Summer Transfer Window 2026

[SNSUN]

GK: Peretz, great signing after we thought we'd lost him. Long as back up is short sighted. Only 2 senior GKs unless we keep and re-integrate Rammo but the club making noises that that scenario won't happen. We hope Peretz stays fit.

RB: As it was last season, Bree as first choice, Roerslev as back up. Solid if unspectacular. 

LB: Manning and Welington. Solid enough for the Championship.

CB: THB big loss but expected, Schlotterbeck looks a decent acquisition.  Question marks over Abbott but at least we brought in a CB to make 4. How good Abbott is determines how much of a success the recruitment has been to replace THB.

CM: We kept Jander, we replaced Charles with JWP. I don't mind this at all. I know some people don't think it's good enough but for me JWP for the money was a great bit of business as a squad player. 

RW: As it was. Still prefer Matsuki to Fellows though.

LW: Kept Leo. Edozie may still go, replaced with Akachukwu from the youth. Dobbie can also play here. I don't think we're any weaker but another winger would have been nice, I think we lack a bit of pace in the squad. 

AM: Azaz and Dobbie. Probably strengthened this as Azaz was not truly backed up last season. Also I think the club see Dobbie as flexible and can play in a few positions. 

Striker: Larin in after thinking we'd lost him was good. Faith in Mubama as second choice to replace Stewart. No 3rd choice to replace Archer so now we say Ehibhationhan is 3rd choice. We are weaker here and hope Larin stays fit.

 

That's where I see us. Good first choice but lacking in squad depth, mainly GK and striker. 

Still free agents out there though! 😁

[Saint Scott]

6 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

Did that Austrian centre back we wanted (I've already forgotten his name) sign for Palace in the end?

Think he was going to Fulham 

[skintsaint]

Burnley lost Flemming I see, good news.

[jarhead5]

9 minutes ago, SNSUN said:

GK: Peretz, great signing after we thought we'd lost him. Long as back up is short sighted. Only 2 senior GKs unless we keep and re-integrate Rammo but the club making noises that that scenario won't happen. We hope Peretz stays fit.

RB: As it was last season, Bree as first choice, Roerslev as back up. Solid if unspectacular. 

LB: Manning and Welington. Solid enough for the Championship.

CB: THB big loss but expected, Schlotterbeck looks a decent acquisition.  Question marks over Abbott but at least we brought in a CB to make 4. How good Abbott is determines how much of a success the recruitment has been to replace THB.

CM: We kept Jander, we replaced Charles with JWP. I don't mind this at all. I know some people don't think it's good enough but for me JWP for the money was a great bit of business as a squad player. 

RW: As it was. Still prefer Matsuki to Fellows though.

LW: Kept Leo. Edozie may still go, replaced with Akachukwu from the youth. Dobbie can also play here. I don't think we're any weaker but another winger would have been nice, I think we lack a bit of pace in the squad. 

AM: Azaz and Dobbie. Probably strengthened this as Azaz was not truly backed up last season. Also I think the club see Dobbie as flexible and can play in a few positions. 

Striker: Larin in after thinking we'd lost him was good. Faith in Mubama as second choice to replace Stewart. No 3rd choice to replace Archer so now we say Ehibhationhan is 3rd choice. We are weaker here and hope Larin stays fit.

 

That's where I see us. Good first choice but lacking in squad depth, mainly GK and striker. 

Still free agents out there though! 😁

Don't the free agents have to be registered tonight too?

[Lee On Solent Saint]

14 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

But he's better than Peretz so if he plays he should be first choice.

That's why he isn't in the squad.

I agree he's better than Peretz, just feel if he is still here beyond the window we need to use him in some capacity.

[SNSUN]

4 minutes ago, skintsaint said:

Burnley lost Flemming I see, good news.

Yeah Burnley fans not happy with that. Signed a lot of defenders but don't have much in attack.

[trousers]

 

[SNSUN]

4 minutes ago, jarhead5 said:

Don't the free agents have to be registered tonight too?

No we can sign and register them any time as long as we have space in our 25 man senior squad. I haven't done the Maths (MLG will probably know) but I think we'd have space for free agents to join because we have a lot of younger players.

