January Transfer Window

[Wade Garrett]

3 hours ago, Chez said:

You genuinely think the owner and senior management are happy to be in the second tier, the current league position and the possibility of just one more year of parachute payments? We find ourselves in the position we are because of poor decisions, not inactivity.

 

I don’t think they give a shit.  We’re just a vehicle to trade players from.

[OneMrsWallace]

4 hours ago, LuckyNumber7 said:

 Not much business gets done in January.

That's generally true but we don't have that luxury given all the errors made in the summer. We need a striker, a CB and ideally another CDM unless Charles actually returns fully fit very soon. Bring Bree back for full back cover. Not saying it will get done but it shows how crap SR are at building a competitive squad. They're charlatans masquerading as legitimate owners of a football club. 

[bangkoksaint]

11 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

I don’t think they give a shit.  We’re just a vehicle to trade players from.

Spot on Wade. If they can turn a profit on players and make the club live within its means then that’s what matters and will make them richer. We, the fans are the only ones truly invested.

[Chez]

1 minute ago, bangkoksaint said:

Spot on Wade. If they can turn a profit on players and make the club live within its means then that’s what matters and will make them richer. We, the fans are the only ones truly invested.

 

Unless we get promoted and stay up we will struggle to live within our means. For that reason I am pretty sure they give a shit about the success on the pitch. 

[MarkSFC]

Armstrong is not brilliant but we'd be worse without him. But we do need someone better than him. If Stewart was as guaranteed as you csn be to be fit for the remainder of the season, Id say we dont need another Striker and to focus soley on a CB. But theres as much guarantee of him remains fit as there is me winning the lottery, and probabaly less. So SR, get a move on and sign someone, almost anyone who can give us a bit of a lift. 

I remember the Branfoot days with utter contempt for him and Askham....this feels worse. 

[DT]

1 hour ago, suewhistle said:

Armstrong also works his socks off closing down and chasing lost causes. A shot scuffer, to be sure, and not a game changer but a very useful player to have in our current situation.

Isn't this the very least a professional footballer should do every week in return for millions of pounds per year? Run around? Perhaps our ambitions aren't quite what they should be.

Sure, he's up there as a top goalscorer but he has missed so, so many and gone missing in terms of his captaincy responsibilities regarding playing standards and behavioural ones amongst his team mates (I'm looking at you, Flynn and the rest).

[Chez]

7 minutes ago, DT said:

Isn't this the very least a professional footballer should do every week in return for millions of pounds per year? Run around?

Yes. But some don't, especially strikers, who often get away with doing little running as ultimately their job is to score goals not run marathons. Good to have one or two that do...like Armstrong.

I agree with you that although he has scored a few, he has missed many too. At this level, he's about as good as you get. I'm not sure he is the problem, but he's not the answer to all our needs either.

[pimpin4rizeal]

1 hour ago, Chez said:

As always, your trust in SFC's recruitment will sway opinion on this.

A year left on his contract. I suspect he wouldn't be averse to a move. Current contract apart, we are not the most attractive of clubs right now and he may have had enough. Being farmed out on loan can't have helped relations between player and club. He may not sign a new contract if he has another option.

The big negative is that you are swapping a pretty proven championship player for another 'Downes'. The next Downes might work out, but a bird in the hand....

I think most fans would prefer Stewart, Downes and Archer to go before Armstrong and then to add another striker to work with him. As always, the players you want to keep are the easiest to sell though. We should have sold Archer to Leeds last January when we had the chance. Maybe this is a similar case. 

Think it would probably be in our interests to offer him a new contract to be honest . He’s a guaranteed goal scorer at this level and even if we go up would then be better resale value if we wanted to cash in  there is always gonna be a market value  for such a prolific championship striker as long as he has time on his contract 

Edited 18 hours ago by pimpin4rizeal

[OneMrsWallace]

55 minutes ago, Chez said:

 

Unless we get promoted and stay up we will struggle to live within our means. For that reason I am pretty sure they give a shit about the success on the pitch. 

Makes sense Chez in terms of going up this season. My feeling is they'll sell us if that doesn't happen and is that the worst outcome?  

[Doctoroncall]

44 minutes ago, Chez said:

 

Unless we get promoted and stay up we will struggle to live within our means. For that reason I am pretty sure they give a shit about the success on the pitch. 

Which is at odds on how it’s turning out. Just a question of time when Solak either changes things about or wants out. 
 

If the former, who will he look towards to move us in the right direction?

[lambtiss]

1 hour ago, DT said:

Isn't this the very least a professional footballer should do every week in return for millions of pounds per year? Run around? Perhaps our ambitions aren't quite what they should be.

Sure, he's up there as a top goalscorer but he has missed so, so many and gone missing in terms of his captaincy responsibilities regarding playing standards and behavioural ones amongst his team mates (I'm looking at you, Flynn and the rest).

