david in sweden

Agreed.....although the fee was ..." £4 million....PLUS add-ons."...no-one has come out and stated what the " adds-on " amount to ....? (one of the first stories that emerged on the Lambert deal stated that the fee was .." between £8-10 million ", this was subsequently " reduced " to £4 million..... if there are to be hefty payments for each appearance... or on goal tally - that could make a very big difference in the next two years)

....of course Koeman hasn't seen Fonte in action yet, in order to make a good assessment. Although Jose has a year left on his present contract, he's certainly got a good few years left in him as a class CB. If Koeman has another player to replace him, then he may let him go, but JF has just had a good season and I wouldn't expect to see him go - just yet ..and certainly not for a paltry £4 million.

......isn't this what finding new, relatively unknown talent is all about. This time last season...not many people had heard the name ...Dejan Lovren !

.....and Lovren, and Rodriguez and Chambers and Schneiderlin........ and Uncle Tom Cobleigh and all:D, and all.....

thank goodness that someone can make a sensible analysis of the situation .....

..this would sound a bit strange, as Coutinho was on Pochettino's wish list a year ago, but he missed getting him and the player chose to go to L'pool. If he were to go anywhere ..might it not be to Spurs ?

but in a totally different league....and in another country. we'd all like to think that they will replace those two, but only time will tell, and stats....... now matter how impressive, will only tell you about past performances. The English Premier League is a law unto itself.

once again, this is down to " the other players" - we haven't bought yet? Ever since RK was mooted for the job, the names of Tadic and Pelle came up and now they're onboard, who else amongst the other 15 names (or others we don't yet know)... will be on the books by then? If he isn't that type of manager fixed to a certain formation, then he'll style it around those players we have still have to sign. To simply say that we have " replaced " Lambert and Lallana isn't really the case. Jay Rod isn't back training yet, and to expect him to comeback with anywhere near his last season 's form is a big ask . We need another strike .....(don't laugh - but we still have mayuka and Sharp on the books ), personally I still think we should have another young-ish striker... Redmond?...Ings ?...Wickham ? There is no recognised LB in the club (and I don't feel happy with Clyne there either, he's right-footed). The CB position is most difficult. Jos is 31, Fonte nearing 30. Yoshida was out of favour with MP, and all the Academy prospects in this role are totally untried. Until theses questions are resolved I think even RK won't be certain what/who he's going to play as first-choice. (....not to mention we are totally reliant on a fit Boruc as a Prem. class keeper).

I thought about that too, Duncan.....and the thought of " rehabilitating" Billy Sharp seemed hilarious ...or perhaps ...a stroke of genius?

Firstly, I don't totally ignore other clubs' activities, but some people spend IMO too much time discussing / worrying / belating player deals that other clubs make (and somehow) wish we had. "solely saints-related news " ?.....well I've been a Saints fan for 55 years, in good times and bad (and there's been a few of those), so YES I prioritise Saints. NOTE: I acknowleged that the OP list was impressive, and probably took time to produce but I'm more interested in our signings.

......nothing quite like drumming up lots of controversial issues ....especially in the "silly season "....(sorry the close season)..... is there Simon (Carter)?. You look (according to your Echo pic)...to be a bit younger than my two sons, and they learned to stop wetting their nappies on these issues a long time ago. Trying to organise transfers and get the right players in place isn't an overnight job, and we'll be lucky if half the job's done by August. Dragging up issues between... players - The Board - managers (past and present) is surely a commonplace situation in most clubs - isn't it ? What a good job everything works so well in your office ! No-one complaining about YOU, or your boss ....or wanting a higher salary or wanting to leave the Divine Echo. Thank goodness you aren't running SFC. Why not wait until you have something positive to write about Saints ....or do you enjoy ignoring that sort of " good news " ?.

" 00 "

I'd like him to keep quiet on this particular issue and surprise everyone a bit. Telling the rest of the Prem. clubs what tactics you're going to employ next season sounds like sitting down to a poker game and showing your opponents what cards you're holding..

Nice list on the OP, but should we really concern ourselves with players joining other clubs ?.....stats. may show that the majority of them will prove less value than their fees/salaries. I'm most concerned that Les and Ronald get their act together and get us some good deals in the next month.

.........and he's not afraid to speak English either.....

........and Ramirez ???.....or has he also got a sick note from Osvaldo's doctor ?

... he was there to make sure Lovren got off the plane in order to face the cameras....

well I think playing a few more games in his already-long contract......and grafting a bit more to earn some of the already-massive salary he gets might go someway towards endearing him to the rest of us.

count me out, I'm tee-total...and as for the tattooing part

although he wasn't one of our finest strikers, quite a few people lamented the loss of Guly do Prado, but never mind, after yesterday's match... there could be quite a few Brazilians going cheap ....

Dutch is not the easiest language to learn from scratch.....English is international, (unless you come from Argentina)

Signing no.1 . now perhaps some of those moaning doubters can get a good night 's sleep

.......and again today to bring latecomers upto speed, eh ?

......but sadly, not his transfer fee.....

me too Minty, if you see a young lad 's name featured at U16 level ..and then follow his progress we know the heartache there is for those who ..."don't make it ", and we are forced to let go- just at the wrong time. Being released from an Academy (like ours) is no disgrace as we know they get good coaching provides a sound base for everyone of them. Pity those lads at Chelsea who'll never get a look-in. Breaking into the First team ....at a Premier League club is a notable achievement for anyone, and as we see. it's rare, but not impossible (is it Luke ?) There is a long list of those who have left SFC but still managed a reasonable career in the Football League (on a rough check I counted around 20 last season - mostly L1, L2.) Some players still make a good career, and players like; Mike Williamson and Gary Monk even made it to the Prem. under their own steam, after humbler beginnings. I'm sure many of them remember their training days with Saints, and perhaps missed out because there were better players in the first team squad . Whichevevr club Ryan plays at next season - it's certainly a name you find hard to forget.