[SNSUN]

Just now, trousers said:

 

Well there's our third keeper. Jesus SR! 🤬🤬🤬

[qwertyell]

To be fair, whenever we've had a transfer window that has the muppets out in force claiming we've absolutely smashed it, we've turned out to be rubbish.

So perhaps after a pretty mediocre one we'll confound expectations. Perhaps.

Replacing Stewart with Mubama on loan is a downgrade. Replacing Charles with Prowse on the cheap is not like for like at all and certainly doesn't feel like progress - albeit Prowse will certainly bring something to the side. And selling our best defender and ostensibly promoting Wood as his replacement, and bringing a kid in on loan to make up the numbers, is a backwards step. 

Light at goalkeeper and striker - and I don't think our wingers are very good and needed upgrading regardless of people leaving. Shut down Scienza, and you shut down our entire threat out wide. 

Feels like we're weaker than last season. Only marginally, but it might make all the difference. 

Hopefully our contingency planning for Tonda's incoming ban is better than our planning to replace Stewart and Harwood-Bellis. 

[egg]

Jamie Jones has appeared on the OS as a first team keeper. 

[Fabrice29]

4 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

Yawn. If you don't like transfer window rating comments I suggest you ignore them. I tried to point out to you yesterday that a forum is for expressing opinions and passing comments. If you aren't up for that then I wouldn't bother. If I gave the window a 9 or a 10 you said yourself you wouldn't be commenting.

So your opinions and comments are allowed but my opinions and comments on your opinions and comments I shouldn’t bother with? 

How about…all opinions are allowed but ones I think are a bit daft, dramatic and not really making any coherent sense, especially as they depend on something that hasn’t happened yet…I can comment on saying so? And you can yawn at them. 

Edited 12 hours ago by Fabrice29

[egg]

22 minutes ago, egg said:

Jamie Jones has appeared on the OS as a first team keeper. 

Rejoined on a one year deal. 

Suggests still trying to move Ramsdale on. 

https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/jones-returns-on-one-year-deal

 

[egg]

23 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

To be fair, whenever we've had a transfer window that has the muppets out in force claiming we've absolutely smashed it, we've turned out to be rubbish.

So perhaps after a pretty mediocre one we'll confound expectations. Perhaps.

Replacing Stewart with Mubama on loan is a downgrade. Replacing Charles with Prowse on the cheap is not like for like at all and certainly doesn't feel like progress - albeit Prowse will certainly bring something to the side. And selling our best defender and ostensibly promoting Wood as his replacement, and bringing a kid in on loan to make up the numbers, is a backwards step. 

Light at goalkeeper and striker - and I don't think our wingers are very good and needed upgrading regardless of people leaving. Shut down Scienza, and you shut down our entire threat out wide. 

Feels like we're weaker than last season. Only marginally, but it might make all the difference. 

Hopefully our contingency planning for Tonda's incoming ban is better than our planning to replace Stewart and Harwood-Bellis. 

THB has been replaced by Big Kev. 

The nipper has replaced Quarshie.

I'm not sure what else people were expecting at CB. 

Stewart, I'll grant you hasn't been replaced, but he was AWOL for years and couldn't be relied on. 

Elsewhere, we're about as we were, although I'd have preferred a brute who could carry the ball as a midfield option. 

[qwertyell]

4 minutes ago, egg said:

I'm not sure what else people were expecting at CB

Given that we tried to sign at least two international centre backs to replace Harwood-Bellis, we obviously recognised the importance of replacing a key starting player with comparable quality.

But all we ended up doing is loaning in a kid to cover fourth choice Quarshie's loan. 

Seems pretty clear the club didn't meet their own expectations there. 

[CSA96]

 

[Saint Pete]

1 hour ago, CB Fry said:

Did that Austrian centre back we wanted (I've already forgotten his name) sign for Palace in the end?

Affengruber now confirmed as signed for Fulham. 

[egg]

13 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Given that we tried to sign at least two international centre backs to replace Harwood-Bellis, we obviously recognised the importance of replacing a key starting player with comparable quality.

But all we ended up doing is loaning in a kid to cover fourth choice Quarshie's loan. 

Seems pretty clear the club didn't meet their own expectations there. 

You're suggesting that THB hasn't been replaced. He has. 

