SNSUN

I'd keep Che as long as we still go out and sign a new striker. I do not want to start the season with Stewart, Che and Mara as our strikers (and AA but he can also play wide). We saw where that got us last season. A new decent striker (whoever that may be), Che and Stewart (with AA if needed and Mara going) would be fine with me. McCarthy no thanks, good contribution at the end but we can do better. Unless the plan is to let Lumley go and reduce his wages heavily. Then he'd be second choice while Baz is out and third choice overall. Simeu was a strange one but it seems injuries got in the way of development. I think it was the Carlisle fans that rated him. Maybe that's his level.

Sad to hear, not the best player we've ever had but he was nothing less than commited. This season without his Indian summer we certainly wouldn't have won games we did, he was key to that unbeaten run especially that free kick. I did think we've miss him for the run in and play offs but thankfully Aribo stepped up and Will hit form. Another bit of good business from the Scottish Premiership.

Shirt sales is a good point. Kids in Saints shirts with Bellingham on the back would sell very well. Personally I can't see us signing him, first season in the Prem, relying on an 18 year old - I can't see it. A more established team like Villa or Newcastle I could see taking a punt on him but not us. Though I would be quite happy if we did bring him on board. He fits that "young potential with possible large sell on" profile that our powers that be seem to like. Agree with you on SAA and Dibling though, it sends out a negative message if you go and sign an 18 year old to play over your own 18 years olds, and from what I've seen of SAA and Dibling they both look like very promising, exciting players. A fit Tierney would clearly be an excellent signing but I hope from the Stewart debacle the club have learned not to sign crocks. Particularly at left back when Manning is your other option in the Premier League. His injury list: 23/24 Adductor injury Apr 25, 2024 May 12, 2024 17 days 2 23/24 Hamstring injury Jan 24, 2024 Feb 22, 2024 29 days 6 23/24 Hamstring injury Oct 1, 2023 Nov 24, 2023 54 days 13 21/22 Knee surgery Mar 31, 2022 Jul 7, 2022 98 days 14 21/22 Ankle problems Oct 21, 2021 Nov 6, 2021 16 days 3 20/21 Knee injury Apr 3, 2021 May 5, 2021 32 days 8 20/21 Knee injury Jan 19, 2021 Feb 16, 2021 28 days 6 20/21 Virus Oct 7, 2020 Oct 16, 2020 9 days 3 20/21 Groin injury Sep 13, 2020 Sep 27, 2020 14 days 2 19/20 Shoulder injury Dec 9, 2019 Mar 14, 2020 96 days 19 18/19 Groin surgery May 7, 2019 Jun 9, 2019 33 days 4 18/19 Hip injury Apr 19, 2019 May 2, 2019 13 days 2 18/19 Calf stiffness Mar 31, 2019 Apr 5, 2019 5 days 2 18/19 Hip injury Dec 7, 2018 Feb 22, 2019 77 days 17 18/19 Knock Nov 15, 2018 Nov 22, 2018 7 days 2

No reason why we can't bring it home. Southgate will be the fall guy if we don't though, we know that much. A first, fit, XI of (IMO) PIckford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, TAA, Rice, Saka, Bellingham, Foden, Kane is surely one of the best teams out there. A fit Shaw gets in my line up - the only position I'd have as an uncertainty is Maguire's, he's in just on experience but Braithwaite or Gomez have made claims for that spot IMO.

Che is still our player until (IF) Scotland reach the Quarter Finals I believe. Stu Armstrong could be fit enough for the Scotland squad too.

I don't think £12.5 million for a striker that was their top scorer with 17 goals last season is bad valuation but apparently Trabzonspor are offering 3 million euro less - their alternative according to one report is Oli McBurnie! I think there is a deal to be done there though - we need the money and the player off our books.

Yep, positive. I guess it depends on injuries but at the moment my list of the 7 players that will get cut is: Trafford Quansah Dunk (or Guehi, undecided but Guehi is more versatile which we may need) Wharton (he looked promising yesterday but I don't think Southgate takes him yet). Jones Gordon I'm glad I'm not the one making the decisions though! Gordon I chose to omit over Bowen - his time might yet come but Bowen is the more experienced option with goals in him if it comes down to use needing him (and Bowen can also play as a striker if something happens to Watkins or Kane. There are also arguments as to whether Toney goes over Watkins but I think I'd take Watkins as the other striker. I tried to make the argument to take all 3 strikers but it would mean leaving o ne of Eze or Maddison out and I favour taking them over a 3rd striker (with Bowen as the possible 3rd striker if needed). Put it this way - we're lucky the squad was extended to 26 players as cutting another 3 from that would have been REALLY difficult!

Whatever happens next season, we somehow got out of one of the toughest Championship leagues of all time, meaning we (most likely) keep our best players in KWP and now THB. The Prem may be tough next season but the other alternative was losing the play off final, losing any chance we had of keeping our best players and rebuilding. We should attract players this summer that we wouldn't have dreamed of had we still been in the Championship. Points deductions of other teams will help us but I reckon we're in a better place next season than we were in our last Prem season. It's exciting times.

