trousers

Well, he plays for AZ... Closest international airport = Amsterdam... Where those two private jets from Southampton are heading for as we speak... You may have stumbled across a scoop here sir... Maybe @Turkish could start a thread on the fella just to help see it over the line?

Gakpo?

Two private jets about to depart Southampton for Amsterdam (which, before I'm shot down in flames, has probably got nothing to do with transfer deadline day. I'm just trying to keep myself occupied FFS )

Future club ambassador once his playing career is over maybe? That said, can see him making a good manager too.

Bloody hell... gonna need a new box of tissues at this rate

Sorry, that's my fault. I did ask him earlier if he could post something negative on here every 5 minutes for the rest of the day and, to be fair, he's playing a blinder so far.

That Rik journo fella posted yesterday that PSV had categorically ruled out Sangerre leaving (which, of course, was before a similar declaration came out about Gakpo, so pinches of salt at the ready....)

So, they still need to sell a player then...?

Yep... it's a "win win" strategy isn't (yet another cliché to add to your collection @hypochondriac! ).... if they turn out to be brilliant... both clubs benefit.... and when Man City buy them back, we simply go back for more of the same.... and if they turn out to be shite then it hasn't cost us much in the general scheme of things

The club photographer's lunch?

At the end of the day, every player has a tipping point price (there, you can have that cliché for free @hypochondriac )... if someone offered them (plucks random unrealistic number out of the air), say, £100m then then would sell him at the drop of a hat today.... I just wonder how far away we are from that tipping point (given Leeds reportedly offered more than us, I'm guessing it would be around the 50m euros mark....?)

Could you do me a favour today old bean and post every 5 minutes how disappointed you are? I just don't think posting it once or twice will quite ram home just how disappointed you are. That would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Phew... I didn't get quoted. Maybe I'm not as clichéd as I thought I was....

Add me to the old softie welling up slightly club. Adiós y gracias Oriol. Que tu aerodeslizador esté siempre lleno de anguilas.

Surprised there seemingly isn't some kind of FIFA law that's designed to prevent such interference. That said, if it's just seen as 'friendly advice' then not a lot anyone can do to stop it I guess.

Trawling through Twitterland (yes, I know....) it looks like Van Gaal might have been the decisive factor... i.e. telling Gakpo that moving away from PSV now might jeopardise his chances of playing for the national side....

But until we know the reasons why Broja hasn't been replaced (if that's how it pans out) then how do we know whether to label Semmens and Co as 'incompetent buffoons' or not? Surely our judgement of them depends on the reasons why something "failed" rather than just taking said failure at face value?

I would imagine it's never as "simple" as the wise sages of internet football forum land make it out to be...

But you're always going to reach a point in any procurement process where you run out of time to pursue other options. That's just basic logic.

Let's say the club identified 10 "suitable players". How far down the procurement process for each of those 10 players do you think the Saints heirachy should/could go. Surely you can't expect all 10 to get to the point in the procurement process where they are all ready to sign on the dotted line the moment the first choice drops out? Or maybe I'm misunderstanding the level of readiness you're expecting the club to be in with other options with only a few hours to go? There comes a point in any procurement process where you have to put your eggs in one basket when there's a deadline involved.

Seems like a reasonable hypothesis to me.

Well, if they have snuck him out the back door (via Amsterdam rather than direct from Eindhoven) then the plane is on its way....