After we signed big Kev, some people were actually expecting Stephens to be upgraded. That would have been nice, but given that one of the lads stayed to play CL football, and the other went to Fulham, we were pushing our luck. 

Anyway, the point is that THB has been replaced by Big Kev. Who's good. Let's not pretend he hasn't been replaced. 

[SaintJackoInHurworth]

So, with most business done, this is our squad as things stand:

GK: Peretz, Long, Jones, Ramsdale
RB: Bree, Roerslev
LB: Manning, Welington
RCB: Wood, Abbott
LCB: Schlotterbeck, Stephens
CM: Jander, Downes, Bragg, JWP, Williams
AM: Azaz, Akachukwu
RW: Fellows, Matsuki
LW: Scienza, Dobbin, Edozie
CF: Larin, Mubama

That's 26 players including 3 who are under 21. However, it looks likely that Ramsdale will be leaving - probably to play in Saudi Arabia or somewhere like that.

We may also see Edozie leaving, but if not I hope he is given some level of support in the hope that he may finally begin to show the final product that he has so often failed to deliver.

With only 21 or 22 players over 21 years of age once Ramsdale leaves (and maybe Edozie too) that leaves us plenty of spare capacity to bring in players in January. It also means we could bring in a player from the free transfer market in the next few days if there is anyone that we think is worth bringing in... but unless there is a decent striker theer I doubt we will see that happening!

Our squad is definitely more honed. Tonda and his coaches don't have to waste time on fringe players who are never going to play.

I would say there is no huge difference in squad quality:

• Ward-Prowse offers different qualities that Shea did not.
• Dobbin is an extra option and will hopefully come good. He is versatile and could cover the striking position if needed.
• Abbott won't yet be as good as THB, but Wood is decent (and underrated) and Abbott will hopefully develop quickly into another bright talent.
• Schlotterbeck looks like he has qualities that Stephens and Quarshie can only dream of and I trust Tonda to help him iron out the mistakes (which are not a patch on Stephens mistakes!)
• Hopefully the pairing of Schlotterbeck and Wood (or Abbott) will be as good or better than THB and Stephens.
• Akachukwu offers us an extra alternative that wasn't ready last year. He may also be a striking option in case of injury.
• The main position we are potentially weaker is centre forward but Mubama will not spend every other week injured (unlike Stewart) and will hopefully develop. There are other options too including Dobbin, Akachukwu, Ehibotiamhan and Dipepa.
• Goalkeepers don't get injured as often as outfield players so hopefully Peretz will remain fit. Long is not without merit and will do a job if called upon.

Edited 1 hour ago by SaintJackoInHurworth
Accidentally omitted strikers!!

[qwertyell]

26 minutes ago, egg said:

You're suggesting that THB hasn't been replaced. He has. 

After we signed big Kev, some people were actually expecting Stephens to be upgraded. That would have been nice, but given that one of the lads stayed to play CL football, and the other went to Fulham, we were pushing our luck. 

Anyway, the point is that THB has been replaced by Big Kev. Who's good. Let's not pretend he hasn't been replaced. 

And let's not pretend that the club weren't pushing to sign two international centre backs after Schlotterbeck joined, who were patently intended to replace Harwood-Bellis. 

[bugenhagen]

[skintsaint]

Bit underwhelmed by no late signing to get us all excited, but pretty confident in this squad to get to the end of the year somewhere near the top of the table.

Leaves us a bit of £££ in Jan for any strengthening that might be required if players are not performing.

[Willo of Whiteley]

Very underwhelming on the whole.

Peretz and Larin at the start and I was thinking wow!
Always expected to lose a minimum of a couple of our more highly valued players so no biggy there, but we needed a replacement to go alongside THB, not just a replacement for him himself.

JWP good signing. Still feel we lack any form of muscle in midfield, got to be one of the smallest midfields (in terms of height) in the league.

GK?!?! Long second choice and now 300 year old Jamie Jones as third - Jesus Christ.

Feeling underwhelmed.

Did Damion Downs go? Fringe players mostly left on loan. Ramsdale still here, he’lll surely go to Turkey. Edozie still here - LOL, but also FFS.

Attacking threat looks weak for a promotion chasing side.

[St. Ciervo]

Downs went to St. Louis in the MLS, right? 

