Jan Bednarek

Cheap, but not quite as cheap as Bialkowski was when we plucked him out of thin air for about sixty grand:smug:

No nothing about him, but I guess you can't be too bad a CB if you're starting for Lech Poznan at 20/21. File it under 'wait and see'.

P.S I'm legit happy for Stephens to be our 3rd CB this year, and as such you can't be too critical of signing a 4th choice CB (unless you think Maya is dire)

I hope this isn't the cb we were after to play alongside VvD. Other alternative is we are ugrading yoshi to be starting alongside. Hope this not the case

I'm a bit torn actually. I felt that Yoshida did well last season, particularly next to VVD, and Stephens did well too, suggesting that he could also be good next to VVD. However, when Yoshida and Stephens played together there was often a mistake waiting to be made somewhere. It's not like Fonte was error-free, even when playing alongside van Dijk. Plus I think we have also missed that second combative central midfielder to protect them, especially as positioning is still (understandably) an area for improvement in Stephens' game. Romeu does an excellent job but he's not so good facing his own goal and tracking runners.

Although I obviously want us to have all the best players we can get in every position, I think there are other positions (mainly central midfield) that need bolstering more urgently, and would be prepared to risk not upgrading Yoshida/Stephens if it meant we had more to spend in those areas.

£5m now seems to be the going rate if you want to invest in youth internationals for the squad/future.

We don't have a particularly good record for signing £5-6 million centre backs, Gardos and Forren being an example, but the guy is young, I doubt he's being bought for first team straight away and the club generally does their research on these players.

 

Also if you wrote of a player based on him having a poor summer tournament, then you'd basically have to say that pretty much every England player of the last 15-20 years is crap.

Aren't the two highlighted bits in contradiction with one another? I suppose not - we do the research but the results have been quite poor.

Perhaps they still see Chambers as a possible replacement for Fonte?

I wouldn't be surprised to see West Ham sign him tbh.

We don't have a particularly good record for signing £5-6 million centre backs, Gardos and Forren being an example, but the guy is young, I doubt he's being bought for first team straight away and the club generally does their research on these players.

 

Also if you wrote of a player based on him having a poor summer tournament, then you'd basically have to say that pretty much every England player of the last 15-20 years is crap.

Unlucky rather than a poor record. Forren has proved his ability elsewhere. It was a combination of things that worked against him here but basically he was home sick - which eventually led to other issues. Gardos? Well the jury is out. Too hampered by injuries which is why I classify the signing as unlucky.

Unlucky rather than a poor record. Forren has proved his ability elsewhere. It was a combination of things that worked against him here but basically he was home sick - which eventually led to other issues. Gardos? Well the jury is out. Too hampered by injuries which is why I classify the signing as unlucky.

Jury's not out on Gardos, he was 5th choice behind Van Dijk, Yoshida, Stephens and Caceres at the end of last season. He was a borderline first team choice when he first arrived and hasn't come close to being considered after his injury. He was far too ponderous on the ball to last long even before his injury. Hell, we once substituted him off for a hugely out-of-form Yoshida when Arsenal took Giroud off in favour of a bunch of shortar5es up front, which shows where his strengths lay. Not quite so lucky in the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal this season, which was his only full first team appearance.

No nothing about him, but I guess you can't be too bad a CB if you're starting for Lech Poznan at 20/21. File it under 'wait and see'.

 

P.S I'm legit happy for Stephens to be our 3rd CB this year, and as such you can't be too critical of signing a 4th choice CB (unless you think Maya is dire)

I suspect Stephens will be higher up the pecking order than that given VVD's obvious departure

I suspect Stephens will be higher up the pecking order than that given VVD's obvious departure

Be very surprised if we didn't spend 15-20 on a defender as well if VVD leaves.

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Jury's not out on Gardos, he was 5th choice behind Van Dijk, Yoshida, Stephens and Caceres at the end of last season. He was a borderline first team choice when he first arrived and hasn't come close to being considered after his injury. He was far too ponderous on the ball to last long even before his injury. Hell, we once substituted him off for a hugely out-of-form Yoshida when Arsenal took Giroud off in favour of a bunch of shortar5es up front, which shows where his strengths lay. Not quite so lucky in the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal this season, which was his only full first team appearance.