Mara didn't, Downes didn't, Archer doesn't ..

[lambtiss]

1 hour ago, OneMrsWallace said:

Makes sense Chez in terms of going up this season. My feeling is they'll sell us if that doesn't happen and is that the worst outcome?  

We won't know until we find out the identity of the next owners. Although, it is difficult to imagine owners with worse judgement than this lot.

[Oisin]

If there is genuine interest in ArmA I’d cash in. This whole club needs a reset, we need rid of the core group from the last couple of seasons and quite frankly we need a proper number 9.

He is clearly of a good ability for this level, one of the few places on the pitch we have a genuine quality player for this league (not that we deploy him correctly). But we’re not going up and in order to facilitate the reset I’d be open to seeing him go.

 

[Badger]

3 hours ago, suewhistle said:

Armstrong also works his socks off closing down and chasing lost causes. A shot scuffer, to be sure, and not a game changer but a very useful player to have in our current situation.

Stands out a mile, He's the only one who'll regularly score for us this season, to sell him would be ludicrous short term. Just imagine having to rely on Archer, and Stewart to stay fit.

His goals though can be game changers by the way, just a shame he misses a few as well. 

 

Edited 16 hours ago by Badger

[John B]

On 14/01/2026 at 15:50, Chez said:

What about the Liebherr father and daughter, Cortese, Adkins, Pochettinho and Koeman period. A lot of good things happened in those six years.

One swallow does not make a summer and I remember vividly you making comment during the era you mention that we should enjoy the success as it would not last

I have been following the Saints from around 1960 with the first thirty being great with decent managers and some great players but since the Premier League results have been poor and the standard of players generally worse than before the Premier League

We can only be a decent club if we have wealthy owners who employ independent experienced football people to run the club

[Badger]

2 hours ago, MarkSFC said:

Armstrong is not brilliant but we'd be worse without him.

I remember the Branfoot days with utter contempt for him and Askham....this feels worse. 

Agree about Armstrong.

Strangely I think the feeling at the Branfoot era was a lot stronger than now, even though Rasmus and SR are worse owners. At least there was a response from the supporters then, I'm not sure we'll see much these days (people vent their anger on the internet rather than at The Dell as we used to)

[ally_uk]

Would be daft and short sighted to sell Armstrong. 

Ross Stewart is allergic to football and Archer can't hit a cows arse.... 

[Give it to Ron]

1 hour ago, Oisin said:

If there is genuine interest in ArmA I’d cash in. This whole club needs a reset, we need rid of the core group from the last couple of seasons and quite frankly we need a proper number 9.

He is clearly of a good ability for this level, one of the few places on the pitch we have a genuine quality player for this league (not that we deploy him correctly). But we’re not going up and in order to facilitate the reset I’d be open to seeing him go.

 

So who is going to score the goals to keep us up Archer ? Because Stewart will miss months of the season and who else is there? 
SR don’t seem interested in a number 9 and if Downs is their standard

[Ex Lion Tamer]

1 hour ago, Badger said:

Agree about Armstrong.

Strangely I think the feeling at the Branfoot era was a lot stronger than now, even though Rasmus and SR are worse owners. At least there was a response from the supporters then, I'm not sure we'll see much these days (people vent their anger on the internet rather than at The Dell as we used to)

Branfoot was at the club for two and a half years. That was frustration. At least this leadership is prepared to change managers when it's not working

[Badger]

8 minutes ago, Ex Lion Tamer said:

Branfoot was at the club for two and a half years. That was frustration. At least this leadership is prepared to change managers when it's not working

Just a shame that their selections for replacement are frequently sub-standard then 

[MarkSFC]

1 hour ago, Badger said:

Agree about Armstrong.

Strangely I think the feeling at the Branfoot era was a lot stronger than now, even though Rasmus and SR are worse owners. At least there was a response from the supporters then, I'm not sure we'll see much these days (people vent their anger on the internet rather than at The Dell as we used to)

I think the anger is much the same really but like you say, venting happens online and so its diluted before getting to the ground for example. 

It was also very different at The Dell because of its size, far more intimidating than St Mary's. 

[gammon cheeks]

Rather sell Archer to be honest ..if anyone is interested is another story 

[Lighthouse]

2 hours ago, Oisin said:

If there is genuine interest in ArmA I’d cash in. This whole club needs a reset, we need rid of the core group from the last couple of seasons and quite frankly we need a proper number 9.

He is clearly of a good ability for this level, one of the few places on the pitch we have a genuine quality player for this league (not that we deploy him correctly). But we’re not going up and in order to facilitate the reset I’d be open to seeing him go.

 

How anybody can look at our current squad and think we need to sell the league's top scorer, when our other three strikers have scored four goals combined, I cannot fathom.

