qwertyell

Weren't they Fonte and Rodriguez's numbers? Perhaps no-one wants them incase history repeats itself and they suffer a career threatening knee explosion or, worse, have to join West Ham. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Always makes me sad to see a player as insufferably crap as Shane Long befoul the glorious Saints number seven shirt. We should leave the number blank until we have a player worthy of wearing it. (Not that it really matters, obviously.) Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I suspect we'll cobble something together and avoid total catastrophe, but it's going to be soberingly ugly. Pellegrino will probably realise that the only way this dire squad can compete is by defending in numbers and hoping to nick something on the counter or from a set-piece. Pulis-ball. 15th. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Gabbiadini and Redmond are the only relatively successful signings. Boufal and Hojbjerg have it all to prove this season, and seemingly some potential to succeed, but I wouldn't hold your breath. From everything I've seen of Hojbjerg, he's a turkey. What's most depressing is that, according to the books, we've pretty much reinvested all the monies we've received for substantially better players on this shower of crushing mediocrity. What a waste. If there was anyone else at the club with power who actually knew anything about football, Les would've been made to walk the plank (and take Ross Wilson with him) when he declared that we had the best midfield options in the league. We have Romeu and Davis as the only two who can consistently hold their own at this level. And that's being generous.

It's a bit different. Neymar's actually respecting the contract he signed - it just happens to have a release clause in it, which he's perfectly entitled to expect the club to honour. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

As with Lallana, Lovren and Fonte: if you kick up enough of a stink, the club will cave in ultimately. Schneiderlin and Wanyama evidently blinked too soon or they could've escaped a season earlier. Chickens. But no doubt the club will still keep hyping up the latest contract extensions as though they're ambitious statements of intent, when in reality we all know they're basically meaningless. Sad. I expected Van Dijk to leave this summer - he's a far better player than the level we seem complacently content to amble around at. But not to join Liverpool. And certainly not after they made an illegal approach and subsequent humiliating public apology - which was as disingenuous as our "resolve" to not sell. For this story to end up with the player, agent and club who have treated us with such distain getting prescisly what they want, is utterly, dishearteningly predictable. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

For 50 minutes, until he runs out of puff... Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

The proverbial game of two halves. Stuperman Taylor proving that with training - and only training - for ten years or so, you too could possibly improve fractionally. Or at least give the impression of improvement, as everyone's memory of your previous level of ability will have faded with the passing decade... St. Etienne deserved a goal or two - we were far from watertight, and too easy to get through when the midfield was just Romeu and Davis (which still doesn't work). So, who's next to try out in the 10? Austin looked horrible. Boufal and Tadic haven't convinced there. Davis has been underwhelming a over the years. Ward-Prowse did a decent job when he came on. Is it Redmond's turn next?

Playing with better intensity this half, thankfully. Who knew Matty Targett would be our game changing creative ace in the hole...

Slow, disjointed, unbalanced rubbish. Romeu and Davis doesn't work as a partnership. Never had. Tadic and Boufal have never worked when both are on the pitch - they both take too many touches and stop the flow of any rare attacking breaks. One or the other can play, not both. Is Austin playing as a 10? Probably our least technically gifted player in a key creative position - makes no sense at all. Gabbiadini has had no service at all. High press? No. High energy? No. Attacking, flowing football? No. Any signs of progress from the Puel era? Non. Only a friendly, of course, but nothing so far this preseason has even hinted that we'll be any better than last term. Boufal has looked all right, mind you.

Well, Gardos obviously doesn't have a future here, and things are awfully quiet around Yoshi, given that he's only got a year left on his contract and we hand out new contracts like confetti even to wheelie bins with four years remaining on their previous deals... So perhaps Wimmer is a bit of future planning - along with Bednarek and tying Stephens up long-term - for 12 months down the line when we have neither Virgil or Yoshida at the club. By then Alfie Jones could be in first team contention, and we'd have four CBs in the 20-25 age range. Just a thought.

We already basically did that with Lovren and Lallana.

If we persist in playing non-winger Ward-Prowse in a wide position, we'll persist in creating and scoring bugger all.

Except only one of those teams progressed last season, while the other went backwards.

Enzo is a top quality footballer's name. I assume he'll be an unstoppable combination of Francescoli and Schifo.

Yes, and then successfully sued for breach of contract. Given that Virgil has breached contract at least twice, by having unauthorised meetings with Liverpool and now refusing to play, I think Saints would be in an incredibly strong position, should they persue the nuclear option.

Absolutely. Tell his agent that his client has two choices: get his act together and honour his contract signed in good faith, or not play professional football again until he's 31. It'd be nice if we were as ruthless and principaled as that. But we're not, and he'll end up at Liverpool and the same thing will keep happening again and again.

Sack him, report him, his agent and Liverpool to FIFA/Court of Arbitration for Sport, and sue the lot of them for breach of contract and damages. This situation is entirely the result of Liverpool, Van Dijk and his agent breaking the rules - Saints have done nothing wrong. Obviously not going to happen...

"He has played full-back, central midfield and centre back and, while technically accomplished, there have been questions about his pace or physical presence in those positions." The Ward-Prowse of defenders. Solid technique but isn't actually very good in any particular role. Best £16 million we've ever made.

Regarding his injury, I thought there was talk of a ligament at the base of his foot. Sounded particularly vague and unusual.

Not that we're going to be in for him, but Barkley should be a much better deal in the final days of the transfer window. Everton are holding out for a huge fee for a player with one year left on his contract who has turned down all offers to extend it. If he's still there when the window closes, they'll have held out for £50m only to lose him for free (in 12 months). Given Spurs are supposedly interested in him, and Daniel Levy is a notorious tightwad, I'd expect that transfer to happen maybe as late as deadline day, to squeeze the price as low as it'll go.

What was the point? He already had a long contract, and after a season in which he was barely more use than a wheelie bin, no-one else was interested in signing him. Looks less top heavy this off season - hopefully that's a sign he's had a look at his weaknesses and is trying to address them. Agility and mobility are a real poor area. I think he's a below average goalkeeper who only has his natural girth, a great defence, and having played previously in a one team league to thank for his reputation as one of the better keepers around. If he plays like last season, he'll be England's fifth choice, behind Hart, Butland, Pickford and Heaton - and they're not exactly the cream of the PL keepers. But good luck to him anyway. Always happy to be proven wrong.

Throw in an option to buy and I'd be well up for it. He's going to be a really good player, but has no chance of significant game time at City for the foreseeable future.

I'm sure it'll be a case of yet another manager trying to shoehorn him into a variety of roles, knowing that he compromises each one in various ways, but feeling like he's worth persevering with regardless.

Underwhelmed. We have an obvious lack of mobility, physicality and creativity in the midfield, and it's hard to imagine the quality of football is likely to be any more dynamic than under Puel unless that is addressed. A new keeper and some real pace out wide wouldn't hurt either.