Summer Transfer Window 2025/26

[sandwichsaint]

8 hours ago, OldNick said:

I notice that Ings has gone to Watford!

Mrs Sandwich and I were watching a Championship game a few weeks ago. We were

talking about a player (genuinely  can't remember who it was, a couple of average Prem seasons, Championship journeyman, maybe a Saints connection in there) you'd know his name, strictly a middle size fish.

Mrs says where was he born, the sort of conversations we have. Google him, net worth £21m .... astonishing, doesn't Ings like golf?

[Lighthouse]

9 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

Sainz - Norwich- 12 million 

I'm not sure in which world £12m buys Sainz but sadly it's not this one. He's 24 and the Championship's second top scorer with 18. £12m buys you a Man City youth product or a maybe from the Dutch Eredivisie these days, I doubt Norwich would touch anything less than £20m.

[hypochondriac]

48 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

I'm not sure in which world £12m buys Sainz but sadly it's not this one. He's 24 and the Championship's second top scorer with 18. £12m buys you a Man City youth product or a maybe from the Dutch Eredivisie these days, I doubt Norwich would touch anything less than £20m.

Fair enough. It was a big post so not all my valuations will be accurate. How about 15 and Edozie. 

[Andrew Watson]

Any two from Sainz, Rudoni and Sargent would be really good. I suppose it depends on how many takers we get  for  our log jam of deadwood. Is Spoors more likely to look to the foreign market,as one might assume he knows it better than the english market ?

[Smirking_Saint]

11 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

Johansson 

Johnston Mee Edwards Wellington 

Charles Lowe 

Doak (loan) Sainz

Azaz 

Kone/Sargent 

Sell Ramsdale 20 million, Dibling 30 million, THB 25 million, Downes 15 million, Fernandes 25 million, BBD 5 million, Onuachu 3 million, Sugawara 4 million, Bednarek 4 million, Sulemana 5 million Archer 7 million Call it 140 million. 

 

Johansson - Stoke 7 million 

Johnston- Sturm Graz- 5 million 

Mee- Free agent

Lowe- Sheffield Wednesday - 4 million 

Doak- Liverpool- 3 million loan fee 

Sainz - Norwich- 12 million 

Azaz- Middlesborough- 15 million  

Kone- Wycombe- 2 million 

Sargent- Norwich- 15 million 

Total: 63 million 

 

Keep Armstrong, Bree, Bazunu, Wood, Manning, maybe Smallbone, Stephens and Stewart for the squad. 

Bin KWP, Lallana, Lumley, Fraser

We might need another attacking option and definitely another AM but that team would be playoffs minimum and possibly more. Also has the advantage of having almost nothing to do with the losers from this year. 

We’ll spend 30m max imo, more likely around 20m

[Gloucester Saint]

6 hours ago, Smirking_Saint said:

We’ll spend 30m max imo, more likely around 20m

In which case, a top ten finish is the best Still can realistically achieve. Play offs would be very good to exceptional, automatic a long shot with Brum and Ipswich around. We’d be nowhere amongst the favourites on that spend. Especially if we’ve pulled £100m plus in. Need to be spending £50-60m minimum to compete top 4.

Edited May 20 by Gloucester Saint

[Turkish]

1 minute ago, Gloucester Saint said:

In which case, a top ten finish is the best Still can realistically achieve. Play offs would be very good to exceptional, automatic a long shot with Brum and Ipswich around. We’d be nowhere amongst the favourites on that net spend.

nah, we'll use the loan market too. Can have up to 5 cant we? We're not going to be spending 50m+ but then i very much doubt anyone else will either.

[hypochondriac]

7 hours ago, Smirking_Saint said:

We’ll spend 30m max imo, more likely around 20m

I think we will spend more than that but if we don't, then at least a couple of those players will be loans instead. 

[West end Saints]

1 hour ago, Gloucester Saint said:

In which case, a top ten finish is the best Still can realistically achieve. Play offs would be very good to exceptional, automatic a long shot with Brum and Ipswich around. We’d be nowhere amongst the favourites on that spend. Especially if we’ve pulled £100m plus in. Need to be spending £50-60m minimum to compete top 4.

Why?

If you look at 15 players who played most in our championship promotion we have lost 2 (stu and Che). We may lose Jan, KWP, THB and Downes.

