Summer Transfer Window 2025/26

[OldNick]

48 minutes ago, saintant said:

Are there agile, morbidly obese men?

-------

Edited Tuesday at 09:22 by OldNick

[S-Clarke]

...

Edited Tuesday at 09:27 by S-Clarke

[RedArmy]

2 hours ago, chownie20 said:

See a rumour about Sugawara and PSG...

Was the rumour that they don’t want him? 

[Verbal]

5 minutes ago, RedArmy said:

Was the rumour that they don’t want him? 

They do want him, they just have absolutely no need for defenders. 

[S-Clarke]

1 minute ago, Verbal said:

They do want him, they just have absolutely no need for defenders. 

Why would any decent team want Suguwara after last season though? Weird. I have no idea what any top outfit would have seen last season that would make them think ''Yes, that's the guy I want playing for me in the Champions League"

He's got a hell of a lot to prove.

Edited Tuesday at 09:29 by S-Clarke

[Fabrice29]

2 hours ago, chownie20 said:

See a rumour about Sugawara and PSG...

Just based on someone drafting up some possible back ups to Hakimi and thinking Sugarawa fits the ultra attacking mindset though isn’t it? Along with other options too.

[Maggie May]

Did we have a team of world beaters last season that we only went down because they were so woefully managed by Juric? 

[disconnect]

4 minutes ago, Maggie May said:

Did we have a team of world beaters last season that we only went down because they were so woefully managed by Juric? 

I think you may be forgetting the root cause here! 🤣

(but yes, world beaters they were not)!

[trousers]

6 minutes ago, Maggie May said:

Did we have a team of world beaters last season that we only went down because they were so woefully managed by Juric? 

 

Just now, disconnect said:

I think you may be forgetting the root cause here! 🤣

 

Let. It. Go!

[trousers]

23 hours ago, Saint_lambden said:

Donley. We still want him (amongst other Championship sides) but Maddison got a bad injury last night so I do wonder if Spurs will want to keep him now rather than loaning him out. 

 

1 hour ago, beavis17 said:

Going to Stoke.

Confirmed source or hunch based on latest speculation? Ta

Edit: assume based on this?

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 09:50 by trousers

[chownie20]

1 hour ago, iansums said:

IIRC, first away game of the previous Championship promotion season at Ipswich, good memories.

Yeah, little worrying when Keith Andrews scored, but vintage Lallana Lambert Schneiderlin and Guly

[saintant]

25 minutes ago, Maggie May said:

Did we have a team of world beaters last season that we only went down because they were so woefully managed by Martin and Juric? 

Fixed that for you 🙂

[Turkish]

37 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Why would any decent team want Suguwara after last season though? Weird. I have no idea what any top outfit would have seen last season that would make them think ''Yes, that's the guy I want playing for me in the Champions League"

He's got a hell of a lot to prove.

hes not even a guy most would want playing for them in the championship at the moment

[Eborsaint]

1 hour ago, iansums said:

IIRC, first away game of the previous Championship promotion season at Ipswich, good memories.

Close. It was the second away game after a 1-0 win at Barnsley a few days before. As you say good memories. Incidentally one of the Ipswich goals that night should not have counted.  It came off the support stanchion and  back out and the officials were fooled. As you say great memories and a fine team

[Chez]

1 hour ago, saintant said:

Are there agile, morbidly obese men?

Most of the sumo wrestlers are quicker on the turn than Vestergaard. Not sure how many skate though.

[RedArmy]

48 minutes ago, Verbal said:

They do want him, they just have absolutely no need for defenders. 

Thats handy then because he can’t defend. 

[Chez]

46 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Why would any decent team want Suguwara after last season though? Weird. I have no idea what any top outfit would have seen last season that would make them think ''Yes, that's the guy I want playing for me in the Champions League"

He's got a hell of a lot to prove.

I'm thinking Celtic take him to try to help give the impression that their league is remotely competitive. Give the opponents the ball more often, gift them a few goals, make the league a bit tighter...

