dijk convinces the manager that his attitude has changed, Pellegrino won't want a player in the team who is likely to be jeered by the fans. Winning the fans back could be much harder for him. In his post yesterday, OldNick mentioned the solution quite a few people have suggested, which is to sell him elsewhere and preferably out of England. Personally, I find it hard to imagine enjoying the sight of him in a Saints' shirt again and I have no wish to see him at St Mary's playing for anyone else.

Sorry Chez, but perhaps you missed this one.......

Dissatisfaction with Puel in the squad keeps being heard from different sources. I even heard it from a good source in London who is a Spurs fan. Looks like the reason for the sacking is becoming clearer. Players like Forster work with a lot of different coaches through their career and are well placed to judge the effectiveness of a manager, so not only is this a reflection on Puel, it suggests Fraser is already content with Pellegrino.

As always with a news story about any of our players, sadly, the usual suspects are quick with their predictable slagging off of the player, the Assistant Chairman or the coaching staff. It's not just opinion, to which people are entitled but how some seem to think they are better informed than the decision makers in the club and in the England set-up. Others on here are pleased when a key member of the squad shows the commitment that is evident in Fraser's quote. We are lucky to have him and it's a good move by Les Reed to increase Fraser's value by the extra year on his deal.

This thread should be about how good it is to see Saints getting high profile in a TV Ad. Definitely a step up in the club's sponsorship with a good return through publicity. It is completely wrong to mention VVD in the title of the thread as it has nothing to do with a player who wasn't in any games for nearly half the season due to injury. Mods should consider changing the title.

Interesting to see the quality of the players that people are having to put on the subs' bench after picking their XI. It's a good indicator of how strong the squad is and that the cover for injuries etc. looks good. The puzzle of last season is why these players didn't score more goals, sometimes not making the chances and at others due to the finishing. With the same players to choose from this year the big question is whether Pellegrino's influence will make the difference, regardless of who is in the starting XI.

There's mention in the Observer (16/07) that Saints and Huddersfield are both after Austria midfielder, Zlatko Junuzovic of Werner Bremen. Obviously may just be paper talk but if we signed a midfield player, I'd have thought someone would be going to create the space.

Obviously when Pellegrino came in as manager he must have been instructed to lie to the public about Van Dijk and to pretend that the player's foot wasn't ready yet to be subject to contact training. Any journalist saying VVD is on strike must be correct because it's inconceivable that any media outlet would ever publish a story that it wasn't certain was true.

The usual suspects are out with their negative posts based on nothing because they have no access to any facts. The retention of Ian Black isn't fresh news because it was known some time ago that he was changing roles from assistant manager to senior first team coach with the reasons for the decision being continuity, experience of the Premier League and a good relationship with the players. This looks like a good move because it has also allowed Pellegrino to have his two trusted coaches from Alaves to work with him. Just in case Ralph Krueger and Les Reed don't take advice from this forum (however remotely unlikely that is) perhaps those who know better how to run the club should send their advice directly to the Board instead of boring we fans with their opinions.

Well said and worth re-posting. The negative posters on here don't seem to realise just how well this club is performing. We have a squad that is a healthy mixture of established internationals and talented home-grown players. Southampton's performance is currently better than any team other than the wealthy 'Big City' clubs. Last season, the only teams that ended above Saints were from London, Manchester and Liverpool. Despite that, the professionals who run our club signalled that they want to do better by the decision to change the manager. The evidence shows they know what they are doing and will probably be OK without advice from anyone on here.

An important factor may be off the pitch. Pellegrino.

Quite pleased to read that Eric Black is to remain. Sorry for those who have been complaining about him but they had no evidence on which to base their malice. It was always likely that Pellegrino would want his two coaches from Alaves and their reputation suggests we will have a good coaching team but Eric Black will contribute to that. It's a reduced role but continuity is a good reason to keep him. If it's true he is popular with the players that seems to be an achievement that Claud didn't manage.

Impressed by the first interview. A definite advantage over Claude Puel that he can express himself effectively in English, presumably benefiting in part from his time in England at Liverpool. Learned more about his philosophy in that interview than ever came across from Claude who was more affected by the language barrier. Liked his thoughts on constant improvement and that small details can make a significant difference. That sounded very much like the Dave Brailsford approach that contributed to the success of British Cycling. Very optimistic that this is a manager who the players will quickly come to respect.

It's hard to imagine Pellegrino being asked to work with Claud's coaches and not just because their ability to speak French isn't of much value any more. New manager, new ideas, needs fresh minds to put those over. If MP is able to bring in the two assistant coaches from Alaves (Carlos Campagnucci and Xavi Tamarit) that would quickly sweep away the old ideas but it might depend on their ability to speak English. Despite the discussion about whether Black is a good coach it's almost immaterial because assistants to managers tend to lose their jobs when the manager goes, regardless of their own performance. Unfortunately for Black and Plancque, because Puel was sacked they don't have the opportunity of moving with him to a new club as a coaching team in the way that Pochettino and Koeman took their assistants with them.

The report from Poland refers to this being an investment for the future but it's easy to see why there are questions about the size of the fee if Bednarek really does just slot behind Stephens as 4th or 5th choice. The press using this as an excuse to re-run the VVD rumours is to be expected but perhaps there is a connection if this is advanced planning for another season or two out of VVD. Being in the Poland u-21 team suggests a degree of quality and although he may be young for a Premier League CB, that is something he'll grow out of. We must assume his potential has been assessed by those whose job it is to do that. Then there is the Gardos situation. When he joined Saints he was a 25-year old CB of international standard with a promising future but not many first team appearances followed, and then the knee injury. Now, three years later, he has less time to re-establish himself and if Bednarek signs, he faces more competition in the squad. Interesting to see if the club let Gardos go as it could indicate that VVD will not be leaving.

The appointment is, to use one of Claud Puel's favourite words, interesting. There is an impression of a lot more excitement over Pelligrino than there ever was over Claud, although to be fair, the mood last year was affected by the way Koeman walked away. Quite a difference though are the positive articles by journalists about Pelligrino. Claud had a low profile when he came and for many of us, it never got any higher. Feeling optimistic about the coming season, but then I always do.