CONFIRMED - Mane joins Liverpool for £34m + £2m addons

[ALWAYS_SFC]

Dumber than you expected? You are the biggest ***** going on here. Keyboard warrior, needing a thorough seeing to in *real life.

 

****ing bell end.

 

Are you challenging him to a "virtual fight" ?

[ecuk268]

the only sustainable growth is Katrinas bank balance.

 

Can you give us some numbers to back that up bearing in mind that the club owes her £40m?

[ALWAYS_SFC]

Can you give us some numbers to back that up bearing in mind that the club owes her £40m?

 

Of course he can`t, its just easy to say....

[ENSKIED]

I suppose it's better than being a club that spends a fortune every summer and yet still under achieves and wins nothing.

 

I'm consistently impressed with what Southampton achieve within their model. I'd be constantly f*cked off if I was Newcastle or Liverpool fan in recent years

 

? Liverpool reached two Cup Finals last year; one domestic, one European, no doubt clawing in millions £££ en route. Newcastle won err relegation . . . . . yet again.

[doddisalegend]

I think the statement that mane is replaceable will come back to bite some people on the bum. He's one of the best attacking players we have ever had and will be sorely missed.

 

 

It works both ways though the last few summers have shown saints fans are also prone to over estimating how good some of the players leaving are to.

 

On his day Mane is brilliant but I cant see how anyone can argue that he didn't have some very poor patches at saints.

[Faz]

the only sustainable growth is Katrinas bank balance. We are a cash cow and whilst we are delighted to finish 7th and think that is some kind of achievement it will carry on. At least the club dont have to employ a cleaner for the trophy room.

 

Seriously?

[mrfahaji]

I'm very disappointed Mane is leaving, particularly to Liverpool and for a fee which when you see the money being banded around the PL, doesn't seem THAT much - it will cover 3 gamble replacements (Redmond £11m, Mane was £10m in the first place).

 

However, if I recall, last summer there were lots of rumours towards the end of the window about Mane and Vic both leaving. At the time I thought "I expected them to leave eventually, but not this season!" Given that we probably would have fetched £20m for VW and £25m for Mane then, perhaps getting a similar amount of money a season later, especially considering they both helped us to a great season and guaranteed Europa League football, shouldn't be sniffed at.

 

Still gutted though!

Edited 27 June, 2016 by mrfahaji

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Southampton FC are a feeder club? Yes, yes we are. But so are Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Man City - hell, even Bayern Munich are a feeder club. Pretty much 99.9% of the clubs in the world are feeder clubs... up to probably the only 2 that arent; Real Madrid and Barcelona.

 

I find it baffling that people dont understand that - either that, or they have a massively over inflated view of the club and have grandiose delusions.

 

I prefer to think of it like this:

 

If we have a player (and manager) for 2/3/4 seasons and they move on to their next club (a club in the bracket above us) - it can only mean that those 2/3/4 prevailing seasons have been a success, and we too have progressed up our own "bracket".

 

We should be embracing and celebrating the fact.

 

As Oscar Wilde said: "imitation is the greatest form of flattery"

 

Where's the like button again?

[pangy]

So with 2 years left on his contract this is just about money for Mane, no European football just a bumper pay cheque,he could easily have stayed here for another season signed a new contract had a significant pay rise,played European football and left next summer where his stock would of risen and had a better chance of a top CL team come in for him ?

[hypochondriac]

It works both ways though the last few summers have shown saints fans are also prone to over estimating how good some of the players leaving are to.

 

On his day Mane is brilliant but I cant see how anyone can argue that he didn't have some very poor patches at saints.

I disagree. It's not that we have overestimated how good they have been, it's that they have not performed as well when outside of our setup.

[tajjuk]

Sorry but this is a joke all round, we've just sold to a rival at £8 million less than our asking price.

 

Liverpool finished 8th last year, 8th, we are competing with them for a top 6 and have been for the last couple of seasons and we can't even be tough enough to make them pay the full amount?

 

We've just entered the year with the most lucrative TV money ever seen in the prem, we should be able to resist financially and at least hold out for an over the top figure.

 

Pathetic is correct.

 

We can't keep doing this, you cannot on the one hand keep crowing on about 5 year plans and getting into the champions league whilst at the same time just wilting whenever a big club, hell a faded big club looks at one of our players.

 

We can't keep replacing quality and we can't keep making other clubs in our league stronger.