[Chez]

18 minutes ago, chownie20 said:

Yeah, little worrying when Keith Andrews scored, but vintage Lallana Lambert Schneiderlin and Guly

What a performance that was. After seeing the Leeds and Barnsley wins, even a pessimist like me wondered if we might actually go straight through the league. 

[Chez]

3 hours ago, chownie20 said:

See a rumour about Sugawara and PSG...

is this rumour basically just a rehash of an article by Zach Lowry where he suggests some possible options for the back up right back role:

https://psgtalk.substack.com/p/three-realistic-right-back-transfer?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1480878&post_id=170002087&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=657x3&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Please tell me there is more to it and we can consider starting again at the RB position. 

Edited Tuesday at 10:26 by Chez

[BERMUDASAINT]

Whats us up with Flynn?

the manager has said Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who set Southampton back £20m as per BBC Sport, is expected to be sidelined for 10 days, so he will miss out against Wrexham.

Still said: “I think Taylor (Harwood-Bellis) has probably got another 10 days to go. He’s only just joined in training in the latter stages of this week.

Meanwhile, Flynn Downes ‘hasn’t trained’, while Will Smallbone and Ben Brereton Diaz also have problems.

Still added: “Flynn hasn’t trained with us yet, so we’ll try and work it out. But like I said, we’ve got a few young players in there that did well today. 

“Will Smallbone is still struggling with his arm, which he struggled with last week as well, which is why he didn’t play last week or today.

“Bez (Brereton Diaz) has locked his hips. He’s got sore groins and sore hips. We don’t want to force people into playing or anything.”

 

..........................................

Will mentioning they are looking for a new keeper

After the departure of Aaron Ramsdale, Saints wave been considering whether they need to add to the goalkeeping department, although Will Still maintains that the number 1 spot is Gavin Bazunu's to lose.

One dilemma for Will Still was sorted late last week when Aaron Ramsdale joined Newcastle United on a season long loan, that in some respects was a relief for the new Saints manager, as it was one area of his team where it was clear who was staying and going.

If Ramsdale had still been at St Mary's this coming weekend Still would have had a decision to make and with 3 weeks left in the window it was a big one, did he play the best keeper, that was undoubtably Ramsdale and then risk see him go in the following 3 weeks before the window shut and alienate Gavin Bazunu who was likely to stay.

Both Ramsdale and Bazunu remained professional in the way they both handled the situation and when the former joined Newcastle, Bazunu responded on Saturday against Brighton with a faultless performance that saw him make several top saves that meant that his team were still in the game to be able to fight back and eek out a 2-2 draw.

Speaking to The Daily Echo after the Brighton game Will Still confirmed that he is in control of the situation and he along with the goalkeeping coach Ruben Martinez are considering their options.

"I think Gavin's done really well. I think he played really well last week out in Spain.

"He's done well today (Saturday). He's good, and I think as long as he's been as good as he is, he'll play. The best players will play.

"I think I've always said that. We need to check for numbers. Do we get an extra one in? I think we'll work that out over the course of the next few weeks.

"Ruben (Martinez, goalkeeper coach) knows what he's doing. It's just balancing out and identifying what we can get and when we can get it and how it all works. We'll wait and see."

One consideration must be to bring in a potential first choice keeper, someone who can push Bazunu for the number 1 spot, in truth Alex McCarthy at 35 will do a job but he isn't going to play a full season, truth is he never has, in 9 seasons at the club he has played just 134 League games, at times he has had extended runs in the side and been considered the number 1, but he has never managed a full season in that position.

He has been a very good back up keeper, a player who can put in a reasonable number of good games in the team, but not 38 -46 in a season.

So I think Still knows that he is short in this department and with Gavin Bazunu having suffered injury issues in the past two seasons and indeed seen both of those seasons ended prematurely through injury, there must be a question mark over his ability to stay fit.

Therefore I think Will Still is playing his cards close to his chest, he must know it would be folly to go past the transfer window deadline without adding to his goalkeeping squad, essentially after Bazunu & McCarthy he only has 17 year old Dylan Moody and talented as he may be, he is not ready for the physicality of the Championship.

