Summer Transfer Window 2025/26

[egg]

19 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Whoplays if Downes doesn't though? Because I'm not convinced that Charles or Fernandes can play a deeper defensive role. Imo we need a Ugochukwu replacement if Sesay isn't up to it. 

Charles will have to sit a bit deeper when there's no Downes. I don't see us getting 2 first team level starters for each and every position. 

[hypochondriac]

3 minutes ago, egg said:

Charles will have to sit a bit deeper when there's no Downes. I don't see us getting 2 first team level starters for each and every position. 

Given how unreliable Downes is and how likely he is to be out for long periods, I'm not convinced we want to risk playing lots of games with Charles out of position. If we think Sesay is up for it then fair enough but if not he needs to go on loan and we need an alternative to Downes. Maybe on loan. 

[Smirking_Saint]

50 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

We don’t look great at CF.  We should be all over Danny Ings on a free.  Much better than what we currently have.

Absolutely fucking not

[egg]

5 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Given how unreliable Downes is and how likely he is to be out for long periods, I'm not convinced we want to risk playing lots of games with Charles out of position. If we think Sesay is up for it then fair enough but if not he needs to go on loan and we need an alternative to Downes. Maybe on loan. 

I get that, but I don't see a squad of Downes, Charles, Sesay, Fernandes, Rudoni, Spertsy, plus 1 more starter level player. The wage bill will be crazy, and what player wants to come for that level of competition? Take Fernandes out of the equation though, and it looks different and I think you're right that it's a case of do we fancy Sesay enough or loan someone in who's a bit more ready than him. 

[qwertyell]

39 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

hopefully, Still will revert back to a 4231

Not until we've got some wide attacking options that aren't horrific.

Assuming Dibling and Edozie are out the door, we've only got an 18 year old kid who can control the ball within three touches and might be able to beat a man. 

If anyone thinks technically limited strikers awkwardly shoehorned onto the wings are going to be the creative spark that gets our attack firing, they're dreaming. 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, qwertyell said:

Not until we've got some wide attacking options that aren't horrific.

Assuming Dibling and Edozie are out the door, we've only got an 18 year old kid who can control the ball within three touches and might be able to beat a man. 

If anyone thinks technically limited strikers awkwardly shoehorned onto the wings are going to be the creative spark that gets our attack firing, they're dreaming. 

fair point

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, egg said:

I get that, but I don't see a squad of Downes, Charles, Sesay, Fernandes, Rudoni, Spertsy, plus 1 more starter level player. The wage bill will be crazy, and what player wants to come for that level of competition? Take Fernandes out of the equation though, and it looks different and I think you're right that it's a case of do we fancy Sesay enough or loan someone in who's a bit more ready than him. 

Yes that's what I think will happen. There's no way in my view that we buy these top players in and stack the midfield without losing Fernandes. 

Downes, Charles, Spertsyan, Rudoni abd Downes alternative on loan would work well and give us cover in the cm positions. 

[SWLondon Saint]

1 hour ago, DT said:

Agree. He’s really poor. Played like a pub player v Brighton. Positional poor. Bad at passing. Need better. 

Come on mate, you need to get your glasses on, or at least watch the games, particularly the Brighton one where he made a goal saving block in the area and also won the corner we got the equalising pen from with a good run inside AA. When he and Welington were on against Brighton and we went 3 at the back we were much better.

Wrexham and N'hampton he's been totally indifferent for me, not that good but not that bad. Dunno what people are seeing, it's not like we're getting cut to pieces in either wide position, can you think of any times a winger got to the byline or in behind out wide?

[Turkish]

9 hours ago, CSA96 said:

Genuine question: What would it take to impress you if a 24yo attacking midfielder - with 10 goals and 13 assists in our division last season, for a team that didn’t even get promoted - can’t impress you?

11 goals and 14 assists for a team that got relegated

[saintant]

1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said:

hopefully, Still will revert back to a 4231

This is my hope especially if we sign Rudoni and Spertsyan. The only way we'll slot in all our midfield players is to play 4231 with a line up something like;

Baz

New RB Stephens Quarshie Manning

Downes Charles

Fernandes Rudoni Spertsyan

Stewart

Use Robinson and Fraser as impact players off the bench to run at tiring defenders.

