January 2021 transfer window

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Saint_clark said:

We really need a keeper upgrade, not sure who we could get though that's affordable and an upgrade. I'd actually like us to go for a more experienced keeper than trying to sign younger ones like we have been. Get someone who's at least 29 in to solidify us at the back more. 

What has McCarthy done wrong?

[Saint_clark]

9 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

What has McCarthy done wrong?

He had a good game last game out. 

He's made plenty of mistakes, and there is better available. If we are looking at a position to upgrade I think goalkeeper is the one thats most achievable in terms of current ability and what it would cost to buy someone new.

[EBS1980]

5 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

He had a good game last game out. 

He's made plenty of mistakes, and there is better available. If we are looking at a position to upgrade I think goalkeeper is the one thats most achievable in terms of current ability and what it would cost to buy someone new.

Who do you think we should be going for then??

[Saint_clark]

24 minutes ago, EBS1980 said:

Who do you think we should be going for then??

I don't know, I'm not a full time professional scout with intricate knowledge of lower and foreign leagues where we would undoubtedly find better keepers for reasonable amounts of money. 

[S-Clarke]

1 hour ago, Saint_clark said:

I don't know, I'm not a full time professional scout with intricate knowledge of lower and foreign leagues where we would undoubtedly find better keepers for reasonable amounts of money. 

I dunno, I'm of the belief that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. You also have to factor in that we have Forster, Gunn and Lewis on the books, you'd need to lose two of those before we even broach the idea of a new GK.

I'm not sure GK is a position we need to fiddle with too much at this moment in time though tbh. For the first time in a long time it 'feels' as if we need to focus on adding a little bit of squad depth rather than replace first 11 players.

[mcbendy]

Goalkeeper isn't a position we need to strengthen in. McCarthy with Forster as back up is good enough. Full back is our obvious area of weakness.

[skintsaint]

2 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

we need to focus on adding a little bit of squad depth rather than replace first 11 players.

Terrible idea, would rather we replace starting XI players with better players than going back to filling the squad with averageness.

[danjosaint]

8 hours ago, EBS1980 said:

Who do you think we should be going for then??

Sergio Romero at utd

[Saint Garrett]

6 hours ago, skintsaint said:

Terrible idea, would rather we replace starting XI players with better players than going back to filling the squad with averageness.

Agree - we should be looking to improve the first XI, and then the current XI become the depth, you never move forward otherwise

[Saint-Reece]

41 minutes ago, Saint Garrett said:

Agree - we should be looking to improve the first XI, and then the current XI become the depth, you never move forward otherwise

Yeah, the main issues in the recent years have stemmed from where we tried to bulk out the squad with the signings of Juanmi, Clasie etc. all of whom were then a pain to shift!

[EBS1980]

6 hours ago, danjosaint said:

Sergio Romero at utd

Great keeper but would have to take a massive salary cut. On over £100k pw

[Charlie Wayman]

14 hours ago, Saint_clark said:

I don't know, I'm not a full time professional scout with intricate knowledge of lower and foreign leagues where we would undoubtedly find better keepers for reasonable amounts of money. 

So how do you know we could do better if you have no idea who we should buy.  Utterly vacuous statement.

[Charlie Wayman]

4 hours ago, Saint Garrett said:

Agree - we should be looking to improve the first XI, and then the current XI become the depth, you never move forward otherwise

This is why we run an Academy and try to find the best emerging talent before it becomes seasoned professionals beyond our means

[Alanh]

4 hours ago, Saint Garrett said:

Agree - we should be looking to improve the first XI, and then the current XI become the depth, you never move forward otherwise

Generally I would agree, but there is also the concept that you buy a different style of player for a position so that you can play different tactics when required.  They might not be replacements for current first teamers but can be used as impact subs or start in matches which require specific attributes.

[tajjuk]

16 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

What has McCarthy done wrong?

Passed the ball to the opposition multiple times, several of which have led to goals.