 

And for all those crowing about the 'reality of football' - John Stones, Everton had less money than us last year when Chelsea cam knocking. Chelsea have way more money than Liverpool and were at the time champions, not a faded club with no Europe that has just finished 8th. yet John Stones is still an Everton player.

 

They basically told Chelsea to pay a stupid fee or feck off. They kept that stance throughout the whole summer.

 

Instead we've said £40 million and then lasted less than a week to a much lesser club. This is a failing of our board whatever way you want to look at it.

[ALWAYS_SFC]

Mane is leaving for money alone nothing else, for some players that`s all that matters...

[Matthew Le God]

Its £34m rising to £36m according to the BBC...

 

BBC Solent Sport ‏@solentsport 2m2 minutes ago

Sadio Mane will have a medical at Liverpool today, fee £34M rising to £36M, deal to be completed tomorrow #Saintsfc

[beatlesaint]

if you keep playing Russian roulette one day you will cop a bullet.

 

This 100%

[doddisalegend]

Sorry but this is a joke all round, we've just sold to a rival at £8 million less than our asking price.

 

 

 

Liverpool finished 8th last year, 8th, we are competing with them for a top 6 and have been for the last couple of seasons and we can't even be tough enough to make them pay the full amount?

 

 

 

We've just entered the year with the most lucrative TV money ever seen in the prem, we should be able to resist financially and at least hold out for an over the top figure.

 

 

 

Pathetic is correct.

 

 

 

We can't keep doing this, you cannot on the one hand keep crowing on about 5 year plans and getting into the champions league whilst at the same time just wilting whenever a big club, hell a faded big club looks at one of our players.

 

 

 

We can't keep replacing quality and we can't keep making other clubs in our league stronger.

 

 

 

And for all those crowing about the 'reality of football' - John Stones, Everton had less money than us last year when Chelsea cam knocking. Chelsea have way more money than Liverpool and were at the time champions, not a faded club with no Europe that has just finished 8th. yet John Stones is still an Everton player.

 

 

 

They basically told Chelsea to pay a stupid fee or feck off. They kept that stance throughout the whole summer.

 

 

 

Instead we've said £40 million and then lasted less than a week to a much lesser club. This is a failing of our board whatever way you want to look at it.

 

 

John stones was also turd all last season and it helped Everton to finish in the bottom half of the table. In retrospect they would have been better off cashing in on Stones and using the money to strengthen their crap defence.

[Appy]

Mane is leaving for money alone nothing else, for some players that`s all that matters...

 

Money don't make the world go round, I'm reaching out to a higher ground.

[GarrettIvo]

the only sustainable growth is Katrinas bank balance. We are a cash cow and whilst we are delighted to finish 7th and think that is some kind of achievement it will carry on. At least the club dont have to employ a cleaner for the trophy room.

 

You forgot to call her fat.

 

Also, we finished sixth.

[Saint Garrett]

Its £34m rising to £36m according to the BBC...

 

BBC Solent Sport ‏@solentsport 2m2 minutes ago

Sadio Mane will have a medical at Liverpool today, fee £34M rising to £36M, deal to be completed tomorrow #Saintsfc

 

Seems kind of pointless to have an additional £2m. Might as well just call it a guarenteed £35m.

[Give it to Ron]

25m profit in 21 months .....

[Whitey Grandad]

Let's be honest, who had heard of him two years ago?

[tajjuk]

John stones was also turd all last season and it helped Everton to finish in the bottom half of the table. In retrospect they would have been better off cashing in on Stones and using the money to strengthen their crap defence.

 

And yet they aren't seen as a selling club and a pushover so the fees talked about for the likes Lukaku or Barkley are massive. If we'd had Lukaku at Saints we'd have already sold him.

 

We'd have already sold Stones before July as well.

 

The club are pushovers and the likes of Liverpool know it.

 

I'd rather risk Mane being crap for a year than sell him to Liverpool.

 

Hardly like we are going to spend that money anyway, we'll just sit on another £20 million transfer profit.

[Saint Without a Halo]

Apparently we sold him to Liverpool to **** off Koeman and Everton

[Verbal Kint]

You simply cannot to sell the likes of Mane Wanyama Clyne etc etc and expect a black box to find like for like replacements.

 

Why not? These are not world class players we are talking about. Selling the likes of Suarez and Bale will lead to regression because the reality is you will not be able to replace them with a player of equal ability. But do people think the likes of Wanyama and Clyne are that incredible? They are good players but not outstanding and I refuse to believe we can't replace them with players as good as them. Whether we actually deliver on that is up to the recruitment department, and we invest enough money in it for them to get it right.