He didn't feature last season. Or the season before that. So not surprising he was fifth choice really. I'm just not really prepared to judge either way on a total of 5 first team league starts.

@K_Stanowski: Done! Jan Bednarek i menedżer Tomek Magdziarz z Fabryki Futbolu w drodze do Anglii na testy medyczne w Southampton.

Hope he's had his testy medyczne already

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Nice to see they are discreet in their dealings and negotiations. Not the Saints way.

Nice that we're signing some good looking lads again. After Pelle and Morgan left, all the women and the gheyers had nothing much to get excited about.

I think this player is one we think we can develop. It would be my guess that he'll be the u23 CB with Alfie Jones stepping up. AJ is class.

I thought Gardos was AJ's partner for the U23's

I think this player is one we think we can develop. It would be my guess that he'll be the u23 CB with Alfie Jones stepping up. AJ is class.

Agreed and that was my concern really didn't want to block his development as is quality . Perhaps Gardos is off somewhere.

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He didn't feature last season. Or the season before that. So not surprising he was fifth choice really. I'm just not really prepared to judge either way on a total of 5 first team league starts.

Gardos started in the FA Cup against Arsenal. Tbf it was basically our 3rd team anyway.

Not much to need to judge if two managers have deemed him not worth a start in that time. Mind you, Caceres looked just as bad on the ball in places in the one game I saw him play. When I have seen Gardos he looks decent at marking and heading, ok at tackling and intercepting, and dismally slow and ponderous with the ball at his feet whenever asked to do anything other that pass a ball under no pressure to an unmarked teammate.

I know nothing about the guy. Feels like another Gardos situation. Got a feeling he won't take on much of a role for this coming season.

In Stanowski's tweet above he promises in Polish that his client will not lip off to the PL referees and take stupid yellows while playing for Southampton.

I know nothing about the guy. Feels like another Gardos situation. Got a feeling he won't take on much of a role for this coming season.

Likely scenario is Van Dijk and Stephens first choice this season with Bednarek rotating in for cup games/christmas pile up, sell Van Dijk next summer for £60million and then have Bednarek and Stephens as first choice.

Likely scenario is Van Dijk and Stephens first choice this season with Bednarek rotating in for cup games/christmas pile up, sell Van Dijk next summer for £60million and then have Bednarek and Stephens as first choice.

Yoshi?

Most likely an addition to our squad, experience playing league football and will help to develop young lads (Stephens, Jones, etc) and develop himself. Might see something out of him, but don't slate after not seeing him play at all. Not a particularly exciting signing, but equally happy to get him in!!

Yoshi?

Agreed - ahead of Stephens surely. He was a big part in Stephens playing well in the centre back partnership

Yoshi?

3rd or 4th choice, where he should be.

Yoshi?

Agreed - ahead of Stephens surely. He was a big part in Stephens playing well in the centre back partnership

I love Yoshida, I think he was fantastic. Sadly Stephens development is more important to us.

3rd or 4th choice, where he should be.

Certainly too good to be 4th choice - he was immense at times last season.

Bednarek looked good on the ball, 6' 2" but not particularly good in the air similar to Stephens, more a second centre back rather than a primary like VVD and Yoshida that attack the aerial threat. Looked a decent young player.

Without buying somebody in our number one centre back partnership as it stands has to be VVD and Yoshida by a country mile. I'd like to see us buy Ake and play him alongside Romeu with the option of using him at the back if necessary. Played at least one season in midfield at Watford.

Can see why we'd go for him. Look at Maguire, Gibson, Keane etc. All did pretty well, but in fairly defensively set up teams, and all suddenly worth £20m+? Another good season from Stephens and he'd be worth the same, even if he was massively helped out by VVD and Romeu.

You mean Yoshida? Stephens was playing because van Dijk was injured.

Agreed - ahead of Stephens surely. He was a big part in Stephens playing well in the centre back partnership

It's a close call tbh - defensively yoshi just as has more experience - ball at the feet/bringing it out - Stephens.

https://www.transfermarkt.at/bericht-bednarek-wechsel-zu-southampton-vor-abschluss/view/news/279500

Done deal according to this

So for those of us who love to talk about replacements -- Stephens to replace Fonte? & Bednarek to take Stephens' old positions as back-up?

Seems an odd one to me. Still waiting for the Fonte replacement Les promised.

