Rebel

I can see us signing Joshua Zirkzee from Bayern Munich as the additional striker we need. Scored 15 goals on loan at Anderlecht last season. 6ft4, Dutch and a year left on his contract so Bayern want to sell with a buy back clause. Available for £12-15M supposedly

Maybe it’s Romeu that wants to leave Saints and head home to Spain - I am pretty sure if he had wanted to have renewed and extended his contract last season the club would have done so. Hasn’t he just had a kid - and he’s from a small town in Catalonia - Girona are more or less his home town club - maybe he wants to be closer to his family and/or end his career in Spain. I had a feeling he’d end up ay Espanyol on a free transfer next summer to be honest - but Girona makes sense given his Barcelona connections. saying that we do need his experience in the dressing room but his best days on a pitch are probably behind him now i would see Garner as more of a replacement for Diallo so perhaps it will be 2 in and 2 out in midfield I would like to see us bring in Ampadu as well - his best position is as play making holding midfielder where he plays for Wales - but he can also play at centre back and right back - and Chelsea are open to letting him leave

We should accept the offers for Diallo and get Garner or Ampadu on loan from Chelski

I think Ralph will stick with the back 3 as he doesn't seem to have the confidence in any of centre backs to play in a 2 But if that the case he has to set the team up properly in front of them to protect them - and allow our wing backs to get forward so for me I think it should be Bazunu ABK Lyanco Salisu KWP Romeu Lavia Perraud Aribo JWP Adams but that is really too defensive to play against Leeds at home so it really should be Bazunu KWP ABK Salisu Perraud Romeu JWP Lavia Aribo Stu Adams

And he would love that - but he might just be right. it’s hard to see 3 teams with worse squads than us - maybe Bournemouth and Fulham. Forest probably don’t have better players but they have much better squad depth and seem to still be strengthening Leeds have added the squad depth they were missing and if they can keep key players like Bamford fit they probably have the edge on us - and look like they will add more players Brentford lost Eriksen but have strengthened everywhere they needed to this season - and have just added Damsgaard on top of that - the have had a great transfer window Everton and Wolves will struggle this season but both are spending £30M plus on players - and will probably keep spending we are going to have to hope Forest’s gamble fails spectacularly - or that one of Everton and Wolves have an injury crisis or a collapse of some sort and it looks like we have run out of cash and are now dependent on selling players to bring others in or looking at loans but if we are going to survive this season we are going to need to add players to the relatively limited (in both ways) squad we have right now I’d quite happily see us move move on players like Diallo, Valery, Bednarek, Adam Armstrong and McCarthy if it meant we could bring new players in - maybe even Adams too as he is one of the few saleable assets we have Lirola would be a start at right back but let’s hope they bring Caleta-Car back from Marseille with him and if KWP is injured we should take another look at getting Issa Kabore on loan from Citeh it looks like Kaladzjic will be going to a bigger club than us so we should go after Joshua Zirkzee whilst he is still available and then try for someone like Nmecha as well if we have the cash or someone like Broja on loan again the same with Hudson-Odoi - he’ll probably stay in London - so we should go after Edozie from Citeh again who we were linked with before to add some depth and the fee was supposed relatively low at £5M (and hope Moi, Walcott and Redmond can give us a little bit more this season) We still need a left back from somewhere and another player in defensive midfield to provide cover as Diallo just isn’t good enough I’d be tempted to go for Ampadu on loan from Chelsea as he can also cover centre back and right back

Targett went on loan to Fulham and did very well - but we probably shouldn't have sold him to Villa. Still think we would have been better keeping him and selling Bertrand (rather than letting Ryan leave for free) in the long run With Tino having a long term injury and Perraud carrying an injury we really needed to sign a left back and a right back before the season started. Having not done so means we only have 2 fit first team full backs which is just not enough (I'm not counting Valery, Ramsey or Vokins) Plus in all likelihood we will sell KWP next summer when he only has 2 years left on his contract so we need a successor anyway. And if KWP is injured we really are in trouble. That means we will start a second game in a row with only one fit fullback. On another note I can see us selling Adams to Leeds after we play them at the weekend coz we need the cash to spend on new players as we can't sell the players we really want to and his value is only going to go down from here.