I don't know what everyone was expecting. We kept most of the band together. Peretz and Larin are gold, and I am happy to have JWP back. The new defender looks good. 

[2Morrow]

20 hours ago, 2Morrow said:

Abbott in as Bree cover and to replace stephens (wood?) from next summer if it works out

Falchener as THB replacement

3rd choice keeper from the national league

Wildcard forward / winger Dragan special like scienza

Reality - the kid and the lower league keeper !

Reality is less fun.

I think the consensus is mostly spot on - a great squad that is one of the favourites for promotion, but one with flaws that could (should?) have been addressed.

I presume a calculated risk that the promoted teams last season had Oshea/Greaves, Thomas / Kitching, Egan / Hughes as their starting CBs, so not unreasonable not to have £10m plus on CBs.

Larin is scoring around a goal per game, so let's hope he plays 35 plus games this year and we should be okay. Cover is light and worries me, but look how much Hirst cost. We have got stuck with a load of surplus players over the past 5 years, so a slimmer squad will help Spors buy more Azaz/Scienza/Larin/Janders in Jan and next summer.

A good window purely on larin/peretz and keeping Scienza/Jander/Azaz/Downes.

 

 

[Football Special]

5/10 window 

[Lighthouse]

On 30/08/2026 at 10:05, Pilchards said:

Not in a million years is he going to step in if Larin got injured.

A tall strong striker is someone that holds the ball up and allows the midfield to move up the pitch.

Mubama yesterday was nudged off the ball a couple of times and it was mentioned by the radio solent team that he needs to be stronger as he’s getting bullied.

WE WILL SIGN A TARGET STRIKER.

So, was this like a metaphor, or something? Like in the Bible when it says something like, "death to all the first born sons," but apparently it doesn't literally mean 'death to all the first born sons'?

[Convict Colony]

So now the window has ended who do we wish we were now ? Watford, Wolves

[Pilchards]

1 hour ago, Lighthouse said:

So, was this like a metaphor, or something? Like in the Bible when it says something like, "death to all the first born sons," but apparently it doesn't literally mean 'death to all the first born sons'?

They tried to get someone but like many I expect they refused or we were out priced.

Still got options on the freebie market.

4/10 window as we are much weaker than last season.

We are one injury away (Larin) from a disaster (IMHO)

 

[The Wyvern]

Not Saints specific, but anyone else think the whole transfer window in the Premier League looks absolutely bonkers?

 

Probably some sort of really complicated accounting trickery and god knows what else, just a load of really strange deals. 
 

Also long gone are the days of a couple of signings, it seems a big overhaul becoming the norm. 
 

Manchester City and Chelsea the ultimate player trading clubs. 

[stfrancisofbenali]

It is really very simple. We have ended the window weaker than we began it. Play offs probably but we have taken half a step backwards whilst others have strengthened considerably.

[benjii]

Fannies. 

[CB Fry]

2 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

So, was this like a metaphor, or something? Like in the Bible when it says something like, "death to all the first born sons," but apparently it doesn't literally mean 'death to all the first born sons'?

Every single window Pilchards is proven to be a bullshitter/delusional. Every single window.

Maybe people will get it eventually.

[Toussaint]

7 hours ago, Fabrice29 said:

So your opinions and comments are allowed but my opinions and comments on your opinions and comments I shouldn’t bother with? 

How about…all opinions are allowed but ones I think are a bit daft, dramatic and not really making any coherent sense, especially as they depend on something that hasn’t happened yet…I can comment on saying so? And you can yawn at them. 

I think the issue is your opinions and comments are almost exclusively confined to ridiculing, belittling and mocking other posters opinions and comments whilst yourself relentlessly espousing the party line. Rather than expressing any genuine thoughts of your own that may imply anything is less than perfect with SFC and or SR. 

[Toussaint]

1 hour ago, Convict Colony said:

So now the window has ended who do we wish we were now ? Watford, Wolves

Southampton pre spygate. 

[Toussaint]

15 minutes ago, benjii said:

Fannies. 

I agree they do offer a nice distraction from football, hopefully my iPad is charged. Good shout. 

[Weston Super Saint]

This has been an absolutely tremendous window.

People forget that we disposed of Bazunu.  Whilst there is no mention of whether or not we received any actual money for him, it didn't cost us a bean to get rid of him, well, except maybe some petrol money?