McCarthy is a good shot stopper, his distribution is poor though and its an important part of how we play. It's why we signed Gunn, he was supposed to be our number 1, because he is good with his feet but his shot stopping has not been good enough. So I wouldn't be surprised if the club are looking at this area again, we have 3 first team keepers not of whom are really good enough for various reasons. 

It's an obvious area to upgrade IMO, along with the number 10 roles or winger roles, as I think we lack someone who can unlock defences especially when we play against low blocks and teams that don't play out from the back to so getting turnovers near their goals is difficult. 

[Chewy]

33 minutes ago, tajjuk said:

Passed the ball to the opposition multiple times, several of which have led to goals.

Which multiple times are you thinking of?

[Dusic]

IMO the current order of need in our squad would be:

Full back

Centre mid

Striker

Goalkeeper

Of those, only full back is needed in January.

[SKD]

14 minutes ago, Dusic said:

IMO the current order of need in our squad would be:

Full back

Centre mid

Striker

Goalkeeper

Of those, only full back is needed in January.

A full back(s) is essential. Ideally one who can cover both sides, so we have budget elsewhere. 
 

CM - we’ve literally just signed one. 
 

striker - I’d say we’re okay here with the view of Theo up top. 
 

Keeper - yep, an area we need to improve, however, unless we shift one or 2 of them, it won’t happen. 
 

for me, if we’re up and around the top 6 come January, we need to back Ralph or we’ll lose him like we did Poch / Koeman. 

I’d be looking at the following as a priority:

Fall back - as per above. 

CB - salisu, will we ever see him? is he ready this season? is he any good? We need an improvement on Stephens, that’s for sure. 

Attacking Mid - Redmond looks lost, back to the player we have under puel. Slows us down, no end product. I’d like for us to get a real creative player in there who’ll help us break down the teams who sit 10 behind the ball (I.e what Newcastle are going to do, and probably beat us, on Friday) 

Reality is that we’ll get a full back on loan most likely. 

[qwertyell]

(None of this will happen)

For potential keepers, Dean Henderson must realise he's dropped a bollock by signing a new contract at United. De Gea is set in stone as first choice for the next 4 years. A two-year loan, maybe?

Alexander Nubel is another quality young keeper who has miscalculated the decline of a world class first choice goalie by swapping Schalke for Bayern just as Neuer has rediscovered his mojo. Going to be kicking his heels for at least another 3 years. Almost certainly going to be available on loan at the very least.

At centre back, Fikayo Tomori continues to be messed around by Chelsea, dropping down the pecking order in spite of most of their fans thinking he's the bees knees. Right side, fast, agile - he'd compliment Salisu perfectly (in a mythical world where they were both Saints players, and both fit). Loan with a buying option?

Full back's a problem. I don't think much of Williams on either flank - and nor do United fans - but it's hard to find many full backs who play both sides. Our first XI choices are fine. I've always quite liked the look of Vokins, so I'm relatively happy to throw him in and see how he goes. Valery is a write off. I'd a say a specialist right back as cover is the main prority.

I've been following Marcus Edwards' rise in Portugal with interest. I think he's a super talent. Too immature to break through at Spurs (and a wasted loan at Norwich), moving abroad has really helped him grow up. Left footed dribbler from the right who can drift into the 10 - he'd be perfect for us as someone a bit different. He'll be coming back to England at some point, why not to the sunny South?

Given how ineffective he now is - and his declining pace - I wish we hadn't given Long a new contract and instead put the money towards a rough diamond. I know we were linked to Folarin Balogun over the off-season. Coming up to six months left on his contract, I wonder if we're still in the mix for that. Arsenal are desperate for cash and would probably sell for a reasonable offer in January rather than a price set by tribunal after his contract (which he's refusing to extend due to lack of pathway) expires.

(None of this will happen)

[Avenue_Saint]

Full back 

[Cartman]

My shopping list currently reads:

Gonzalo Montiel - River Plate's 23 year old Argentina international RB, fast, high work rate, better at defending than attacking, out of contract next summer. One to target in January.