We have added and likely to stay Sugawara, Archer, onouachu, Stewart, a more experienced Charles, BBD, wood, wellington, Edwards.

We have young players coming through, Matsuki, Juan, etc who I know little of.

So even if you assume we lose Ramsdale, Fernandes, Dibling, THB and Downes we are still around the level we were last season.

And if those go, we will have best part of £100m coming in and certainly will spend plus loans.

Whatever happens a decent manger should be competing for top 3.

If we keep those players or reinvest we have to be targeting the title (as will a couple of others)

[SouSaint]

2 minutes ago, West end Saints said:

Why?

If you look at 15 players who played most in our championship promotion we have lost 2 (stu and Che). We may lose Jan, KWP, THB and Downes.

We have added and likely to stay Sugawara, Archer, onouachu, Stewart, a more experienced Charles, BBD, wood, wellington, Edwards.

We have young players coming through, Matsuki, Juan, etc who I know little of.

So even if you assume we lose Ramsdale, Fernandes, Dibling, THB and Downes we are still around the level we were last season.

And if those go, we will have best part of £100m coming in and certainly will spend plus loans.

Whatever happens a decent manger should be competing for top 3.

If we keep those players or reinvest we have to be targeting the title (as will a couple of others)

Who is going to sign Downes? Nowhere near PL standard, same goes for THB. 

[Mr Brightside]

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/southampton-to-rival-coventry-city-preston-for-5m-rated-aston-villa-prospect/
 

Another double-barrelled - bring him in!

[Weston Super Saint]

2 hours ago, Turkish said:

nah, we'll use the loan market too. Can have up to 5 cant we? We're not going to be spending 50m+ but then i very much doubt anyone else will either.

We'll walk the net spend table next season.  In the bag.

[Mr Nimbus]

2 hours ago, Turkish said:

nah, we'll use the loan market too. Can have up to 5 cant we? We're not going to be spending 50m+ but then i very much doubt anyone else will either.

An area of the market we used practically well last season. 

We sold well last time round in the Championship, something I think we can replicate by the (most likely) sales of Ramsdale, Fernandes Dibling & THB. 

I think its reasonable to say that's 80 million give or take of outgoings, then if you add in possible exits for Sulemana (please) Onuachu, Bednarek & BBD it's conceivable that we could see north of 100 million which is terrific.

That leaves you with a still quite bloated squad but one that should be competitive. Thats before you add in any additions.

We will need a RB, a CF and arguably a new GK depending on how the new manager feels about Bazunu. 

This season has been garbage as we all know, but the level we are dropping to isn't great, if we defend better than what we did last time were more than capable of pushing for the automatics IMO.
 

[Lee On Solent Saint]

47 minutes ago, SouSaint said:

Who is going to sign Downes? Nowhere near PL standard, same goes for THB. 

I think bar the obvious, we are going to find it tough to shift the shit we actually need to get rid of 

[OldNick]

15 hours ago, Appy said:

Has he?

It surprised me, bu I saw it online somewhere

[Pwoite]

1 hour ago, hypochondriac said:

I think we will spend more than that but if we don't, then at least a couple of those players will be loans instead. 

Loans are all well and good for next season, but won’t help if we are promoted, unless there is a loan to buy clause, and, as we’ve seen, there is no guarantee of EPL success with such players. We need to be investing this summer, and if promoted, the following summer. 

[Saint Fan CaM]

If we had a chance to purchase Big Les would you pull the trigger? I would - I think he’s improved over the season and is one of our better midfielders now - as good as or perhaps even better than Downes.

[Appy]

Just now, Saint Fan CaM said:

If we had a chance to purchase Big Les would you pull the trigger? I would - I think he’s improved over the season and is one of our better midfielders now - as good as or perhaps even better than Downes.

I would say yes, but it’s very unlikely, Chelsea signed him for around £30m.

[Turkish]

5 minutes ago, Pwoite said:

Loans are all well and good for next season, but won’t help if we are promoted, unless there is a loan to buy clause, and, as we’ve seen, there is no guarantee of EPL success with such players. We need to be investing this summer, and if promoted, the following summer. 