I am still convinced that if Ralph didn't have 2 years left of £6/7 million a year contract we would have sacked him. I am also pretty convinced Ralph is a one trick pony manager - he can only play and coach 4-2-2-2 high pressing football -which can succeed brilliantly at times but can also fail spectacularly at times. If it doesn't work he has no idea. Look at how we dealt with the direct teams like Burnley in the past - he had no idea what to do. Also look at how we played 3 at the back on Saturday compared to Spurs or Brighton over the weekend. It was kind of a 3 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 1 - 1 with one defensive midfielder, 3 box-to-box midfielders, 2 wingbacks , 1 AM and 1 CF (not too mention playing Djneppo on the left as a wing back when he is right footed, Adarma as lone striker despite his stature, Valery as a centreback and Romeu as a box-to-box midfielder when he doesn't have the engine for it) if you are going to play 3 at the back for defensive solidity you need to play 2 holding midfielders in front of them to cover the gaps and then you can allow your wingbacks to get forward and provide width and play 1-2 or 2-1 up front playing 3 AM up front at the end of the game and no striker just added insult to injury Brighton played 3-3-3-1 or 3-2-2-2-1 - whichever way it was they provided more cover and protection for the back 3 than we did was Ralph being too clever for his own good or was he just being clueless? I am not sure which to be honest he is not helped by the fact we don't have enough players who are really good enough for the premier league and the squad is short in key areas (CB/FB/AM/CF) - but the real question is does he get the best out of the players / team we have? I am not sure he does

I would guess that we are looking to sell Che Adams as he is one of the few players we have that is actually saleable - and that we are willing to sell. And with 2 years left on his contract now is the time to sell him if we are going to - which means we might get £20-25M for him. But we should only be selling him if we have a very good replacement lined up (and maybe we won't sell him until we've actually brought a replacement in) The fact that he is on his way out is the only acceptable reason not to have played him on Saturday - or play him this coming Saturday. What worries me though is it was clear to every one of us that what we needed most in the transfer window was an experienced commanding centre back, cover at full back (left and right) and a proven striker with pace and power that can score goals - and as yet we haven't signed any of those. Still the transfer window is still open so I guess we have to have faith they will bring them in before it closes. What scared me most on Saturday is we started the game with 3 players we know just aren't good enough for the Premier League - Adam Armstrong, Djneppo and Valery and then brought on another in Diallo. All of them should have been moved on this summer - whether sold or on loan to see out their contracts (Djneppo/Valery) or try and regain some of their value (Diallo/Adam Armstrong). And I guess we are also having problems in shifting those players we want to get rid of - Redmond and Walcott - or who want to leave (Bednarek). Lets hope as the transfer windows gets nearer to closing we see some interest in these players. I'd possibly add Elyounoussi and Lyanco to the list of players we need to move on and replace. So far the transfer window has been better than I expected with us bringing in Aribo, Lavia, Bazunu, ABK and Mara and it has given me hope that there is more to come. But unfortunately although better than I was expecting other than Aribo they are not the proven or experienced players we really need. They are the add-ons/the nice to have's - not the essential signings we really need.

The only possible reason not to start with Adams today is surely because he is off - no other reason is acceptable. He’s our best striker of the 3 by some way right now. But if we are selling him we better have an incredible replacement - or 2 - lined up! Ralph seems scared of losing which means we play defensively with players out of position and we end up losing because the defence can’t handle the constant pressure and collapse Does he get the best out of the players we have? or the make the team greater than the sum of its parts? the simple answer to both those questions is no And why does he keep playing players our of position? it just doesn’t work for us if it wasn’t for the 2 years left on his £7M a year contract I am pretty sure the new owners would have sacked him by now It should have been 4-3-2-1 today with the players in their right positions Bazunu KWP ABK Salisu Perraud JWP Romeu Lavia Aribo Stu Adams A strong midfield to protect the defence - and allow the full backs to get forward when attacking - a striker who can hold the ball and bring others in to play - and our 2 best AMs in their best positions