[Willo of Whiteley]

I don’t think Adam Armstrong will be going anywhere. Some people need to check the sources before jumping on the panic bandwagon.

He’s head and shoulders our best forward and does a lot more than people think. 
Is he Ronaldo? No.
But if he wasn’t playing for us there’s a lot of people that would quickly hope he was.

[saintant]

5 hours ago, OneMrsWallace said:

That's generally true but we don't have that luxury given all the errors made in the summer. We need a striker, a CB and ideally another CDM unless Charles actually returns fully fit very soon. Bring Bree back for full back cover. Not saying it will get done but it shows how crap SR are at building a competitive squad. They're charlatans masquerading as legitimate owners of a football club. 

My guess is that SR consider our chances of promotion slim to zero and, as such, will not be doing any further business this window other than outgoings.

[Challenger]

1 hour ago, saintant said:

My guess is that SR consider our chances of promotion slim to zero and, as such, will not be doing any further business this window other than outgoings.

Yep, they realise they've buggered up this season, just like the last and probably like the next.

[Gloucester Saint]

2 minutes ago, Challenger said:

Yep, they realise they've buggered up this season, just like the last and probably like the next.

And the one after that and after that.

[Chez]

10 hours ago, saintant said:

My guess is that SR consider our chances of promotion slim to zero and, as such, will not be doing any further business this window other than outgoings.

Was Peretz signed to avoid relegation then?

[benali-shorts]

4 minutes ago, Chez said:

Was Peretz signed to avoid relegation then?

I'd guess that Bazunu wouldn't extend his contract and made it clear he wanted to leave, and given his performance levels and keeper being our weakest position (subject to debate, of course), a replacement loan keeper (at presumably no additional cost and in a all likelihood a cost-saving) for 6 months and which enabled Spors to maintain his contact network in his native Germany would have been no-brainer for him? I don't particularly see it as a signing of any ambition or strategy, only an indication that they couldn't persuade Bazunu to extend (remarkably from all angles) and so didn't want to persevere further with him.

[Wade Garrett]

38 minutes ago, benali-shorts said:

I'd guess that Bazunu wouldn't extend his contract and made it clear he wanted to leave, and given his performance levels and keeper being our weakest position (subject to debate, of course), a replacement loan keeper (at presumably no additional cost and in a all likelihood a cost-saving) for 6 months and which enabled Spors to maintain his contact network in his native Germany would have been no-brainer for him? I don't particularly see it as a signing of any ambition or strategy, only an indication that they couldn't persuade Bazunu to extend (remarkably from all angles) and so didn't want to persevere further with him.

Bazunu wanting to leave?  Are Sholing after a keeper then, because nobody else will want him.

[S-Clarke]

1 hour ago, benali-shorts said:

I'd guess that Bazunu wouldn't extend his contract and made it clear he wanted to leave, and given his performance levels and keeper being our weakest position (subject to debate, of course), a replacement loan keeper (at presumably no additional cost and in a all likelihood a cost-saving) for 6 months and which enabled Spors to maintain his contact network in his native Germany would have been no-brainer for him? I don't particularly see it as a signing of any ambition or strategy, only an indication that they couldn't persuade Bazunu to extend (remarkably from all angles) and so didn't want to persevere further with him.

There was definitely a contract offer on the table for Bazunu, I trust who told me that. So I do somewhat believe he either stalled on it or turned it down outright. Why he'd stall or turn down a contract offer from us is beyond me, he's fortunate he's been at our level for as long as he has. Stealing a living comes to mind.

Why we even thought it was sensible to offer him a contract is crazy though, and shows that even after being loaned out their judgement hasn't really improved - because they'd have happily kept him had he signed, ala Stephens. They're just protecting investment as much as they can at this point.

Edited 3 hours ago by S-Clarke

[Willo of Whiteley]

Most teams only offer contracts nowadays to protect their previous investment.

But it’s becoming more common for players to run down their contract.

I don’t blame him for wanting to leave, he’s been subjected to barrels of abuse for ages. I wouldn’t want to stick around.

But he’s still an international goalkeeper so will have the outlook of “I’m still a good keeper” - fine. Good luck to him.

Shea Charles will be next to be sold in the summer. His contract offer has been on the table for about four months now.

[Turkish]

59 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

Most teams only offer contracts nowadays to protect their previous investment.

But it’s becoming more common for players to run down their contract.

I don’t blame him for wanting to leave, he’s been subjected to barrels of abuse for ages. I wouldn’t want to stick around.

But he’s still an international goalkeeper so will have the outlook of “I’m still a good keeper” - fine. Good luck to him.

Shea Charles will be next to be sold in the summer. His contract offer has been on the table for about four months now.

Why would anyone want to stay? A club in decline that leaps from one shambles to another. 