Dominik Livakovic - Dinamo Zagreb's 25 year old Croatia first choice GK, very good all round.

Krépin Diatta - Club Brugge's 21 year old Senegalese winger (usually on the right, can play on the left too), very fast, enormous work rate, good finisher, passing can be a bit iffy.

[Turkish]

4 minutes ago, Cartman said:

My shopping list currently reads:

Gonzalo Montiel - River Plate's 23 year old Argentina international RB, fast, high work rate, better at defending than attacking, out of contract next summer. One to target in January.

Dominik Livakovic - Dinamo Zagreb's 25 year old Croatia first choice GK, very good all round.

Krépin Diatta - Club Brugge's 21 year old Senegalese winger (usually on the right, can play on the left too), very fast, enormous work rate, good finisher, passing can be a bit iffy.

How many times have you seen any of them play?

[Saint_clark]

6 hours ago, Charlie Wayman said:

So how do you know we could do better if you have no idea who we should buy.  Utterly vacuous statement.

You're right, Alex McCarthy is the absolute best goalkeeper we could hope to have in goal 🤦‍♂️

[SaintsFan86]

1 hour ago, Cartman said:

My shopping list currently reads:

Gonzalo Montiel - River Plate's 23 year old Argentina international RB, fast, high work rate, better at defending than attacking, out of contract next summer. One to target in January.

Dominik Livakovic - Dinamo Zagreb's 25 year old Croatia first choice GK, very good all round.

Krépin Diatta - Club Brugge's 21 year old Senegalese winger (usually on the right, can play on the left too), very fast, enormous work rate, good finisher, passing can be a bit iffy.

 

They good on FM then.

[LuckyNumber7]

Krepin Diatta was good when I signed him on Fifa 😉

I wonder if we still have any interest in Maehle as he could play both sides. Must be a reason why he's still at Genk though.

[Cartman]

1 hour ago, SaintsFan86 said:

 

They good on FM then.

Nope, transfermarkt.😂

I use the transfermarkt advanced search filter to draw up a shortlist of players for us, then stream their games. Amateur scouting for us is much more fun, the only Premier League football I watch is when we play. Been also watching AZ Alkmaar (Koopmeiners, Stengs), Dynamo Kiev (Tsygankov), Palmeiras (Gabriel Menino, Veron doesn't play much), Granada (Rui Silva), Guimarães (Edwards).

[skintsaint]

https://www.90min.com/posts/exclusive-arsenal-tottenham-west-ham-among-clubs-tracking-cruz-azul-star-orbelin-pineda

 

Vague link...

[Badger]

With news of Ings injury and operation perhaps the focus will change again ...

[Matthew Le God]

3 hours ago, Badger said:

With news of Ings injury and operation perhaps the focus will change again ...

Ings is due back before the January window starts.

[notnowcato]

58 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

Ings is due back before the January window starts.

The January transfer window doesn't start.... like most windows it opens, then stays open until Jim White comes along and SLAMS it shut.

Edited 4 November, 2020 by notnowcato

[Badger]

2 hours ago, Matthew Le God said:

Ings is due back before the January window starts.

We hope he is, but how often have we seen these return dates becoming movable feasts, (making progress, light training, not quite match fit yet, after Christmas.. after the next international break... and before we know it "we hope to see him again before the end of the season" ..) ? 

[HarvSFC]

1 hour ago, Badger said:

We hope he is, but how often have we seen these return dates becoming movable feasts, (making progress, light training, not quite match fit yet, after Christmas.. after the next international break... and before we know it "we hope to see him again before the end of the season" ..) ? 

A good summary of the Salisu situation.