I am not so sure about Broja - I don’t think we can afford to buy him at £30M nor should we as he’s overpriced at that level. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see him come back here on loan. I think he looked bad towards the end of last season as we more or less played him up front on his own without much support and reverted to the long ball game - meaning he had to chase scraps against 2 centre backs. if we do sell Adams for £20M and replace him with a better striker I am not going to complain. He’s probably at the peak of his resale value right now so now is the time to sell him if you are going to do it. We’ve kept too many players past their sell buy date when they aren’t really good enough - Moi, Redmond, Djneppo, Diallo - and then been unable to sell them or have to give them away. The last 3 should have gone on loan last season to get some value back so we could sell them this season. Part of me thinks we should loan out or sell Adam Armstrong this season so we don’t make the same mistake again. Maybe if we bring Broja and someone else in permanently we will we were linked to Kaspar Dolberg at one point as Nice supposedly want to sell him - maybe that’s the mystery striker we have made an offer for. we don’t just need a striker though - we need a creative no 10 to play on the left and a full back.

Romeu is definitely not a No. 10 - I think we are all agreed on that. But I don't think he is a goal scoring box-to-box midfielder No.8 either. He doesn't have the pace or the engine to get up and down the pitch. His best position is as a deep lying defensive of holding midfielder No.6 protecting the defence. His best seasons for Saints were as the deep lying midfielder at the base of a midfield 3. He should be competing with Romeo Lavia for the No.6 position unless we are going to play them alongside each other with 2 No 6s. JWP and Diallo are the box-to-box No.8's surely. Maybe the issue is Romeu is past his best as the DM/No.6 and Diallo isn't good enough for the No.6 or No.8 positions - and we need to replace both of them.

Small has already gone on loan to Port Vale and I think the other 4 will probably follow him and go out on loan as well. I am not sure Ralph and the other coaches think any of them are ready to play at fullback in the premier league unfortunately

a good read here - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11045531/Southampton-reaping-benefits-hiring-Joe-Shields-head-senior-recruitment.html I do like the strategy of bringing in young players with real potential and developing them. Lets hope Shields also has a great effect on our academy recruitment as well. For one thing its the only way the team is going to get better in the long run. By bringing in the best young players developing them, selling them at a hefty profit and investing the money back in to the squad. Although I worry that most of the profit will be go out of the club. But we do need a solid spine of frame to the team of hardened professionals and good players at their peak to build around - and allow the good young players to develop. A team full of 18-20 year olds getting beaten every work will get relegated for one thing - and is probably not the most conducive environment for getting the best out of the young players. You probably need at least half of your starting 11 to be at this level if not more if its really going to work.

It’s simple really 😁 1) bring Broja back on loan with an option to buy 2) bring Delap in on loan 3) buy Sasa Kalajdzic 4) sell Che Adams to Leeds or Everton 5) loan Adam Armstrong to Middlesbrough with an obligation to buy and let’s not forget we still need a No 10 to play on the left - as well as cover at left back and right back in all honesty this transfer window has already been a lot better than I was expecting it to be - but we still have a lot to do if we are going to be truly competitive in the premier league - rather than avoiding relegation by not being as bad as 3 other teams

My preferred option would have been to have signed a second left-back by now - so we could play 4-2-2-2 (as we don’t seem to think Small or Vokins are up to it) Josh Doig for £3-4M would have been worth a go surely? or failing that a full back that can play on the left or the right - Aaron Hickey would have been ideal for £14M or at least another right back to provide cover for Tino whilst he’s injured and allowed KWP to play on the left when needed (we don’t seem to think Ramsey or Valery are up to it either) Kabore on loan would have been good to provide cover for Tino if we are going to play 3 at the back I’d prefer we play 3-4-1-2 or 3-4-2-1 but with a left footed player on the left of the midfield 4 with the ability to give you some natural width and either one No 10 and two strikers or 2 AMs and one centre forward I hate 5 at the back - it always seems to me you are just playing to lose by not scoring - and on the back foot all the time in the long run we need a second left back to provide cover for Perraud anyway as KWP will leave us at some point (probably next summer) for this reason I’d like to see us buy a left back and a right back so we have a succession plan (or someone like Hickey)