We'd need the 3 advanced midfielders to weigh in with their fair share of goals. There are obviously possible better configurations but, having seen how light we are in midfield playing 5 at the back, I think 4231 is the way to go.

[Chez]

39 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Not until we've got some wide attacking options that aren't horrific.

Assuming Dibling and Edozie are out the door, we've only got an 18 year old kid who can control the ball within three touches and might be able to beat a man. 

If anyone thinks technically limited strikers awkwardly shoehorned onto the wings are going to be the creative spark that gets our attack firing, they're dreaming. 

It looks a mess right now, but I'm hoping the last week of the window sees Diaz depart, maybe Archer or AA too. If Edozie a Dibling go, then a loaned winger or three might be in order.

[SWLondon Saint]

1 hour ago, Chez said:

Why have none of the promoted sides bought him is the question I ask? Have they all missed something or is he just one of those expensive championship players...like Piroe.

Admittedly I've only watched his highlights reel from Coventry, but that frankly is less good than I'd expect from a 'highlights'! About half his assists were corners, the majority of the rest were aerial crosses and I'm not sure those find an unmarked player as often in the PL. Most of his goals were headers, he has the knack of drifting into the box but Coventry have some decent wingers which we don't really.

At £15m I'd say he's definitely a 'best of the champ but no more' type player. He doesn't have the athleticism for the PL, which would be OK if he had the touch and guile to make up for it, but not sure he does. 

[Turkish]

3 hours ago, Convict Colony said:

Yeah honestly that is a fucking sick midfield, something we deserve after the recent dross, my balls are already tingling.

Bros are gonna dominate ball fam. That midfiled is peng ting. My Gs gonna be sick, we will own  the championship yard, the St Marys mandem is coming for you!

[saintant]

6 minutes ago, saintant said:

This is my hope especially if we sign Rudoni and Spertsyan. The only way we'll slot in all our midfield players is to play 4231 with a line up something like;

Baz

New RB Stephens Quarshie Manning

Downes Charles

Fernandes Rudoni Spertsyan

Stewart

Use Robinson and Fraser as impact players off the bench to run at tiring defenders.

We'd need the 3 advanced midfielders to weigh in with their fair share of goals. There are obviously possible better configurations but, having seen how light we are in midfield playing 5 at the back, I think 4231 is the way to go.

As another alternative maybe try to get in Fellows rather than Rudoni and play him and Spertsyan either side of Fernandes. Think this would offer more goal threat.

[Wade Garrett]

56 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

Absolutely fucking not

Better finisher than we have.

[Saint NL]

That is tagged as Liverpool, but change it to West Ham or Everton and the video still applies 

 

 

[Convict Colony]

3 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Bros are gonna dominate ball fam. That midfiled is peng ting. My Gs gonna be sick, we will own  the championship yard, the St Marys mandem is coming for you!

Agree brah, Still's instructions to the team each week about the oppo Goalkeeper

[Willo of Whiteley]

2 hours ago, Chez said:

Why have none of the promoted sides bought him is the question I ask? Have they all missed something or is he just one of those expensive championship players...like Piroe.

He strikes me as one of those Calum O’Hare type players. Lots of hype for this league but would he be able to make the step up? Probably not seen enough to say yet.

O’Hare was another one we were linked with a year or so ago; and he never kicked on to the Premier League.

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

He strikes me as one of those Calum O’Hare type players. Lots of hype for this league but would he be able to make the step up? Probably not seen enough to say yet.

O’Hare was another one we were linked with a year or so ago; and he never kicked on to the Premier League.

Jack Clarke I thought would do really well I bthe prem for Ipswich and he did not a lot really. 

