SherborneSaint

Edozie an interesting one. Obvious potential, and a player who can beat a man (it feels like he would have been a good fit for Will Still’s tactics). However, has not made the grade consistently, and if he doesn’t want to be here, there is little point in carrying him as a passenger. It looks like there has been a pick up in terms of the market transactions, so the rumoured busy couple of weeks/month may well be happening. With PO, KS, KWP & JB already off the books, and the potential for AR & SE to follow soon, I wonder what happens next? I think that Aribo has had his time, and may not suit a high intensity game. There are then question marks over those considered to be the Crown Jewels, how many can we afford not to cash in on? There are also unknowns such as FD & YS. In terms of incomings, the lack of a true AMC has been an issue. The post friendly interviews from Will Still suggested that he thought we were short of quality in this area - if we could get the lad in from the Russian club (perhaps the difficulty of dealing with clubs from this part of the world may have suppressed prices???), it could be quality. It also feels like there could now be space for another winger - especially if the tactic will be crosses into the box. I would like to see investment into a new first choice GK. Johansson has proved his worth, so I would like that to happen. He would then be an effective back up (next season) if promotion were achieved. Any unexpected sales could then lead to more activity, but I think I feel excited. The last time we had such a clear out, under Ronald, we unearthed some gems and played some great football. We are now at a different level, but we could now get similar under Will Still.

https://www.attackingfootball.com/southamptons-summer-rebuild-20-signings/ I’ve no idea who this journalist is, or how realistic the estimated prices are. But, some of the analysis here felt realistic. There might be some potential signings here, or perhaps not…

Name had been mentioned by some earlier, but this looks to be happening. It would suggest some of our current centre backs may well be off - no bad thing…

I think this is a good decision. With Flynn Downes not available for too much of the time, more options in the middle of the park will be welcomed- it is hardly as if Aribo has been great… SC struggled with some of the thousand RM instructions last year, but does have the physical capabilities that are going to be needed now. I am hopeful the IJ will be given a run as manager, in which case, it is better that he fully understands the capabilities of all of the members of the squad, and is able to integrate them into his team

There look to be rumours of bids having been accepted for KS. Anyone know anything more about this? He is in the same boat as Mara for me. Potential is there, but it is not happening at Southampton

I know absolutely nothing, with this being pure speculation… I presume that there is some kind of internal ‘loan fee’ that is being paid by the other SR clubs, but these (like the majority of other loan fees) are not being made public. There must also have been some kind of fee for the permanent transfer of Lis. Is there opportunity to help ‘balance the books’ through this movement of funds? This could then help fall foul of the authorities?

Georgia looking great, especially the keeper. Potentially some bargains to be had?

https://theathletic.com/live-blogs/transfer-news-deadline-day-latest-updates/Xx2FTZkPU2Lo/QEelcaGCuLV8/ Does this allow Genk to use some kind of similar deal to bring back TP? I am no way ITK…

Ideally, it would be get a T-P for twice the price…

What did he do to stand out? Likely to be a starter pretty soon?

With one cb definitely gone, and another seemingly on the way out (possibly with another couple following), is it likely that the next incoming player will be a cb too? which potential players have there been rumours about? The younger ball playing kid (I’ve forgotten his name) sounds like it would be a coup if the club could pull it off…

This might depend on the ability to ‘get him up to speed’. He is such a tall man that I’m not sure he will ever have the fitness or mobility needed for a retention based system… He could offer an alternative approach, but I can’t see the side being one to get the ball out wide to cross into the box. Are there any direct sides that need a goal scorer?

RM was appointed 5 weeks ago today… a. What does everyone think regarding progress with implementing a new style and developing the squad? I feel that there has been definite progress in terms of patterns of play, but he (RM), and everyone else would have hoped for there to have been more player movement at this stage. The side still feel like a temporary one as we wait for players to leave… b. Doesn’t this make a mockery of the lack of progress made during the World Cup mid season break? I can’t remember how many weeks players had between the appointment of Jones, and the first game, but I can remember the result being a shambles. What a waste…

To me, it sounds like RM is well aware of this. As others have said, before new players can be recruited, we need to move some on…

Scoring a lot of goals would be good to watch though. It has been a while…

Might Aribo be someone who looks better using the new, possession based approach? (Knowing that he couldn’t look much worse than a lot of last season’s performances…)

https://twitter.com/southamptonfc/status/1678825505988964370?s=46&t=ESjYeidejMA4NjYUr0sDMg looks like he has signed…

With Mount having moved, and Rice on his way for big bucks, there will be a lot of cash about. I hope that the club hold out for £50m, accepting that it is likely to be a structured deal over at least 3 years +… it would still be a good investment.

I was thinking the same thing. I am hoping that we might see some football that is pleasing on the eye. Ralphball was good at helping to level up against the bigger clubs, but it has been a while since the team were actually exciting to watch…

Although the details of when players/anyone else will be back/start work, it feels like it might be soon. It now looks like the club have recruited some key staff, which is a step in the right direction. I thought that it might be useful to collate pre-season related goings on in one place…

What he said… Our incoming Head of Recruitment has a job on his hands. Signing the right players (rather than the biggest name players) will be so important. Hopefully we will have some money to spend, but there will be a lot of players that need to be recruited. Having the right players for the manager will be key. For too long, that has not been the case for SFC

I think I feel quite optimistic. we have been pretty terrible in terms of implementing possession based tactics for an age now, but the last 3 coaches (at least) have had an out of possession based game. If the information available from the interweb is to be believed, the coaching of a possession based game will be better, so actually be effective… It can’t be any worse than what we have been watching this season, so anything to bring some enjoyment back has got to be a good thing…

There have been rumours that JW has already unofficially begun work. He looks to have been really effective at City, so hopefully he is the real deal. However, there is now a lot of pressure for this appointment to work. He (should) now carry a lot of responsibility for significant decisions regarding a new manager and likely overhaul of the playing squad… I wouldn’t mind tapping in to any knowledge of youth team football he might have, if this can be supported by signing some experienced leaders. The managerial appointment is probably the biggest worry. There seem to be a number of significant problems within the team that need to be solved. In the short term, we should be in a better financial position than many in the Championship, but we can’t afford to waste this with another ineffective appointment. Does anyone, with more knowledge than me, have any idea what to expect?

Was yesterday’s goal against City, Mara’s first league goal for us? Whilst he was not yet ready to start every week, I do think that he will develop into a talented player…

I agree. It is frustrating that he can only show glimpses of what he is capable of. Would definitely benefit from a more attacking style of play…