Disappointed for the most part I think we'll end up signing a few more young players we can develop and then sell on at a profit - maybe a central midfielder, a centre forward and attacking midfielder - but that's probably about it - apart from one or two loans to add some depth. We'll start pre-season playing 4-2-2-2 and then realise too late after 3 or 4 league games and a bad start we don't have the players for it. What we really need to do is change the way we play or bring in a load of players that suit the 4-2-2-2. The current squad is better suited to playing 4-3-3 but even then we don't really have any strength in depth. I think it if wasn't for Ralph having 2 years left on his £7M a year contract the new owners would have replaced him by now.

I am not against signing young players with potential to develop them and sell them on at a profit - as long as most of the proceeds are reinvested back in to the team. But you need a core of good experienced players to build the team around - and one or two wise old heads to provide leadership on the pitch. And probably one or two very good players at their peak to be competitive. Right now I feel we need to add some quality and experience all over the pitch.

Leeds are signing Marc Roca to provide cover for Phillips - and possibly replace him as well. They need much greater depth to their squad so I I think they will sign someone else if they sell Phillips. I can see them signing Weston McKennie to up their American quota if they do. Biesla liked a small squad but I think Marsch and owners have realised it was too small for a premier league season. Leeds are going to spend money to strengthen the squad - backed by the prospective US owners who own the San Francisco 49ers - so its big and good enough to compete in the Premier league. I think they have plans to make Leeds a big brand in the US when they buy it outright. We really need to hope Brentford suffer from second season syndrome and the 3 teams that got promoted - Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest - just aren't good enough for the premier league.

Slightly depressing reading - but its hard to to disagree with most of this - gives a little room for some hope that things will get better https://www.football365.com/news/southampton-owners-have-a-lot-to-prove-to-james-ward-prowse-this-summer

Letting Forster go on a Free and giving McCarthy a contract extension (although this might have come down to salary demands) when Fraser was the better keeper Giving McCarthy and Stephens contract extensions and then not announcing them. Keeping Harry Lewis sitting around for no apparent reason for a couple of seasons as cover - before letting him go one a free - and when you did need him me signing Caballero (a 40 year old) to play instead. Retaining Caballero as cover / 3rd choice keeper when this should be a your B team keeper and you already have McCarthy for this role anyway. Supposedly signing Bazunu to be your number 1 when you have kept McCarthy for that role. Keeping 3 failed goal keeping coaches as the 3 first team coaches for a couple of years when they were never up to the job (and appointing them in the first place) Giving Walcott a 2 year deal on £75K a week (reportedly) when he's apparently not good enough to play regularly. Giving Shane Long a contract extension last time when he should have been released - and then saying you are in discussions about another one when you are not according to his wife. Signing Adam Armstrong and playing Long ahead of him. Not sacking a manager who has lost 9-0 twice - and finished with less points than last season (and giving that manager a 2 year contract extension at £7M per year meaning you can't afford to sack him). I could probably go on We are not exactly well managed are we? (And that's just on the football side - lets not talk about the kit fiasco of recent years) Is Crocker DoF or just 'director of football operations' or head of the academy? It looks to me like we need to appoint someone / a Director of Football to take control of it all and give us some sort of plan. It doesn't really feel like we have one at the moment. And its maybe time for a new MD as well.