So although Gavin Bazunu will deservedly start as the number 1 keeper, Still must bring in another shot stopper, the only question is how good that man is, I would suspect that we will look at a good experienced at Championship level keeper out of contract, someone like Joe Lumley when we signed him two years ago.

One option could have been former Southampton keeper Angus Gunn, but he is on the verge of a move from Norwich to join Nottingham Forest.

But one man who may well truly be on the radar is Australian International Mathew Ryan who has recently left RC Lens after his contract ended, we all know who also left Lens during the summer, Will Still the man who signed him back in the January transfer window.

Ryan at 33 has extensive top flight experience, he has played for Brugge & Genk in the Belgian Pro League, Valencia & Real Sociedad in Spain, AZ Alkmaar in Holland and a short spell in Denmark.

He also had 3 seasons as Brighton number 1 before losing his place in the 4th, playing 121 games in the Premier League in the process, also adding another 3 on loan at Arsenal, not to mention 100 caps for his country.

Now a free agent, you don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to make a case that he might well be joining Southampton, he has the track record and ability to step into the breach should Gavin Bazunu suffer either another injury or drop in form.

He would be the ideal man on all counts not least that he would not cost a penny.

And a rumor for ABK with our favorite (shite) club to negotiate with, Trabzonspor, we want 10m, Trabz offering 4m.........😵‍💫

Edited Tuesday at 11:37 by BERMUDASAINT

[disconnect]

1 hour ago, trousers said:

 

Let. It. Go!

[Smirking_Saint]

Just now, BERMUDASAINT said:

Whats us up with Flynn?

the manager has said Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who set Southampton back £20m as per BBC Sport, is expected to be sidelined for 10 days, so he will miss out against Wrexham.

Still said: “I think Taylor (Harwood-Bellis) has probably got another 10 days to go. He’s only just joined in training in the latter stages of this week.

Meanwhile, Flynn Downes ‘hasn’t trained’, while Will Smallbone and Ben Brereton Diaz also have problems.

Still added: “Flynn hasn’t trained with us yet, so we’ll try and work it out. But like I said, we’ve got a few young players in there that did well today. 

“Will Smallbone is still struggling with his arm, which he struggled with last week as well, which is why he didn’t play last week or today.

“Bez (Brereton Diaz) has locked his hips. He’s got sore groins and sore hips. We don’t want to force people into playing or anything.”

Gor injured in Girona

[Smirking_Saint]

 

This could rumble on and on here but hopefully we stand firm, Id be interested in a loan back option but I guess at these figures its impossible 

[Whitey Grandad]

6 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

 

This could rumble on and on here but hopefully we stand firm, Id be interested in a loan back option but I guess at these figures its impossible 

It is Dibling on a bit.

[Chez]

6 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

 

This could rumble on and on here but hopefully we stand firm, Id be interested in a loan back option but I guess at these figures its impossible 

Can't see that happening. Unlike some young players, he's ready to play games right now. 

[Chez]

12 minutes ago, BERMUDASAINT said:

Whats us up with Flynn?

the manager has said Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who set Southampton back £20m as per BBC Sport, is expected to be sidelined for 10 days, so he will miss out against Wrexham.

Still said: “I think Taylor (Harwood-Bellis) has probably got another 10 days to go. He’s only just joined in training in the latter stages of this week.

Meanwhile, Flynn Downes ‘hasn’t trained’, while Will Smallbone and Ben Brereton Diaz also have problems.

Still added: “Flynn hasn’t trained with us yet, so we’ll try and work it out. But like I said, we’ve got a few young players in there that did well today. 

“Will Smallbone is still struggling with his arm, which he struggled with last week as well, which is why he didn’t play last week or today.

“Bez (Brereton Diaz) has locked his hips. He’s got sore groins and sore hips. We don’t want to force people into playing or anything.”

I was going to say the terminology could be open to interpretation, and may not relate to an injury, but because the whole thing is about injuries, you'd have to surmise he has one too. 

*just seen the Smirking_Saint post about him getting injured in Girona

[Holmes_and_Watson]

3 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

It is Dibling on a bit.

They could Ty up a deal shortly.