 

Mane is a very good player on his day, but the fee reflects that, and the reality is that he IS leaving at some point as he won't sign a new deal. We either let him walk for nothing in 2 years and then have to replace him on the cheap, sell him in a year for about 15 million probably (and he's likely to miss 2 months next season for ACON) or we sell him now for 32 million and reinvest. On balance I think the board are making the right call

[corky morris]

Jeez.......................£34-£36m.

Why wouldn't you sell for that much??

[Saints foreva]

Yet we improved our leagur position from previous year and had record PL points total....terrible

 

True but surely even you can't believe they were replaced by players of similar quality.

[Gingeletiss]

We really do, have some of the biggest bed wetters as 'fans'. If a player wants to go, and this, after being offered the best ever contract a Southampton player has ever been offered ( if rumour is to be believed ), then how do you stop him. If he stays, he unsettles the others, if we hold him to his contract until next summer, we get a pittance for him. So better we sell now, and move on. We are not a big club, until we win the PL a half dozen times over ten years, we never will be. I suspect those bleating like baby's, are in fact, just that, very young people, born in the 'I want it all, and I want it now' era. Time to grow some children, failing that, toddle off and support one of the glory clubs, like Liverpool, Chelsea etc, teams that finished above us last season.........or not!

[scotty]

No Forum wets beds like we do..

 

 

You clearly haven't visited RAWK. I hear they are trying to poach alpine and dalek from us in a big money deal.

[S-Clarke]

Do people never learn? The reactions on this thread are pathetic.

 

I'm as disappointed as the next supporter, but I fully expected us to lose Mane and Wanyama this window. You can call us a selling club or whatever, but the club is simply protecting it's interests. If Mane wasn't going to sign a new contract, then we couldn't risk him running it down as his value will plummet (whilst he will arguably get better). Same with Victor, although we'd have lost him for £0. Doesn't make much sense.

 

We've got around £50m for two players this summer, but if we'd stood our ground, refused to sell - we'd have two unhappy campers and probably only fetch around £20-25m next summer. People question our ambition, but we've acted quickly to tie down Fraser, VVD etc to long term deals (up to 2021/2022 i think). Obviously the club realises that the 4 year deals weren't giving us much breathing space, so now with the 5 and 6 year deals we're handing out we should be looking to hold onto the players a lot longer.

 

Mane is what you'd call a maverick footballer, the sort of player who will get you out of your seats and then the next minute he'll have you with your head in your hands. I've enjoyed watching him, but I've equally enjoyed some of the most frustrating experiences watching him!

 

£36m in the bank, probably a sell on % and other bonuses - it can't be sniffed at. If he wanted to go, wouldn't sign a new deal, then the club have acted in 'our' best interests and have got a fee which will enable us to go again.

[JoeShmoe]

Some of you people live in cloud cuckoo land

 

£36m for Mane? We've just royally mugged the scousers off again and (if you look at their reactions on forums, social media) they know it as well

[sadoldgit]

This 100%

 

Except that we are not playing Russian roulette.

[GarrettIvo]

Why not? These are not world class players we are talking about. Selling the likes of Suarez and Bale will lead to regression because the reality is you will not be able to replace them with a player of equal ability. But do people think the likes of Wanyama and Clyne are that incredible? They are good players but not outstanding and I refuse to believe we can't replace them with players as good as them. Whether we actually deliver on that is up to the recruitment department, and we invest enough money in it for them to get it right.

 

Mane is a very good player on his day, but the fee reflects that, and the reality is that he IS leaving at some point as he won't sign a new deal. We either let him walk for nothing in 2 years and then have to replace him on the cheap, sell him in a year for about 15 million probably (and he's likely to miss 2 months next season for ACON) or we sell him now for 32 million and reinvest. On balance I think the board are making the right call

 

Well it's not like there's a vast continent to the east of England where hundreds of professional footballers are plying their trade. Footballers with obvious talent who could be interested in bringing that talent to a well-run south coast club in exchange for better wages and the chance to test themselves against generally better opposition.

 

What sort of fantasyland are we talking about?

 

Next you'll be telling me this imaginary continent of footballing talent isn't even the only one of its type on the planet!

[doddisalegend]

And yet they aren't seen as a selling club and a pushover so the fees talked about for the likes Lukaku or Barkley are massive. If we'd had Lukaku at Saints we'd have already sold him.