So shoehorning Stephens in worked! 😀 I'm happy for us to keep using 3 CBs but they need to be 3 good CBs but we need a new CB and that CB must be first choice. As mentioned in recent reports, Joe Rodon would be perfect. Then we'd have THB, Rodon (or first choice other), Bednarek, Stephens and Charles or Lawrence as a 5th choice. Does ABK fit into that? I'd rather not due to his injury record but it would save us money - but I do think we'll bring in one new CB. The only issue with 3 CBs is it blunts our attack more - we need two good wing backs to help with that formation so a new LB/LWB would be perfect. (Not that I think we'd go for him necessarily but Sessegnon would fit the bill). That said perhaps grinding out wins like we did against Leeds next season is the best way for us to stay up.

Maybe if we'd got Mbappe on a free but now he's going to Real I think Jude will want to stay there.

Money well spent. Who knows what our budget is this summer - I do know I'd rather spend, say, £120 million on 4 good £30 million players that would improve the team than on 6 £20 million players. Not that I think our budget will be anywhere close to that without shipping players off, that's just a hypothetical.

That's so weird, I was literally just reading about Red Star Belgrade on Wikipedia as I just signed a CB called Strahinja Erakovic from them (Or Crvena zvedza as they're known in the game). Who is additionally my upgrade to Lyanco. Spooky. (I'm also trying to sign Vinicius Jr on a free but he doesn't want to know for some reason...)

Yep, although thankfully it coincided with one of our best transfer windows of all time thanks to the appointment of Koeman.

Yes to all 3 personally - we have been loosely linked with Rodon: https://the72.co.uk/2024/05/31/leeds-united-joe-rodon-southampton-target/ who was excellent for Leeds all season. Would be an excellent addition at CB giving us 4 good options there. For £15 million odd I hope that's one that happens.

More chance of signing Robbie Coltrane. And he's been dead for two years so our medical team would have a job on their hands.

At some point it seems Everton will go down - it's just a matter of when. Annoyingly Dyche was the right manager for them at the right time but even he would struggle to get a points deducted Everton safe... surely! (Cue Everton surviving AGAIN)

True enough, although I think it's prudent to be wary that next year we could be back in the Championship wishing we had lower earning or squad players to fall back on - similar to how Stu became key this year, Aribo, Bednarek, Stephens, etc were all fringe players (or loaned out) last Premier League season and yet were first teamers this season just gone. If we go down we will probably lose KWP, Downes (potentially), THB, maybe AA and Bednarek etc and suddenly those squad players become important again. Although I agree we should get rid of non-playing big earners if possible. I'm not saying we should prepare to fail but it should be in the back of our minds, at least for this season when staying up is the main aim.

Ramsden would be a brilliant signing, I bet he'd Saveloy-t of goals going in. Ok that was so awful I'm banning myself from Saintsweb for 24 hours.

Hell I said it last summer... I'd take Dubravka for year or two for experience sake. Bet he gets into a few scraps...

Fair enough. I do see your point but, IMO, If he hadn't been injured and he had scored the goals to get us out the Championship, then we'd all be excited to see how he would get on in the Premier League. Whilst we'll never know of course but I don't think it's beyond feasible to think he's in the manager's plans next season. We will also have a tight budget to deal with and a lack of striking options (especially if Mara and Adams leave) so I think some of the players already on our books will be utilised next season - I'd be surprised if Stewart isn't one of them.

Loan with an option I'd take him but Chelsea seem to want top dollar for him (their prerogative i suppose). At least on loan he can show he he's about and we've secured the option if he does achieve it. And if not, he can go back. But he'd be one of two strikers I'd want to bring in though as he also has the injury record both with us and Chelsea. With Ross Stewart's injury record being less than favourable we need options.

Just look at the players Arsenal hope to ship out: Zinchenko, Tierney, Ramsdale, Smith Rowe, Nelson, Partey, Nketiah, Viera... All would walk into our team and they expect to raise around £200 million from those sales.

And Maatsen who is about to play in the Champions League final for Dortmund.

Contract is up next summer so doubtful we'd get that.

He scored 10 in 13 in the Championship before his injury at Sunderland so that suggests he would have done very well without the injury (and we probably wouldn't have got him as cheaply as we did) and if Rickie Lambert is anything to go by (admittedly he was a rarity), there would be little reason why he couldn't have stepped up to the Premier League. However a) he did get injured so we'll never know and b) we've proven that signing high scoring Championship strikers doesn't always equate to doing well in the Premier League. I guess we'll have to see - he's 28 soon so he should be in his peak as a footballer but hasn't really played since he was 26, so I have more questions about his fitness than I do over his talent. However we aren't exactly blessed with strikers right now so I wouldn't loan him out, I'd keep him and AA and add one (or even two) strikers.