[CSA96]

£40m of pure PSR profit for Aston Villa. Could they come in for Dibling now? Know they've scouted him a lot

 

[Willo of Whiteley]

A LB we don’t really need, Ryan Mannning really isn’t as bad as people make out, he was fine the year we went up and arguably he was one of two or three that consistently put in a shift last season. 
If we were to get a LB it would be good to go for Andre Garcia at Reading, highly thought of, close to home and wouldn’t cost much. I can’t see Welington being part of WS’s long term plans.

A RB with pace would put pressure on Yuki Sugawara.

It’s wider players and pace that we need, we need to have a counter attacking force about us.

It’s clear WS wants us to break quickly and so far we haven’t got anyone that could really stretch a defence.

[AlexLaw76]

These people are paid well to give informed opinions

The state of this….

 

[Saint NL]

3 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

It’s clear WS wants us to break quickly and so far we haven’t got anyone that could really stretch a defence.

We're crying out for a Sulemana type player. Not the man himself though, he was shite.

[John B]

Pretty dreadful transfer window so far for creative incoming players 

[Turkish]

8 minutes ago, Convict Colony said:

Agree brah, Still's instructions to the team each week about the oppo Goalkeeper

I know rite. Bro, dem wasteman gonna get bossed for real innit

[SWLondon Saint]

1 minute ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

He strikes me as one of those Calum O’Hare type players. Lots of hype for this league but would he be able to make the step up? Probably not seen enough to say yet.

O’Hare was another one we were linked with a year or so ago; and he never kicked on to the Premier League.

This is exactly it - the English game is so heavily scouted it's near impossible to find a 'diamond in the rough' type player from the Champ or L1 these days. Rudoni would cost the same as Fernandes, who I know we got on the cheap, but still....

 

[Willo of Whiteley]

Rak-Sakyi from Palace please.

I would’ve liked to see us in for Richard Kone of Wycombe had we not gone in for Downs and if other strikers had left.

[lambtiss]

2 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

These people are paid well to give informed opinions

The state of this….

 

Stupid comment, because a) it assumes that a poor team cannot have good players, and b) WIll Still will not be setting the transfer prices, and c) that the asking price and the negotiated price are almost always different.

[S-Clarke]

5 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

These people are paid well to give informed opinions

The state of this….

 

Yeah, of course, it's Will Still on the end of the phone making up the valuations. Nothing to do with the club or DoF, no. All the manager.

Seriously, they should have never dumped off the old lot. Dawson, Sidwell, Morrison - utter shambles. Awful bunch.

[Turkish]

14 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

He strikes me as one of those Calum O’Hare type players. Lots of hype for this league but would he be able to make the step up? Probably not seen enough to say yet.

O’Hare was another one we were linked with a year or so ago; and he never kicked on to the Premier League.

Like most of our squad. 

[Willo of Whiteley]

On the bright side Will Still had confirmed today/last night that Armel Bella-Kotchap is not in his plans and is free to leave.

10/10 window straight away there. 😂

I’ve read one comment on social media saying “where I’d fit go so wrong for him, he looked world class at one stage”. To which I thought “No he didn’t, he’s made of glass, terrible injury record, rarely put in a shift and a very questionable attitude”. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[coalman]

9 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

These people are paid well to give informed opinions

The state of this….

 

 

[Doctoroncall]

3 minutes ago, coalman said:

 

 

15 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

These people are paid well to give informed opinions

The state of this….

 

Reinforcing the belief that footballers are thick as shit. Mee-mee-mee indeed. 

[revolution saint]

13 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

Rak-Sakyi from Palace please.

I would’ve liked to see us in for Richard Kone of Wycombe had we not gone in for Downs and if other strikers had left.

Rak-Sakyi performed worse last season than Edozie did in the season we got promoted.  I'd give him a miss.

Kone off to QPR so I guess we'll get to see how he does at this level.  I watched him in the play off games against Charlton and he wasn't that good but maybe that wasn't the best games to judge him on.  Downs hasn't had the best start here but hopefully comes good.

[sockeye]

Hump day. Waiting with bated breath for info on Rudoni and Spertsyan

 

[St Louis]

40 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

On the bright side Will Still had confirmed today/last night that Armel Bella-Kotchap is not in his plans and is free to leave.