[Sheaf Saint]

I wouldn't blame any player for not wanting to renew their contract right now. There is a deep rot at the heart of this club and you can tell from the body language on the pitch that most of them aren't enjoying their football and don't want to be here. 

[Challenger]

1 minute ago, Sheaf Saint said:

I wouldn't blame any player for not wanting to renew their contract right now. There is a deep rot at the heart of this club and you can tell from the body language on the pitch that most of them aren't enjoying their football and don't want to be here. 

Dunno, there will be a few happy to stay until they're 50 or so after all walking football doesn't quite take the same toll as the proper version.

[Willo of Whiteley]

I’d be wanting a lot of guarantees to be signing for Southampton right now.

Or money.

Almost like we’re going to need to start bribing people to come here if things don’t change.

That’s why a strong manager can make all the difference. It encourages and entices players, it also shields the players of all the bollocks that happens above the manager.

[Turkish]

5 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

I’d be wanting a lot of guarantees to be signing for Southampton right now.

Or money.

Almost like we’re going to need to start bribing people to come here if things don’t change.

That’s why a strong manager can make all the difference. It encourages and entices players, it also shields the players of all the bollocks that happens above the manager.

At a very minimum a known and experienced manager will have a network they can rely on or players they’ve worked with before. What’s hungry eyes going to do? Call his old mates from Barnsley or stick a couple of U21s in? Brilliant 

[Osvaldorama]

18 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

I’d be wanting a lot of guarantees to be signing for Southampton right now.

Or money.

Almost like we’re going to need to start bribing people to come here if things don’t change.

That’s why a strong manager can make all the difference. It encourages and entices players, it also shields the players of all the bollocks that happens above the manager.

Not sure I agree, we are still a massive club at this level with world class facilities. 
 

We are fucking useless but we can still make the playoffs with 3 or 4 shrewd signings.  

[beatlesaint]

2 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

There was definitely a contract offer on the table for Bazunu, I trust who told me that. So I do somewhat believe he either stalled on it or turned it down outright. Why he'd stall or turn down a contract offer from us is beyond me, he's fortunate he's been at our level for as long as he has. Stealing a living comes to mind.

Why we even thought it was sensible to offer him a contract is crazy though, and shows that even after being loaned out their judgement hasn't really improved - because they'd have happily kept him had he signed, ala Stephens. They're just protecting investment as much as they can at this point.

That basically tells me all I need to know about SR and the lack of leadership, more importantly the lack of any effin clue as to what they are doing !!

[Willo of Whiteley]

59 minutes ago, Osvaldorama said:

Not sure I agree, we are still a massive club at this level with world class facilities. 
 

We are fucking useless but we can still make the playoffs with 3 or 4 shrewd signings.  

I think the problem is that even if SR did the unthinkable and made some shrewd signings, and we did get promoted; we’ll come straight back down.

We aren’t ever doing a Forest or a Sunderland and buying our way to stay up in the Premier League.

[Chez]

3 hours ago, benali-shorts said:

I'd guess that Bazunu wouldn't extend his contract and made it clear he wanted to leave, and given his performance levels and keeper being our weakest position (subject to debate, of course), a replacement loan keeper (at presumably no additional cost and in a all likelihood a cost-saving) for 6 months and which enabled Spors to maintain his contact network in his native Germany would have been no-brainer for him? I don't particularly see it as a signing of any ambition or strategy, only an indication that they couldn't persuade Bazunu to extend (remarkably from all angles) and so didn't want to persevere further with him.

I'm interested to know what came first, Stoke's approach for Baz (I wonder if they actually enquired about McCarthy first) or our attempts to bring in Peretz?

Stoke knew they needed a new keeper on the 29th December. We signed Peretz on the 8th January. I would have thought we were in talks a lot longer than a week, so were we going to bring Peretz in in January no matter what (and just push Baz down to second choice) or were talking to Peretz's agent about a move in the summer and then when the Stoke situation happened we pushed it through now?
 

[Matthew Le God]

Just now, Willo of Whiteley said:

I think the problem is that even if SR did the unthinkable and made some shrewd signings, and we did get promoted; we’ll come straight back down.

We aren’t ever doing a Forest or a Sunderland and buying our way to stay up in the Premier League.

We spent a lot of money under SR in the Premier League. The issue wasn't spending money, the issue was what the money was spent on!

[Willo of Whiteley]

Just now, Matthew Le God said:

We spent a lot of money under SR in the Premier League. The issue wasn't spending money, the issue was what the money was spent on!

It’s very simple.

I wouldn’t trust them to spend the money wisely.

Also you cannot say they spent the money eighteen months ago. Taking Downes and THB out of the occasion we spent money on Aaron Ramsdale and peanuts on everyone else (Sugawara, Brereton-Diaz, Fraser, Edwards).

The picked peanuts players at a time where it was time to invest.