qwertyell

https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/15-youngsters-sign-academy-scholarships Abdulhalim Okonola-Matthews Aston Daley Barnaby Williams Ben Sheaf Henry Upstell James Martin Jay Robinson Moses Sesay Jayden Moore Josh Pitts Max Fry Nicholas Oyekunle Sufianu Sillah Dibaga Tevin Myers Tommy Dobson-Ventura What ever happened to that Spanish-sounding attacker who was about 15 but looked 35 and was a goal machine in the youths and England u15/16?

Maybe mustard has a different meaning among the developmentally bereft.

Finnigan and Bragg (both midfielders) joining the other youth Ballard, Dibling, Doyle, Meghoma and Amo-Ameyaw. Good to see the manager getting them involved. Think Finnigan was well regarded by the Crewe supporters during his loan last season.

Wouldn't mind Doyle or Jacob Greaves (23, Hull) as young left sided CBs to pair with young right sided CBs Wood (21, Swansea) or Edwards (20, Peterborough). Keep Stephens and perhaps Bednarek for their experience, and Simeu as a 5th option/utility type (think he can fill in at RB). That being said, we don't know if Martin is going to push three at the back - which has generally been his way - or play a back four like he did with a lot of success in the second half of last season.

There was talk of Tyler Morton a couple of weeks back. Decent player, to be fair. Ball playing 6. Could see him fitting into Martin's supposed style. Part-exchanges never happen though.

They do rate Delap. But he's had injury problems throughout his development, and last season's loan spells seemed to suggest he'd lost a bit of "something" after his latest lay off. Whether he can get it back will dictate his future at the club, I'd imagine.

Looks like Ballard, Doyle, Dibling, Amo-Ameyaw, and Meghoma are taking a full part in the first team pre season. So far.

I think he's a better technical player than you give him credit for. Certainly true that he doesn't shy away from a tackle, and there have been a few ugly ones along the way. But he's a good age, recent experience in this division, PL and European experience, an England u21 international. He's got decent calibre - and brings attributes that our squad of polite nice boys lack.

He was. I guess barely getting a game for Exeter last season probably did for him.

Galleries are up on the main site. Not a lot of note - although Walker-Peters has made some poor decisions in respect to his hair. Everyone's turned up, more or less. Didn't see Perraud. Can't remember what his injury was at the end of last season. Maybe a bad one? The B team returned to training as well - and it looked like Diamond Edwards was taking a full part, which is a boost for the lad after he did his ACL not long after making his first team debut last season. Olaigbe was there too - I thought he'd joined someone else. I guess not. Yet.

Losing our sellable assets, and bringing in underwhelming shite that no-one else wants is our future now. Ryan Fraser. Fucking hell. I'm beginning to think getting relegated wasn't such a good idea after all.

Think there were work permit problems then - shouldn't be an issue now.

Yes and yes. Although I'd also throw in Callum Doyle as a left sided CB option (loan, loan to buy, or the City usual: buy with a sell back clause). Pair them with a right sided CB like Nathan Wood (1 year on his contract) or Ronnie Edwards, who we've been linked to, and that's the young CB unit covered for the foreseeable future - use a couple of old lags like Stephens to bring a bit of experience to the party. Spezia just got relegated, so Dragowski shouldn't break the bank, and we've been linked with him for a couple of years now.

Reading have a registration embargo. They can only sign loans or free agents up the point that they have 23 players of "professional standing" (whatever that means). They cannot pay loan fees, and loans can only be for half a season. They're in breach of profit and sustainability rules; non-payment of loan wages; non-payment of PAYE to HMRC. In short: an absolute shit show.

Wouldn't have thought a right back was on the priority list, with Walker-Peters, Livramento, Bree and Payne on the books. "He released a rap single in early 2022, and followed this up with an EP later the same year, under the name Cho$en." Well, okay then...

What makes him notably pea hearted? Seemed like he tried as much as anyone else last season, for whatever that's worth. Not his fault that he picked up a freak injury when an opposition player pulled his shoulder out of its socket. Nor when his hamstring went chasing back after Brennan Johnson against Forest. Or is he another one of these guys like Salisu who internet people have decided are only ever pretending to be injured?

Footballers love money. It's like when China were throwing around huge contracts - it'll mostly be over-the-hill players getting a nice final pay day, but there'll be the odd mercenary still in their prime that'll sign up for a few years and probably never be heard of again. It was Oscar from Chelsea back then.

Spurs had already agreed the fee 18 months ago as part of his loan - agreed when he was a reserve player at Juve.

That sell on clause would probably also be subtracted from the alleged £40m buy back clause should City activate it. So more like £32m (if the clause is 20%). Either way, we're not making the advertised price for Lavia once it's all been divvied out.

Goalkeeper.

No great surprises, I suppose. I think Babic was very highly rated at one time, but he's had a lot of injuries.

We got Bree because his contract was running down and he would have left on a free (a freebree?) in the summer. Piroe's contract is also running down. He can leave for nowt next summer. If we want him, there's a deal to be made.

The Italian Brentford have too much aggression for City. They can't handle it.

It was responding to a post that claimed "by all accounts" he'd had a good season at Stoke by providing some dissenting opinions for context. I assumed that was obvious and didn't need spelling out.

Not by the accounts on Stoke forums. "I assume Southampton have just watched him prove that he can't play to the required standard in the championship over 46 games. Very sensible decision for them to offload him before other people notice he couldn't do it regularly in the championship and lose value." "I know he’s young and that was his first proper season in professional football but he’d have to improve at a remarkable rate to warrant any sort of money being thrown at Southampton to buy him." "I really hope we don't, offers very little apart from a couple of games where he suddenly looked like a footballer." "This would be a massive gamble. He had 40 odd games to make an impression. He did not improve the team in any way, in fact, there is a strong argument to suggest he made us worse, and he only was effective in a handful of those games. He showed he is capable but doing that in half a dozen games in a season is not going to help us at all. He would have to improve dramatically. Not surprised at all if Southampton want get rid. We gave them the opportunity to gauge his capability at this level. We put way too much faith in him last season which was contributed to our failings." "My main issue with this, is how much Neil loved him, despite him being generally just ordinary. He'd be fine as a squad option, but you know Neil would have him as one of his first picks, and he just isn't that good. That wouldn't bode well for a good season, in my opinion. We need someone with running power or proper creativity to play in that position and he has neither. " "William Smallbone, he just ambles about the pitch, yes he can pick the odd pass but he's a football player, it's the least he can do. I just always seem to be screaming for him to get fucking stuck in, and he shirks the big tackles, ducks out of fucking headers, and he always seems just a bit too late to get a foot in.... most underwhelming if it happens."