10/10 window straight away there. 😂

 

He's been free to leave for a long time... The issue has been getting another club to take him!

[hypochondriac]

6 minutes ago, sockeye said:

Hump day. Waiting with bated breath for info on Rudoni and Spertsyan

 

Careful you may pass out. 

[hypochondriac]

Just now, St Louis said:

He's been free to leave for a long time... The issue has been getting another club to take him!

The fact he isn't free is the primary issue. 

[beatlesaint]

1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said:

These people are paid well to give informed opinions

The state of this….

 

I actually thought better of Dawson but hey, he's a Sky employee now and when you become one you cut your balls off and fawn and pander to the big clubs cos thats all they are interested in. How dare a club want a fair amount for their young talented players. Prick.

[Gloucester Saint]

32 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

The fact he isn't free is the primary issue. 

Hoffenheim did the dirty last summer with the medical scare and since then the equation for buying clubs has been - wages + rumoured minor heart issue + rumoured attitude + Saints wanting around 10 Euro = computer says no.

If he really isn’t in Still’s plans at all, give the new manager a break and at least get rid of his wages this month even if the fee is a token one Euro or something.

SR are good at selling but even this horse is too deceased to flog.

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Hoffenheim did the dirty last summer with the medical scare and since then the equation for buying clubs has been - wages + rumoured minor heart issue + rumoured attitude + Saints wanting around 10 Euro = computer says no.

If he really isn’t in Still’s plans at all, give the new manager a break and at least get rid of his wages this month even if the fee is a token one Euro or something.

SR are good at selling but even this horse is too deceased to flog.

It's either that or loan with an option to buy for maybe 5 million at the end of it if no one will pay a fee. 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

7 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

It's either that or loan with an option to buy for maybe 5 million at the end of it if no one will pay a fee. 

Yeah, could be a very late loan move, if no one's interested. Such a waste of potential.

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said:

These people are paid well to give informed opinions

The state of this….

 

So what's your point, Michael?

[Smirking_Saint]

2 hours ago, Wade Garrett said:

Better finisher than we have.

So is Charlie Austin

[Dusic]

Reading between the lines it seems the club would happily sell Dibling for a fair price and if we do play hardball with Fernandes then we probably need to sell Dibling, especially if we want to make at least a couple of sizeable signings of our own.

I wonder how much we can do on incomings without a big sale first, or the knowledge one will happen? Especially as we didnt get big cash for Ramsdale.

[lambtiss]

[LuckyNumber7]

3 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

These people are paid well to give informed opinions

The state of this….

 

Yes, how dare little old Southampton hold out for market value for the few actually good players we have, rather than just accepting whatever these PL big boys want to pay.

F*cking moron.

[Chez]

5 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

Jack Clarke I thought would do really well I bthe prem for Ipswich and he did not a lot really. 

looked a poor mans Lallana to me. No pace, like Lallana, some nice dribbling, but he doesn't have the unbelievable first touch whilst on the move, so space disappears fast.I wonder if Fellows is similar. He looks a little more dynamic, but if you don't have pace your touch has to be amazing

[CamSaint]

3 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

It's either that or loan with an option to buy for maybe 5 million at the end of it if no one will pay a fee.

You can't have loan with an option to buy as he only has one year left on his contract. If we loan him out for a year he will then be a free agent so no fee, but finally off our books!

[Chez]

 

4 hours ago, revolution saint said:

Rak-Sakyi performed worse last season than Edozie did in the season we got promoted.  I'd give him a miss.

Kone off to QPR so I guess we'll get to see how he does at this level.  I watched him in the play off games against Charlton and he wasn't that good but maybe that wasn't the best games to judge him on.  Downs hasn't had the best start here but hopefully comes good.

I'd also give Rak-Sakyi a miss. 

Kone finished well, which in the end os what matters, but I wasn't sure about his mobility. Kone looked pretty good with his back to goal, but so did Downs. yet to see that though from Downs. That part of the game is a must. We need a focal point. Archer, Armstrong dont offer it.