 

We'd have already sold Stones before July as well.

 

The club are pushovers and the likes of Liverpool know it.

 

I'd rather risk Mane being crap for a year than sell him to Liverpool.

 

Hardly like we are going to spend that money anyway, we'll just sit on another £20 million transfer profit.

 

 

Well tbh if not being a selling club gives you the season Everton have just had ......I say sell on. Your argument would hold a little more water if Everton had achieved anything by holding on to Stones.

[JoeShmoe]

And yet they aren't seen as a selling club and a pushover so the fees talked about for the likes Lukaku or Barkley are massive. If we'd had Lukaku at Saints we'd have already sold him.

 

We'd have already sold Stones before July as well.

 

 

Stones didnt WANT to leave, if he did, he would have gone - he'll go this summer as will Lukaku

[tajjuk]

 

We've got around £50m for two players this summer, but if we'd stood our ground, refused to sell - we'd have two unhappy campers and probably only fetch around £20-25m next summer..

 

And?

 

We stood our ground with Morgan and he still had a good season after his little tantrum, they are footballers not 3 year olds, they get paid to play football, it's hardly like we are forcing them to work down a mine.

 

And what are we going to do with that extra £25 million? probably very little, I'd rather have the two good players for another year, who knows what can happen over a season.

 

Qualifying for the champions league or winning a trophy is worth more to the club in the long run than £20-25 million especially when the club gets 5 times that every season from TV money anyway.

 

We are more likely to do that with better players are we are not?

[Ivan Katalinic's 'tache]

Fee £34m rising to £36m according to BBC Solent. Title update please!

[S-Clarke]

And?

 

We stood our ground with Morgan and he still had a good season after his little tantrum, they are footballers not 3 year olds, they get paid to play football, it's hardly like we are forcing them to work down a mine.

 

And what are we going to do with that extra £25 million? probably very little, I'd rather have the two good players for another year, who knows what can happen over a season.

 

Qualifying for the champions league or winning a trophy is worth more to the club in the long run than £20-25 million especially when the club gets 5 times that every season from TV money anyway.

 

We are more likely to do that with better players are we are not?

 

Were you saying the same in 2014?

 

FWIW - when we said 'no' to Morgan, he still had 3 years left on his deal. We sold him when he had 2 years left, same as with Mane. So we were still in a decent position to get a very good fee should we have stood our ground (which we did)

 

It's a club run with the head, not the heart. Some people may not like it, but it's a business. You have an asset who you 'sell' this year for £36m, or sell next year for £20. You know he's going to go eventually and will not commit to longer. You take the sensible business decision by getting the maximum.

 

This is why we're a well run club. We'd be a rubbishy run club if we kept all these players and then lost them for free.

[so22saint]

You clearly haven't visited RAWK. I hear they are trying to poach alpine and dalek from us in a big money deal.

 

genuinely laughed out loud at that, thank you scotty

[Faz]

Come on, £34-36m is outstanding business. After his first 18 games most thought we'd bought a pup. His goal tally in the final 18 was boosted by 4 in one game. This year it's hard to argue he's been inconsistent. He does get you off your seat, no doubt, and will be difficult to replace, but nor impossible.

 

#WeBuildOn

[Saint IQ]

Can't complain with the price. It's the same as Arsenal paid for Alexis Sanchez a couple years ago to put it in perspective. If we held on to him we'd be forced to sell next season for £15m. Other positive is the business is done early in the window so now we have 2 months to find the replacements for Vic&Mane. New manager will have some cash to bring in players he likes.

 

He was unwanted at Barcelona, Mane is our best player so don't think it's fair comparing them really.

[doddisalegend]

He was unwanted at Barcelona, Mane is our best player so don't think it's fair comparing them really.

 

 

Is he? exciting to watch yes but his goals and assists were exactly the same as Pelle's and like one better than Long's. Mane is not as bad as some are making out but neither is he as good as some are trying to make out.

[Professor]

Mane is leaving for money alone nothing else, for some players that`s all that matters...

 

Absolutely right. The only surprise is that anyone should expect anything different because this is a fact of life, in football and outside. We shouldn't expect players to have the same emotional connections to their clubs that fans have. Mané has no particular links to this area so his only connection to Saints, and to his previous club, Saltzburg, has been his employer/employee relationship. Being an employee entails loyalty while you are working but not to the extent that an employee shouldn't contemplate changing jobs. Even though Mané is still a young player at 24, he may have only another 6 or 7 years to earn footballer's wages. Although the rewards can be massive, it is still a short career so it shouldn't surprise anyone that players want to make the most of it.

