JxgrSaint

He has unfollowed Hull on Twitter and removed his bio, which presumably used to say he played for them. Looks like this really is happening and isn't some unfortunate dream...

What has happened to football??

Also, some perspective has helped me... "@FourthOfficial_: Billy Sharp having a medical with Leeds tomorrow, fee agreed of around £5million #LUFC #SaintsFC"

In a vain attempt to get over my dejection on the Shane Long deal, here's some positive news about a player who's actually good and will get better in the future... "@FourthOfficial_: Southampton will make a new and much improved offer for Leeds' Sam Byram in an attempt to land him before the weekend #SaintsFC #LUFC"

The fee...

This. The problem being of course that if we are stupid enough to spend £12m on him we'll have to bloody start him in the hope that Scousehampton will continue their policy of overpaying for Saints players next Summer...

For that fee, I'm definitely writing him off. Happy to eat my words if he scores 15, but there's about as much chance of me doing it as him...

My reaction to the £12m...

Yeah, but he was actually good and had the potential to get better. Long is mediocre with the potential to get mediocrerer...

Because £12m is what we've spent on our marquee signings for the last couple of seasons, not for 'decent signings'...

That one depends on how much of a sell on % we've got and as we've got Clyne so it's not too bad

Spending that much on Long would be the worst bit of business we've conducted this Summer. Fact.

There is just infinitely better value for money - that's the same price West Ham got quoted for Yarmolenko, who'd be an exciting signing. Long is a headless chicken and won't help at all in our 'where will the goals come from' conundrum...

If we're after pacey forwards I don't see why we aren't going for the likes of Yarmolenko (who's been linked to Wet Spam and Stoke for about £12m), Mertens, Muniain or Vela in the £10-15m bracket

That'd be like trying to make Kate Upton jealous by going on a date with Susan Boyle..

I wouldn't mind him here for £3-4m but £10m you're having a laugh... I'd much rather pay Remy exorbitant wages and get him for £8.5m

Stirling? Probably means someone mediocre like Lennon, does he still play for Spurs?

Quality not quantity is the missing element à mon avis...

That bloke who was stuck in Qatar without being paid or allowed to leave for a year, can't remember his name though... Googled it - http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/28/sport/football/zahir-belounis-qatar-paris-football/

Good work as ever Redslo, wouldn't mind Howedes or Dragovic but never heard of the rest (bar Caulker obviously), can still dream on about Rojo though!

@SouthamptonFC: STATEMENT: #SaintsFC signs up @WillHillBet as its Official Betting Partner – http://t.co/UXv2q0cP8P http://t.co/yRA4JXuzRB Didn't we used to have some Taiwanese company as the official betting partner? Anyway, FFP related growing of the commercial side is good I suppose...

The chants are going to be quality! "The referee's perceptive, the referee's perceptive" will make a nice change from "is a ******"

http://www.statsbomb.com/2014/08/epl-season-preview-2014-15-southampton/ This preview is excellent, mirrors my thoughts (though I haven't heard of a few of the people he mentions as possible targets). Definitely worth a read

Sure we'll sign him from Celtic when Clyne goes next summer for about 6 times what they pay for him then!

£8m - Pellè £11m - Tadić £10m - Forster Potential £15m more on Bertrand and Taïder