Agreed - but I am not sure we can afford a proven premier league striker or a top striker from another league (hope I am wrong about that). Difference between Armstrong and Gyokeres is physicality - Armstrong doesn't have the height or pace for the premier league. Gyokeres has the height and physicality. We do need someone up front who can lead the line and win the ball in the air - we don't have anyone like that at the moment.

it sounds like Bednarek and possibly Romeu are on there way Bednarek needs to be replaced with a guaranteed starter who can lead the defence and partner Salisu - so it needs to be someone who has a good amount of first team experience. I like the look of Caleta-Car but could we persuade him to leave Champions League football at Marseille. If Forest don't make it through the play-offs Joe Worral would be another one to consider (at 25 and as Forest captain he would hopefully give some leadership on the pitch). Those 2 plus Colwill on loan from Chelsea to replace Stephens (and send Simeu out on loan to championship) would be a good depth at centre back. If Romeu does go we should take a look at Matt Grimes at Swansea - a left footed defensive midfielder and deep lying playmaker he would make a good partner for JWP - and at 25 and captain of Swansea he would hopefully give some leadership on the pitch as well. Is John Swift (25) on a free transfer from Reading worth a look to provide cover and depth at CM/AM with some experience? Although he was born in Pompey so it might be a no go on that. Ethan Ampadu might be another one to look at to provide depth and cover at centre back, DM and RB. Allowing KWP to provide cover at LB for Perraud. Or maybe we should taker a look at Josh Doig at Hibernian for left back cover. Brennan Johnson would be an obvious one for the AM position if Forest don't get promoted. Tino Anjorin from Chelsea is another we have shown interest in. I'd also take a look at Joel Piroe at Swansea for the AM / Second Striker / Inside Forward roles and Viktor Gyokeres at Coventry at centre forward to replace Long and Broja.

Tino will be out injured until half way through next season so that gives us a problem as we will only have 2 fit first team fullbacks in Perraud and KWP until then. So what do we do if one of them get injured. We could rely on Small/Vokins and Valery/Ramsey to provide cover but I don't think any of them are ready for that yet or good enough - and I am not sure any of them will be here next season. Personally I think you need 2 LBs and 2RBs to cover a whole season anyway - but you could get away with 3 if one or more of them can play on both sides. Added to that if Tino comes back fully from his injury its highly likely we will sell him next summer when Chelsea's buy back clause kicks in - so we should have one eye on needing to replace him or KWP if either or both of them leaves for a bigger club. Plus Ralph talked about needing to bring in a full back to provide cover when Tino got injured.

Aaron Hickey from Bologna would solve our problems at both left and right back - primarily a left back he is supposedly two footed and can play right back as well - he would provide cover for Perraud and KWP whilst Tino is out injured and would allow us to send Small out on loan for the season. He's supposed to be available for £15M or so. We need extra depth and cover at both left back and right back as Small in not ready for the Premier League yet - and next summer I expect we will sell one or not both of KWP and Tino. If not Hickey how about Josh Doig for left back and Max Aarons for right back.

Hopefully we will be able to sell Redmond, Elyounoussi, and Djneppo now that they only have 1 year left on their contracts. Given the wages they are on they were probably too expensive to sell to the level of club that would be interested in them when they had 2 years on their contracts. I imagine with each of them their current contracts would have to be paid up as part of the deal. It means we'll probably make very little money on them if any. If we can't sell them do we loan them out for a season - or keep them to pad out the squad? Its probably the same with Valery and Ramsey who both have a year left. Walcott is probably going nowhere for pretty much the same reason - no club will buy him given his wages and his age. Maybe a loan but I don't think he would be interested in that and we would have to subsidise it. Bednarek is the one of the few players that I think we will actually sell and get some money for - and hopefully enough to help us buy a first choice centreback. Diallo and Adam Armstrong probably need to be loaned out to clubs at a lower level in the hope we can sell them next summer if they have a relatively good season somewhere else. Tella, Vokins, Ferry, Smallbone, Watts, Simeu, Chauke and Small all probably need to be loaned out to get more game time in the hope some of them will develop as players and be good enough to play for us eventually. Forster, Caballero, McCarthy and Stephens should all have been released along with Stephens and Long. We need to sign at least 6 first team players - a CDM, CB, CM, AM and CF and RB get a couple of loans to add some depth to the squad at AM, CB and CF. Can't see us doing this though - so fully expect Moi and Redmond to stay for another year, alongside Diallo and Armstrong, Stephens and McCarthy, Valery and Ramsey and I wouldn't be surprised if we end up giving Long another 1 year contract as well.