Disagree completely The mistake we made last time was signing players who we had on loan, so we spent 30 odd million just to stand still, then packed the squad out with other championship level players. We need to bring in good loans to get us up then bring in other players to keep us up. You can get some really strong championship level players in on loan but there is a reason why premier league players loan them out. We wont attract premier league level players now and if we sign them long term then we're stuck with them. Use the loan market properly and it's a no brainer. 

[skintsaint]

12 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

I'm not sure in which world £12m buys Sainz but sadly it's not this one. He's 24 and the Championship's second top scorer with 18. £12m buys you a Man City youth product or a maybe from the Dutch Eredivisie these days, I doubt Norwich would touch anything less than £20m.

Tough to say now he is in his final year of his contract.

[gio1saints]

24 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Disagree completely The mistake we made last time was signing players who we had on loan, so we spent 30 odd million just to stand still, then packed the squad out with other championship level players. We need to bring in good loans to get us up then bring in other players to keep us up. You can get some really strong championship level players in on loan but there is a reason why premier league players loan them out. We wont attract premier league level players now and if we sign them long term then we're stuck with them. Use the loan market properly and it's a no brainer. 

This is very true. 5 loan players might be the equivalent of spending £120m -£150m on the open market if Les’s Chelsea fee is anything to go by. 

IF Saints spend £40m,say, on two decent ( forwards please) players plus get 5 EPL loan quality players and a Manager with a pulse we’ve surely got ourselves a decent first team. 
Only problem with that is loans usually are at end of window. 

Edited May 20 by gio1saints

[Weston Super Saint]

25 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

This is very true. 5 loan players might be the equivalent of spending £120m -£150m on the open market if Les’s Chelsea fee is anything to go by. 

IF Saints spend £40m,say, on two decent ( forwards please) players plus get 5 EPL loan quality players and a Manager with a pulse we’ve surely got ourselves a decent first team. 
Only problem with that is loans usually are at end of window. 

If we spent £40m on two forwards, we would be stuck with them next season in the PL where they may not be good enough - think AA.

[gio1saints]

12 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

If we spent £40m on two forwards, we would be stuck with them next season in the PL where they may not be good enough - think AA.

The other side of that argument is that I think about £40m  for two top championship quality forwards is going to be the going rate. Think Borja and Sargent for example. Anything less and we are recruiting provably average players -who may not be good enough to get us up. Priority has to be get promoted -not develop some young new strikers who look a cheap bargain I feel.  Think we been there done that with that ploy though it’s obviously a gamble. Don’t forget we find a cheapish new young forward and he does  well it’s likely he leaves if we get promoted anyway..think delap  for example who ( u usually) gave Ipswich an EPL season but could easily have left. 

Edited May 20 by gio1saints

[gio1saints]

Angus Gunn on a free? 

[hypochondriac]

1 hour ago, Pwoite said:

Loans are all well and good for next season, but won’t help if we are promoted, unless there is a loan to buy clause, and, as we’ve seen, there is no guarantee of EPL success with such players. We need to be investing this summer, and if promoted, the following summer. 

I think we will inevitably bring loans in because they are a great way of bringing in quality without affecting the bottom line. 

[Saint Fan CaM]

3 hours ago, West end Saints said:

So even if you assume we lose Ramsdale, Fernandes, Dibling, THB and Downes we are still around the level we were last season.

And if those go, we will have best part of £100m coming in and certainly will spend plus loans.

Are you seriously suggesting that without our best 5 players we will be at ‘around the same level’ as last season? Don’t think that’s atall obvious as we also lost - in context - better players than we have now (I know this is difficult to comprehend when at the time we thought those players were poor too). The dilution of squad quality over the last 4-5 years is truly shocking and even facing the Championship I would argue it needs significant repair especially if a new style of play is being considered.

Edited May 20 by Saint Fan CaM

[S-Clarke]

4 hours ago, Mr Brightside said:

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/southampton-to-rival-coventry-city-preston-for-5m-rated-aston-villa-prospect/
 

Another double-barrelled - bring him in!

A really good player tbf, a very smart replacement for KWP if he turns out to be the case. A very similar attacking and marauding style to his game, lots of development in him too.

[SuperSAINT]

4 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

A really good player tbf, a very smart replacement for KWP if he turns out to be the case. A very similar attacking and marauding style to his game, lots of development in him too.

Big fan of signing young players WITH Championship experience. 