[S-Clarke]

2 minutes ago, Chez said:

I was going to say the terminology could be open to interpretation, and may not relate to an injury, but because the whole thing is about injuries, you'd have to surmise he has one too. 

*just seen the Smirking_Saint post about him getting injured in Girona

I guess he's got form for shirking off, as he did mid-season when his boyfriend was sacked.

I hope that's not the case again and he can get his head down, but if there is the remote possibility that he's skulking around then we've got to shift him. He's not that important to us that a good scouted replacement wouldn't be able to fill.

[derry]

Looking at Dibling and his according to Will Still ambivelant attitude and just getting on with it behaviour, whether the real pusher of this potential transfer is his agent trying to engineer a big profit for himself. Saints have set a baseline, Everton have a ceiling which seems below that. I can see Everton wriggling a bit but unable to agree the fee and walking away. In any event for me apart from money nothing sits right about this deal for the lad especially Everton as a destination. I can see him stagnating there. Moyes had a new manager bounce last season but there is no guarantee that they will not be struggling again, new stadium and players are no guarantee. For him maybe the best move would be to pass on this, sign a new contract and improve himself knowing a big club coming in with a big fee would open the door rather than risk his future at a club that has been a basket case for years.

[Saint86]

Couple of the boys on one of summer holiday development courses are adamant that both dibling and Fernandes went in to meet the kids yesterday. So perhaps not quite as done as reports suggest.

They are u8s though, so trust that at your risk - reckon they could convince themselves they'd seen Messi down there given enough excitement 🤣

Edited Tuesday at 11:53 by Saint86

[Smirking_Saint]

10 minutes ago, Chez said:

I was going to say the terminology could be open to interpretation, and may not relate to an injury, but because the whole thing is about injuries, you'd have to surmise he has one too. 

*just seen the Smirking_Saint post about him getting injured in Girona

The official line is ‘battling repeat niggles’

So who knows 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Smirking_Saint]

1 minute ago, Saint86 said:

Couple of the boys on one of summer holiday development courses are adamant that both dibling in Fernandes went in to meet the kids yesterday. So perhaps not quite as done as reports suggest.

They are u8s though, so trust that at your risk 🤣

Nobody has said anything about being done, both are training and Dibling played Saturday 

[Farmer Saint]

18 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

They could Ty up a deal shortly.

FFS.

Repeat after me, "Must Ty harder".

[Holmes_and_Watson]

Just now, Farmer Saint said:

FFS.

Repeat after me, "Must Ty harder".

Sorry. I'll call Ty-me on such comments.

[Chez]

14 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

The official line is ‘battling repeat niggles’

So who knows 🤷🏻‍♂️

I think the journalists need to be a little more inquisitive when told a player "has a problem" or "has a knock", but cubs no longer need the press, so difficult for them to probe or press otherwise they might lose their access.

[Chez]

22 minutes ago, derry said:

whether the real pusher of this potential transfer is his agent trying to engineer a big profit for himself. 

Everton are the ones pushing for the transfer.

[sockeye]

39 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

I guess he's got form for shirking off, as he did mid-season when his boyfriend was sacked.

I hope that's not the case again and he can get his head down, but if there is the remote possibility that he's skulking around then we've got to shift him. He's not that important to us that a good scouted replacement wouldn't be able to fill.

My heart says Downes doesn’t really care to be here and would jump at a half decent offer.

[Sheaf Saint]

33 minutes ago, derry said:

Looking at Dibling and his according to Will Still ambivelant attitude and just getting on with it behaviour, whether the real pusher of this potential transfer is his agent trying to engineer a big profit for himself. Saints have set a baseline, Everton have a ceiling which seems below that. I can see Everton wriggling a bit but unable to agree the fee and walking away. In any event for me apart from money nothing sits right about this deal for the lad especially Everton as a destination. I can see him stagnating there. Moyes had a new manager bounce last season but there is no guarantee that they will not be struggling again, new stadium and players are no guarantee. For him maybe the best move would be to pass on this, sign a new contract and improve himself knowing a big club coming in with a big fee would open the door rather than risk his future at a club that has been a basket case for years.