This lad & Caceres are nothing of the sort.

MY & JS had some good games but we still shipped a load of goals. They are still 3rd & 4th choice imo - great backup.

Need an established, younger senior international to replace Fonte. Need an outstanding replacement for VVD unless hell freezes over.

Worried.

Jeez I don't know all this Horse poo "Yoshida and Stephens are 3rd and 4th choice" what cobblers the pair of them were 1st choice for half a season, the only flaw in the partnership was Mayas good nature trying to protect Jack as he eased himself in, which sometimes saw them ending up in the same place at the same time. As a defensive partnership they must have been more exposed last season than in any other since Saints first 6 months of life back in the Premier league, especially as we weren't sticking them away at the other end.

Thank the Lord proper people run the football club, not folks who base their team selection on the past CV's and exotic name of some Carlos Kickaball who looks bloody dynamite when smashing their 3 year old before bedtime on Playstation.

The reported new contract for Young Jack must have some experts on here holding their heads, weeping, and wailing WWhhhyyyy!!

Let's deal with the facts.

Yoshida has mostly been 3rd choice since he has been here. I like him & he has improved with game time.

Stephens has been 4th choice, 5th choice, U23's or on loan since he was thrown in the deep end after VVD's injury & Fonte left. I like him too and he deserves a new deal imo.

My point is we have had one of the best defences in the PL over the last few years. Our 1st choice CB's over that time have been 2 of Fonte, VVD, Alderweireld and dare I say Lovren.

These 2 are good players but not in the same class, we need to strengthen our 1st choice CB pairing not weaken it.

Let's deal with the facts.

 

 

Yoshida has mostly been 3rd choice since he has been here. I like him & he has improved with game time.

 

Stephens has been 4th choice, 5th choice, U23's or on loan since he was thrown in the deep end after VVD's injury & Fonte left. I like him too and he deserves a new deal imo.

 

 

My point is we have had one of the best defences in the PL over the last few years. Our 1st choice CB's over that time have been 2 of Fonte, VVD, Alderweireld and dare I say Lovren.

 

These 2 are good players but not in the same class, we need to strengthen our 1st choice CB pairing not weaken it.

It's a tricky one. I agree we've been blessed over last few years with some quality centre backs and would like to see a top quality one come in to partner VVD.

However, we've got a very promising defender in stephens who needs regular games at the top level in order to continue his progression. Who knows, perhaps he could be even better than Fonte? I think a season next to VVD would bring him on leaps and bounds.

At the end of the day, it's the clubs MO to develop youngsters - why wouldn't they continue this with Stephens who has shown he is capable of playing at this level?

Plus, I think you can contribute a fair bit of our defensive problems to the balance in midfield. I love Romeu, but he can't do the job of Morgan and Vic on his own.

I like Yoshida but he has one big flaw that lets him down and that is woeful distribution. That weakness in itself is enough for him to be regarded as not good enough in the higher echelons of the Premier League.

I like Yoshida but he has one big flaw that lets him down and that is woeful distribution. That weakness in itself is enough for him to be regarded as not good enough in the higher echelons of the Premier League.

No it isn't.

I like Yoshida but he has one big flaw that lets him down and that is woeful distribution. That weakness in itself is enough for him to be regarded as not good enough in the higher echelons of the Premier League.

That's the least of his problems. Getting caught out of position and flat footed is his biggest flaws. He's not good enough to be first choice but we can't expect better as a back up.

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I like Yoshida but he has one big flaw that lets him down and that is woeful distribution. That weakness in itself is enough for him to be regarded as not good enough in the higher echelons of the Premier League.

You really must stop hiding behind the bloke in front of you like he's a sofa when Maya is on the ball.

There was me thinking this was a thread about a potential new signing.

This has gone rather quiet

This has gone rather quiet

Les has probably had a word after that plane tweet.

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Les has probably had a word after that plane tweet.

 

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Horse head in bed situation?

- Polish journalist says it will be announced tomorrow

Glad you understand polish or is google translate your friend? Cheers tho [emoji106]

I think there will also be more announcements tomorrow.

I think there will also be more announcements tomorrow.

Awesome.

I think there will also be more announcements tomorrow.

Regarding new players, players departing, takeovers, pre-season friendlies ?

Or Sam Gallagher signing a new contract ???