Saint Charlie

You only post negative articles. ****.

Van Dijk starts tonight (obviously).

Yeah its wonderful. Just like Martinez keeps saying about Chelsea interest in Stones, with a fake smile.

Could be some good deflecting going on from Utd. Lots of chat about Mane. Less about their dithering with Pedro.

@SimonPeach: #SaintsFC have no intention of selling Sadio Mané - I am told no deal is on the table & there's been no contact from #MUFC

@SkySportsNewsHQ: BREAKING: @SouthamptonFC official tells @SkySportsNewsHQ that Sadio Mane is not for sale. More here: http://t.co/uuAL1gxdDP #SSNHQ

Our Academy brought us in a lot of money which we spent well but we have pretty much profited from our academy prospects now. JWP aside the next one worth anything is Slattery and he is totally unproven. We were able to use the cash from selling academy players for other decent players which is why we did well last season. At some point, to stay where we are we will have to spend bigger like some around us are, even more once the last few £20m rated plus players have gone (Mane and Wanyama at a push).

Mane and Long are incomparable in terms of quality IMO. Mane is our best attacker by miles and quite possibly our best player. Last season he won us 2 or 3 games and without him we would probably not have reached Europe. He would require replacing in less than 10 days with a player of sumilar attributes and quality and its very hard to do that. We had all summer to teplace Morgan and nearly all of it to replace Toby and that has been hard enough. Mane would be too far and it seems the club realise that.

To be fair it seems like the club are adamant he isn't for sale which is good to hear. Awful timing before a big European game and key PL match though, not to mention so close to the end of the window.

No thanks. Would prefer to have Mane than Januzaj and Hernandez doesnt suit our system whatsoever.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3203597/Manchester-United-launch-shock-15m-bid-Sadio-Mane-ending-Pedro-interest.html - Saints want £25m -Mane wants the move -Talks to progress over coming days - Source: United mouthpiece in the DM.

Yes. Not with 10 days of the window left and the season already started. Most Saints fan know he will go next summer along with at least Wanyama.

There doesn't need to be an alternative. He is 1 year into a 4 year deal his value will go up if he has a good year. We won't ever get him to sign another contract so there is no problem.

Know him as in you spoke to him at the Salzburg game? The one a month before Man Utd said they want him and would likely treble his pay?

Nobody thinks Mane will sign a new deal, he has 3 years left and we would have lost him next summer anyway so thats irrelevant. You can only be a showcase club if you have good enough players that form a good enough team to showcase something. Showcase club doesnt mean sell your best 3/4 players every summer as, spending what we do, we would have no good players left after 5 or 6 years.

He is better than Januzaj and aside from Depay they have no attackers who ca beat a man. He would do well there, and they obviously agree.

Selling Mane would put such a downer on the start of the season, he was pretty much the only good thing to come out of the last 2/3 months of last season. With it being this late in the window and him being such a key player we just have to say no. Even 30m or whatever is scant consolation. We don't tend to spend most of what comes in and the scouting setup that found Mane has changed anyway.

Can't sell our best player this late in the window. Simple as. If we do, then I would say our peak has already been achieved. Simply can't sustain this turnover of players. Wouldn't suprise me if Mane pushed very hard for a move either... Also hate how United do their business in the media.

http://outsideoftheboot.com/2015/08/13/scout-report-jannik-vestergaard/ Definitely not a fullback.

£12m seems a fair price for VVD anyway so sure eventually we will agree something if he is our first choice.

True. I remember Everton fans being bad with Moyes on Twitter when he spunked £3m on John Stones from bloody Barnsley. More important how good the player is than where they come from, but clearly Van Dijk is our main target anyway. Hopefully Celtic lose tonight.

After the Norwich game there is an Intl break anyway, so if we can get Bertrand, Clasie and the new CB ready for WBA on 12th Sept then thats fine. Will be a shame if we don't pickup decent points from the next two games as on paper our start was kind.

@SkySportsLyall: #Southampton interested in Koulibaly and Tarkowski but Celtic's Van Dijk remains first choice target http://t.co/GJqQW06cOQ #SaintsFC

Bothered. Jesus.

Looks like Rhu-endly will start this game, but the question is in which position?