I think this is spot on, which is why a few days ago I commented that I would be surprised if he ends up there.

I've followed their pre-season promotional tour of the US, where they lost to Bournemouth and West Ham, and drew 2-2 with Utd. They have a handful of decent players but overall a very threadbare squad, and two or three marquee signings isn't going to magically resolve that. Their fans are also a different level of entitled and demanding, so if he doesn't start performing immediately they will be on his back straight away.

[Pwoite]

2 hours ago, Maggie May said:

Did we have a team of world beaters last season that we only went down because they were so woefully managed by Juric? 

So true. If only we persuaded Russ to stay….. Hang on, I must stop smoking in the morning.

[Chez]

9 minutes ago, sockeye said:

My heart says Downes doesn’t really care to be here and would jump at a half decent offer.

I'd say exactly the same for Aribo, ABK, BBD and Armstrong. They all need and probably want a fresh start. Will Still's arrival could provide them with a clean slate, but I just feel when a player has been sent out on loan, the bond between player and club may have gone. I might be wrong. 

[Chez]

8 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

I think this is spot on, which is why a few days ago I commented that I would be surprised if he ends up there.

I've followed their pre-season promotional tour of the US, where they lost to Bournemouth and West Ham, and drew 2-2 with Utd. They have a handful of decent players but overall a very threadbare squad, and two or three marquee signings isn't going to magically resolve that. Their fans are also a different level of entitled and demanding, so if he doesn't start performing immediately they will be on his back straight away.

Not the easiest club situation to join, but if he went almost anywhere with a £50m fee on his back, there would be pressure for him to perform immediately. 

[Sheaf Saint]

1 minute ago, Chez said:

Not the easiest club situation to join, but if he went almost anywhere with a £50m fee on his back, there would be pressure for him to perform immediately. 

Yeah I guess so. But if he joins Everton he will automatically become their first choice RW (because they basically don't have one). Might be better for him to go somewhere he can be eased in / rotated out a little more to begin with.

[Chez]

1 minute ago, Sheaf Saint said:

Yeah I guess so. But if he joins Everton he will automatically become their first choice RW (because they basically don't have one). Might be better for him to go somewhere he can be eased in / rotated out a little more to begin with.

Blimey. They literally have no other RW. I didn't realise that. Perhaps they will sign another in that position.

The flip side to that is when you join a new club you want to be fully involved, right from the off, with the full backing of your manager, not stuck on the sidelines, wondering if you made the right move and if the manager has complete faith in you. 

[Toussaint]

55 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Sorry. I'll call Ty-me on such comments.

Tyler is a grout player

[Willo of Whiteley]

Saints by the sounds of it saying “pay up or bugger off”. Another reason why I’m not overly bothered about if Dibling stays or goes.

[SW11_Saint]

Someone give me an *incoming* rumour. Come on, anything… I need something to fixate on until Saturday…

[lumuah]

6 minutes ago, SW11_Saint said:

Someone give me an *incoming* rumour. Come on, anything… I need something to fixate on until Saturday…

https://saintsmarching.com/saints-prompted-to-sign-championship-loanee-who-is-u18-teammate-with-academy-duo

Harrison Armstrong,  as part of a deal for Dibling?

[hypochondriac]

7 minutes ago, lumuah said:

https://saintsmarching.com/saints-prompted-to-sign-championship-loanee-who-is-u18-teammate-with-academy-duo

Harrison Armstrong,  as part of a deal for Dibling?

That's one of the worst articles I've ever read. 

[Marsdinho]

4 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

That's one of the worst articles I've ever read. 

I thought I was having a stroke the other day, phoned 999 and and told them I need an ambulance asap. First question they asked me was "Have you been reading SaintsMarching" 

When I answered yes, I swear I heard the operator say in the background "not another one", before she put the phone down on me!

 

[redkeith]

I am not sure if we are still linked to to him, but last season we were linked with Tanner at Cardiff, as a possible Dibling replacement.

I watched him on Saturday and although the main similarities with Dibling were age, possition RW and size of shin pad, I was very impressed with his crossing, with both feet. 

Cardif are skint at the moment, so I am sure he will be available.