[Chez]

15 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

I'm not sure in which world £12m buys Sainz but sadly it's not this one. He's 24 and the Championship's second top scorer with 18. £12m buys you a Man City youth product or a maybe from the Dutch Eredivisie these days, I doubt Norwich would touch anything less than £20m.

Only got a year left on his contract, so that limits his price a little bit. You might be right, but Villarreal seem to think that price is about right:

https://www.pinkun.com/sport/norwich-city/25138159.norwich-city-villarreal-transfer-link-borja-sainz/

 

[Chez]

7 hours ago, Gloucester Saint said:

In which case, a top ten finish is the best Still can realistically achieve. Play offs would be very good to exceptional, automatic a long shot with Brum and Ipswich around. We’d be nowhere amongst the favourites on that spend. Especially if we’ve pulled £100m plus in. Need to be spending £50-60m minimum to compete top 4.

Obviously we don't know who is departing yet, so what holes need filling nd how much we have to play with, but as a guide we only spent £10m last time we went down on transfers with the THB fee deferred and some loans on top.

[Chez]

4 hours ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

If we had a chance to purchase Big Les would you pull the trigger? I would - I think he’s improved over the season and is one of our better midfielders now - as good as or perhaps even better than Downes.

Interesting question. Whenever I have watched him I didn't think he did enough in games. He can play a bit, but I didn't see him busting a gut or dominating an opponent. He just seemed a little too casual to me. I suspect he and Chelsea wont want him in the Championship on loan nd I wouldn't be spending £20m+ on him in the summer.

[Chez]

5 hours ago, Mr Brightside said:

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/southampton-to-rival-coventry-city-preston-for-5m-rated-aston-villa-prospect/
 

Another double-barrelled - bring him in!

He was discussed on the previous page of this thread. Would be a good option. We'd probably need to offload one of Bree or Sugawara though. Is that likely?

 

[Doctoroncall]

4 minutes ago, Chez said:

He was discussed on the previous page of this thread. Would be a good option. We'd probably need to offload one of Bree or Sugawara though. Is that likely?

 

Wasn’t there bizarrely, some interest for Sugawara a month or so ago?  Maybe has cooled after a little research. 

[Appy]

18 minutes ago, Chez said:

He was discussed on the previous page of this thread. Would be a good option. We'd probably need to offload one of Bree or Sugawara though. Is that likely?

 

Hopefully both 

[Wade Garrett]

3 hours ago, gio1saints said:

Angus Gunn on a free? 

He would rival Bazunu for the crisp packet hands of the year.

[woodsaint1]

On 19/05/2025 at 12:25, hypochondriac said:

Johansson 

Johnston Mee Edwards Wellington 

Charles Lowe 

Doak (loan) Sainz

Azaz 

Kone/Sargent 

Sell Ramsdale 20 million, Dibling 30 million, THB 25 million, Downes 15 million, Fernandes 25 million, BBD 5 million, Onuachu 3 million, Sugawara 4 million, Bednarek 4 million, Sulemana 5 million Archer 7 million Call it 140 million. 

 

Johansson - Stoke 7 million 

Johnston- Sturm Graz- 5 million 

Mee- Free agent

Lowe- Sheffield Wednesday - 4 million 

Doak- Liverpool- 3 million loan fee 

Sainz - Norwich- 12 million 

Azaz- Middlesborough- 15 million  

Kone- Wycombe- 2 million 

Sargent- Norwich- 15 million 

Total: 63 million 

 

Keep Armstrong, Bree, Bazunu, Wood, Manning, maybe Smallbone, Stephens and Stewart for the squad. 

Bin KWP, Lallana, Lumley, Fraser

We might need another attacking option and definitely another AM but that team would be playoffs minimum and possibly more. Also has the advantage of having almost nothing to do with the losers from this year. 

I'd be very surprised if even half, never mind 95% of our signings will be in the English market. Spors and those who he has brought in (which could include Still) specialise in European leagues. There are some great options in the Champonship as you've suggested however

[Wade Garrett]

On 19/05/2025 at 12:25, hypochondriac said:

Johansson 

Johnston Mee Edwards Wellington 

Charles Lowe 

Doak (loan) Sainz

Azaz 

Kone/Sargent 

Sell Ramsdale 20 million, Dibling 30 million, THB 25 million, Downes 15 million, Fernandes 25 million, BBD 5 million, Onuachu 3 million, Sugawara 4 million, Bednarek 4 million, Sulemana 5 million Archer 7 million Call it 140 million. 