[Minsk]

I said it jokingly at the end of the season but will repeat now: if we use the money for Wanyama and Mane to re-sign Morgan and Theo I will be very happy.

[beatlesaint]

I said it jokingly at the end of the season but will repeat now: if we use the money for Wanyama and Mane to re-sign Morgan and Theo I will be very happy.

 

As would I but its about as likely as Elvis Presley headlining Glastonbury next year !

[buctootim]

On his day Mane is brilliant but I cant see how anyone can argue that he didn't have some very poor patches at saints.

 

Thats true, but was it because he is intrinsically inconsistent and cant deliver on a regulalr basis, or because he was unhappy here and wanted to leave? He was very consistent at Salzburg. He's worth more than £32m.

[Saint IQ]

As disappointing as it is to lose Mane, I'd made my peace with the fact he was going towards the end of the season - hopefully the club can pull another gem out of the bag.

 

What does get my goat is how bad/naive we still are at PR - don't release to the press that we won't entertain a bid less than £40m, then sell him for £32m before the window's even open!

 

Exactly my thoughts. Silly coming out with that as it turns out to be all lies.

[buctootim]

Exactly my thoughts. Silly coming out with that as it turns out to be all lies.

 

And consistently errors / lies / spin over several years too. Its got to the stage where you believe the Sun more than the clubs official denials / platitudes.

[ALWAYS_SFC]

Fee to be 34 mil rising to 36.....

[Saint Garrett]

Still not sure why we're not going for Chamberlain and Chambers. Would be perfect, and be a great addition to the british core.

 

Chamberlain is probably buyable for £15m.

[Saint IQ]

Its £34m rising to £36m according to the BBC...

 

BBC Solent Sport ‏@solentsport 2m2 minutes ago

Sadio Mane will have a medical at Liverpool today, fee £34M rising to £36M, deal to be completed tomorrow #Saintsfc

 

We've met in the middle, fair enough. Hope he flops although I can't see it.

[tajjuk]

Well tbh if not being a selling club gives you the season Everton have just had ......I say sell on. Your argument would hold a little more water if Everton had achieved anything by holding on to Stones.

 

Well they still have him for a start and Everton's poor season was largely due to an inept manager more than anything.

 

You really think holding on to Mane is going to suddenly make the team worse?

 

Stones didnt WANT to leave, if he did, he would have gone - he'll go this summer as will Lukaku

 

Er yes he did.

 

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/600168/Exclusive-John-Stones-Everton-chairman-Bill-Kenwright-dream-move-Chelsea

 

Yet he didn't.

 

 

Were you saying the same in 2014?

 

FWIW - when we said 'no' to Morgan, he still had 3 years left on his deal. We sold him when he had 2 years left, same as with Mane. So we were still in a decent position to get a very good fee should we have stood our ground (which we did)

 

It's a club run with the head, not the heart. Some people may not like it, but it's a business. You have an asset who you 'sell' this year for £36m, or sell next year for £20. You know he's going to go eventually and will not commit to longer. You take the sensible business decision by getting the maximum.

 

This is why we're a well run club. We'd be a rubbishy run club if we kept all these players and then lost them for free.

 

Who's to say if we hadn't have held on to our players then we wouldn't have achieved even more? I mean having a good squad and then adding quality to that already good squad, what a terrible idea that would be.

 

If we are being run as a 'for profit' business then the club need to stop with all this 'ambition' talk. Teams that want to compete and get in the champions league like the club claim is their 'ambition' occasionally have to spend some money not just maximise profit at any opportunity.

 

If the club us ambitious then who cares if we only sell Mane in another year for £15 million? We'll have had 3 good seasons out of him and still got more than we paid for him, plus who knows maybe in a year we improve further he changes his mind and signs a new contract.

 

Where are we going to drawn the line? Are we going to start selling players with 3 years left on their contract because they will be worth more than when they have 2 years left?

 

The club exists to be good at football, that entails having good players, there is a difference between wasting money will nilly and making sensible use of our assets.

 

The position the club currently is in and the chance it has to kick on (which should include keeping your best players) is worth more IMO than an extra £20 million.

 

Selling one of your best players, who still has two years on his contract, to one of your rivals is what a club looking to make the most money would do, not what an ambitious club would do.

Edited 27 June, 2016 by tajjuk