Not sure you can give less than 9 out of 10, just on that bit of business.

[Baird of the land]

not really a window that makes me confident of autos, which is a shame after the early larin/peretz moves.

Still don’t like our cm balance. Jwp can still strike a dead ball but by not replacing Charles properly we’ve lost the ability to move with the ball.

 

[sfc4prem]

Just now, Baird of the land said:

not really a window that makes me confident of autos, which is a shame after the early larin/peretz moves.

Still don’t like our cm balance. Jwp can still strike a dead ball but by not replacing Charles properly we’ve lost the ability to move with the ball.

 

Can't Jander move with the ball?

[sambosa75]

8 hours ago, vectraman said:

I think you are being unfair on Ramsdale here.

Saints wanted him off the wage bill, so were desperate to move him anywhere.

His performances were very decent for us in the top flight - particularly games at home to Brighton and Villa spring to mind as he prevented a mauling rather than a 4-0 and 3-0 defeat. 
Let’s not re-write history and make out Ramsdale was a bad egg - we all knew he would leave if we went down as we could never afford his wages in the championship.

He was a decent keeper for us, certainly doesn’t deserve pelters from fans. 

 

Decent keeper in seeing us relegated with an almost record points low and goals conceded.  I didn’t say he deserved pelters but he duesbt deserve a great deal of admiration or loyalty either.  I’m indifferent towards him.  Moved on when the team could’ve done with him and we have since replaced him with a keeper of similar standard for a fraction of the fee and wages he is no doubt on.  

[Hoggins]

We bought the best striker and keeper in the league

[Pilchards]

24 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

Every single window Pilchards is proven to be a bullshitter/delusional. Every single window.

Maybe people will get it eventually.

Every single day CB Fry hides behind a keyboard like a coward and winds people up.

 

[Toussaint]

I don’t understand why we let Archer go. Let’s hope Dobbin lives up to his fee. 

[Toussaint]

7 minutes ago, Hoggins said:

We bought the best striker and keeper in the league

I think the issue is for many that if anything happens to either of them there is no one remotely capable of filling in. 

[BARCELONASAINT]

Waking up this morning i am hugely relieved we have not lost Leo, Jander, Downs or Azaz and very grateful for signing Peretz, Larin, JWP and Schlotter. 

However i cant help feeling really nervous about our striker options. Larin was knackered last night and cannot play every game. The jury is still out on the City lad and the two lads whose names are unpronounceable (on the bench last night) are not ready for Championship football from what i have seen of them.

I can't help but feel we screwed up yesterday by letting Archer go with no replacement. This is a shit or bust season and we really should have brought in another striker.

[Patches O Houlihan]

10 minutes ago, Toussaint said:

I think the issue is for many that if anything happens to either of them there is no one remotely capable of filling in. 

That’s almost inevitable if they are genuinely  “the best in the league” and we can’t flaunt accounting rules

Edited 4 hours ago by Patches O Houlihan

[waterlooville saint]

Personally I think the transfer window has been ok. I think we’re vulnerable in a few areas due to injuries though.

I suspect we’ve been hampered by not being able to sell Ramsdale or the fringe players, who would have given us between £10m and £20m, some of which would have been reinvested. I know we got most out on loan but that just reduces the wage bill for a while, whereas transfers would have given us money to use.

[Chez]

6 hours ago, qwertyell said:

And let's not pretend that the club weren't pushing to sign two international centre backs after Schlotterbeck joined, who were patently intended to replace Harwood-Bellis. 

Could we have tried for all three at roughly the same time, Schlotterbeck landed but the reporting made it look like negotiations continued for the other two?

[Fabrice29]

54 minutes ago, Toussaint said:

I think the issue is your opinions and comments are almost exclusively confined to ridiculing, belittling and mocking other posters opinions and comments whilst yourself relentlessly espousing the party line. Rather than expressing any genuine thoughts of your own that may imply anything is less than perfect with SFC and or SR. 

You only think this because I told you to stop worrying before the end of August and a day or two before we stuffed Millwall.

I’m just of the belief the results will tell us how things are…my bad.

Edited 4 hours ago by Fabrice29

[AlexLaw76]

9/10 window

All those brought in are "fine" for the Championship