SNSUN

Both can also play left back and with Perraud gone and Meghoma largely untested (and Larios only back from a year out), there is definitely room for a versatile RB to slide across.

Really hope we go up then and don't be all Saintsy and lose out on him permanently.

Welcome THB! So squad summery and movement on deadline day, does it look something like this - GK: Fine, we probably need to ship out McCarthy but I think he stays. If he went we'd need to source a 3rd keeper and I think we have too much going on in other positions. RB: PLEASE KEEP KWP!!! Him with Bree as back up will be fine. We've been looking at RBs though I wonder if we're trying to ship Bree out rather than KWP. I will keep everything crossed tonight that KWP stays. LB: Manning, Larios and Meghoma. Fine. Can't see any movement there. CB: Bednarek, Stephens, THB and Holgate. Should be enough with Charles as 5th choice. Bednarek goes? We need another. I can't see it but you never know. ABK to go. CM: Charles, Downes, Smallbone, Armstrong, Doyle, Alcaraz. I think we're done here. AM/Wing: SAA, Edozie, Fraser, Aribo, Djenepo, Sulemana. We've said we want to replace Tella. Aribo and Djenepo surplus to requirements? Roberts in? Sulemana out? Striker: Well fuck me if this needs work today. AA, Adams, Onuachu, Mara, Ballard as it stands. Adams, Mara, Onuachu and Ballard could all go today leaving us with AA. Stewart in. SURELY we need a third striker. I'm really surprised we seem to be loaning Ballard out. Risky IMO. If we go into the meat of this season with AA and Stewart as our only two strikers we are in big trouble. Fingers crossed it doesn't happen. AA is not a striker (though he'll get a few) and Stewart's fitness is questionable. In SFC we trust!

So to summarise the day before deadline day: GK: nothing reported. Which means McC stays. Def: Losing KWP, Bednarek and ABK, worrying the THB deal has stalled, Hoping Zak Awe is the answer Midfield: Patrick Roberts is the Tella replacement after Paintsil changes his mind more times than Nigel Quashie changed teams. Attack: we've decided to do without one. Out go Adams, Onuachu, Mara and Ballard, in comes Stewart who won't be fit for ages but that's ok because Adam Armstrong is staying and will power us to promotion by himself. Am I missing anything? 🤪

Just whip crosses in from right wing to left wing and vice versa like a tennis match until the opposition gets dizzy.

I love what Ballard has done for the B team, kid seems like a natural finisher, but we're going into one of the most important seasons in recent memory (where we need to get promoted or we will likely lose many more of the bits of talent we have next summer) and relying on him as a third striker would be risky. If Che, Mara and Onuachu leaves we need another striker in with Stewart or we won't have enough fire power at least until January. Got I'm going to have to watch SSN tomorrow now.

The preferable choice for me (over Drameh) but this close to the end of the window with no plausible links to KWP leaving, I think he stays. Maybe he's said he's happy to. He only has to stick it until January anyway and then he can reassess and push for the move if he wants to. Hopefully by then we have a good indication of whether we're in the running for promotion or not.

Wow. But wonder if we're still in for Zeqiri

African nationality aside, I'm hoping he's not another Steve de Ridder. And Paintsil doesn't seem to be chomping at the bit to sign for us. Fingers crossed he's decent and makes a big impact.

Any further bids?

Had a busy day, have I missed anything? "Yeah we're close to a loan for Harwood-Bellis, the defender everyone wants including some Premier League teams that excelled in this league last season with Burnley." Ah cool. No striker news then... 😝

My sauce says he's got wood. Bit rude I thought but there might be something in it.

If our striking options going into this season are AA (better as anything other than a 9), Stewart (injured this entire calendar year) and Ballard (completely untested) then we really won’t have learned any lessons from last season. We would need at least another striker in or Fraser will be sending crosses in to nobody. Hell I’d even rather keep one of Tall Paul or Mara if that was going to be the case. If we get Stewart AND one of the Aberdeen lads then I suppose that would do but it would still be quite underwhelming.

We'll have no strikers left if we keep offloading them all! I hope the club don't think AA is the answer just because he's scored 4 goals this season (2 of which were penalties and one he knew nothing about). I like him but he's better anywhere but up top.

There's some real Mandela effect going on with KWP's contract!

Well now Kraken reminded me that we still have ABK then definitely keep the squad. I highly doubt that if we sell Sulemana, ABK, KWP and Adams (all very likely still) that we will bring in players of the same quality, so it's a no-brainer.

Ah of course - I've already got him on the "out" list in my head!

I think I'd want another CB if Stephens is out long term. Yes Charles can play there but essentially if we don't bring Wood (or another CB) in then we are going into the no-Stephens period with just Jan and Holgate as CBs (aside from youngsters). Other than that I'd be happy with the squad as it is.

I believe Ben Johnson wants first team football that he's probably not going to get at West Ham. If KWP does go, and I hope he doesn't, then I think Johnson is the most natural recruit in his place. Can play both sides too. I'm not seeing what the club see in Drameh - he doesn't seem to have the pedigree that Johnson has - UNLESS the idea is to ship Bree out and have Drameh as the back up behind KWP.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Quak Good old Gabriel Quak. Doesn't quite fit the club's younger player model but who are we to knock a 32-year old Singaporean International striker. Bring him in I say.

That's the Middlesbrough home strip from 2010-11 season. She's going home... So by my workings, we're bringing home Scott McDonald, the 2010-11 top scorer for Middlesbrough that year, who played for Saints at the turn of the Millennium, thus bringing him home. 39 now but it could just work...

Yes, O'Riley. 😁

Just fudge it and say most of Southampton is the New Forest.

To top it all off they have Dejan Lovren.