[trousers]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8925507/Southampton-Brentford-chasing-Husein-Balic-one-worlds-fastest-players.html

 

[Toussaint]

On 03/11/2020 at 19:46, Saint_clark said:

You're right, Alex McCarthy is the absolute best goalkeeper we could hope to have in goal 🤦‍♂️

We really aren’t at the level we can shop for the best player in every position. I’m happy with our first eleven, as many others have said we are too thin in certain areas, particularly at full back, maybe midfield as we don’t have a clue if Diallo is going to make the grade. As someone said in the Newcastle match thread, saints are greater than the sum of the parts so, other than adding a bit of depth I’d be loathed to change too much.

[skintsaint]

20 hours ago, trousers said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8925507/Southampton-Brentford-chasing-Husein-Balic-one-worlds-fastest-players.html

 

I thought that said 200 metres........😄

Looking a vid highlights, very direct running right footed left winger.

[Turkish]

On 08/11/2020 at 07:16, trousers said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8925507/Southampton-Brentford-chasing-Husein-Balic-one-worlds-fastest-players.html

 

Sounds like the Austrian David Lee

[SO16_Saint]

On 08/11/2020 at 07:16, trousers said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8925507/Southampton-Brentford-chasing-Husein-Balic-one-worlds-fastest-players.html

 

Not another Jonathan Forte?

[the saint in winchester]

10 hours ago, skintsaint said:

I thought that said 200 metres........😄

Looking a vid highlights, very direct running right footed left winger.

200m in 2.75 seconds? LOL!

Can see him sprinting out of defence and crossing with no-one on the end of it.

[Chewy]

9 hours ago, Turkish said:

Sounds like the Austrian David Lee

Ideally this, with the Neil Heaney step over party trick to go with it

[djharvey]

4 hours ago, the saint in winchester said:

200m in 2.75 seconds? LOL!

Can see him sprinting out of defence and crossing with no-one on the end of it.

At that pace he might get on the end of his own cross!

[Bananaman]

but is he Johnno qui....... ah bollocks, never mind.

[Monk]

On 03/11/2020 at 18:34, Cartman said:

My shopping list currently reads:

Gonzalo Montiel - River Plate's 23 year old Argentina international RB, fast, high work rate, better at defending than attacking, out of contract next summer. One to target in January.

Dominik Livakovic - Dinamo Zagreb's 25 year old Croatia first choice GK, very good all round.

Krépin Diatta - Club Brugge's 21 year old Senegalese winger (usually on the right, can play on the left too), very fast, enormous work rate, good finisher, passing can be a bit iffy.

Too much FM. 

[Matthew Le God]

40 minutes ago, Monk said:

Too much FM. 

You can never have too much FM 😜

[mcbendy]

The fact that it's only really full-back where I feel we are weak now is a great sign of how Ralph has evolved the squad.

[Convict Colony]

If we buy anyone this Jan its a miracle

 

Edited 10 November, 2020 by Convict Colony

[skintsaint]

Szoboszlai is being linked to the Gunners for around 22m. Sort of signings we should be looking at, and could offer him more first team football than going there.

Hopefully if we ditch a few more squad players we can start to offer a bit more for players.

[Convict Colony]

4 hours ago, skintsaint said:

Szoboszlai is being linked to the Gunners for around 22m. Sort of signings we should be looking at, and could offer him more first team football than going there.

Hopefully if we ditch a few more squad players we can start to offer a bit more for players.

Looked at him this summer and his dad said he already knows where he is moving in the summer so expect it would be a dortmund type signing to maybe replace sancho ?

[SuperSAINT]

5 hours ago, skintsaint said:

Szoboszlai is being linked to the Gunners for around 22m. Sort of signings we should be looking at, and could offer him more first team football than going there.

Hopefully if we ditch a few more squad players we can start to offer a bit more for players.

Maybe if he was £2.2m.

[skintsaint]

Scored a decent goal last night...

 

[Pickles]

Noni Madueke-Has looked great for PSV and I think a real English talent.Would be a great signing imo.Can play cam and striker.

Tyler Adams-Yeah recently signed extension with Leipzig but would love him to come to the prem;would give us some nice options.