 

Johansson - Stoke 7 million 

Johnston- Sturm Graz- 5 million 

Mee- Free agent

Lowe- Sheffield Wednesday - 4 million 

Doak- Liverpool- 3 million loan fee 

Sainz - Norwich- 12 million 

Azaz- Middlesborough- 15 million  

Kone- Wycombe- 2 million 

Sargent- Norwich- 15 million 

Total: 63 million 

 

Keep Armstrong, Bree, Bazunu, Wood, Manning, maybe Smallbone, Stephens and Stewart for the squad. 

Bin KWP, Lallana, Lumley, Fraser

We might need another attacking option and definitely another AM but that team would be playoffs minimum and possibly more. Also has the advantage of having almost nothing to do with the losers from this year. 

Ben Mee is a great shout.

[hypochondriac]

38 minutes ago, woodsaint1 said:

I'd be very surprised if even half, never mind 95% of our signings will be in the English market. Spors and those who he has brought in (which could include Still) specialise in European leagues. There are some great options in the Champonship as you've suggested however

You're probably right. I just like known quantities already so n the English league. I hope we get at least a couple of those type of signings in. 

[m4]

7 hours ago, Mr Brightside said:

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/southampton-to-rival-coventry-city-preston-for-5m-rated-aston-villa-prospect/
 

Another double-barrelled - bring him in!

Should be all over this, proper tidy player

[leesaint88]

2 hours ago, Doctoroncall said:

Wasn’t there bizarrely, some interest for Sugawara a month or so ago?  Maybe has cooled after a little research. 

Napoli wasn't it? Certainly it was one of the bigger sides from Italy. I have a Dutch mate who is a big AZ fan, he was pretty surprised we bought Sagawara as he thought he was a bit iffy in the Dutch top flight...let alone the Premier League. 

[Lee On Solent Saint]

26 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

Ben Mee is a great shout.

No re-sale value. Won't happen.

[chivvy]

Travers ramsdale loan swop.

 

[Wade Garrett]

1 hour ago, chivvy said:

Travers ramsdale loan swop.

 

Don’t rate him.

[Lighthouse]

2 hours ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

No re-sale value. Won't happen.

Neither did Lallana or Taylor, we still signed them.

[Gloucester Saint]

13 hours ago, Turkish said:

nah, we'll use the loan market too. Can have up to 5 cant we? We're not going to be spending 50m+ but then i very much doubt anyone else will either.

Hopefully you’re right and we use the loans well. Downes worked although very much a Martin player, Brookes in patches, Rothwell so-so and THB was deferred a year if promoted. 

[Gloucester Saint]

6 hours ago, Wade Garrett said:

He would rival Bazunu for the crisp packet hands of the year.

Can’t believe Bunsen and Beaker paid that much for him, although still a far better goalkeeper than Gavin will ever be.

[Gloucester Saint]

12 hours ago, SouSaint said:

Who is going to sign Downes? Nowhere near PL standard, same goes for THB. 

Downes I agree, that would eat a lot of McKenna’s rebuilding funds to get near what Saints would want.

THB despite how lousy he has been will still (no pun intended) have a market for around £30-35m. Play him alongside some experience and he’ll do ok for someone 8th-14th.

[Chez]

34 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Downes I agree, that would eat a lot of McKenna’s rebuilding funds to get near what Saints would want.

THB despite how lousy he has been will still (no pun intended) have a market for around £30-35m. Play him alongside some experience and he’ll do ok for someone 8th-14th.

£30-35m sounds a lot for a defender that has not been good at the top level yet. Kilman went for £40m, but he had played well.

[Chez]

36 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Downes I agree, that would eat a lot of McKenna’s rebuilding funds to get near what Saints would want.

Yeah, can't see Ipswich paying what we'd want, but that would obviously be a good solution for all parties.

[Smirking_Saint]

3 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

Neither did Lallana or Taylor, we still signed them.

Yeah, as per usual its lazy rubbish from a lot of fans that lack critical thinking 

As much as we relied too heavily on them, the younger players have ‘largely’ been ok.. its the majority of the ‘ready to go’ players that SR have signed that have been woeful