qwertyell

The business plan might've changed, but the players and their agents don't have to buy into it. Longer contracts? What are they even worth? Shaw and Lallana had four years remaining on theirs, Lovren had three - let's see if Van Dijk (five years) and Bertrand (four years) are here at the end of the summer before declaring the "significance" of contract extensions...

Why would they respect us? Every time they come knocking, we put up a little token resistance for PR purposes and then give them whatever they want. I shouldn't imagine this situation will play out much differently.

Like he is every transfer window. And yet he continues to get handed more power within the hierarchy every season. I doubt he gives two hoots about his image or credibility with those outside of the club.

There's a Shane Long joke in there somewhere...

James Morrison.

Shane Long with some competent technical ability would be an upgrade.

Seem to recall Lovren also going on the preseason tour when he wanted out, and just sat around on sidelines looking smug. Didn't take part in any games.

I think Sims missed one of the England age group's tournament this summer with injury. Maybe he's still not right - it'd be weird for him to not make this squad otherwise, when u18 wingers Tella and Johnson have. Hesketh - who knows? He seems to have been mysteriously broken since being dragged off after 25 minutes in that Europa game. Or perhaps they're both finalising loans.

I hope he impresses the new manager this preseason and sticks around - I really think he can bring something to the side.

That's a good point - but he was sulking to force a transfer, not because he was too precious to run around.

Why would we sign someone who has cried off preseason fitness training because he doesn't fancy it? Isn't one of Saints' many mottos "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard"? Something like that, anyway. We won't touch him with a bargepole.

Loftus-Cheek is a highly talented young central midfielder who can play as a 10 or in a deeper role, and isn't a weedy midget unlike most of our midfielders. He would probably improve an area of the squad where we're weak, albeit he's totally unproven in senior football. But I agree with those saying we really shouldn't be loaning other team's kids and doing their development work for them. It seems unlikely to be a "try before you buy" deal like we had with Bertrand - and who Chelsea were eager to move on. Make a commitment: bid for him on a permanent deal, or look elsewhere.

At the end there, I thought Long was going to get reflective and admit that he was disappointed with his pathetic goal return last season, but instead he whinged about not playing enough. Here's a clue, Shane: if you had put a sixth of the chances you buried into the crowd into the net, then you would have played more regularly. I mean, honestly, what did he expect when he didn't score during the first half of the season? A pay rise? Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

If that's really the asking price, we'd be remiss not to take a punt, surely. We've just shipped out a defensive midfielder, and Clasie is being linked with a move away (rightly, in my opinion, as he's not physically up to it) - it's a position we're going to need reinforcements in. Romeu can't do it all on his own. Even as a cynical investment, Chalobah makes sense. Gareth Southgate has talked him up as someone he'd like to pick for England if he were playing more often. Whoever signs him for £5m or so could turn a huge profit in a couple of years on a young England international. Regardless, I don't ever want to see Steven Davis attempting and failing to partner Romeu again. We have to be able to do better than that.

"Chicken" George scored in the first game I saw at the Dell (although it ended up officially as a Peter Shirtliff own goal). No idea why he was "Chicken", but that's what the supporters around me were calling him, and I was happy to defer to their greater knowledge than mine in footballer nicknames.

I used to love Paul Rideout, and I'm not entirely sure why. It might have been because I saw him once in a Beefeater and, being about 10 at the time, the thought that, tucking into a Horn of Plenty a few tables away from me, was an actual person I'd seen in Shoot magazine (probably in an article about how crap he was at Bari) made me a little starstruck. Was he even any good? I can only really remember him scoring a bullet header against Liverpool in a famous 4-1 tonking of the then (and never again - maybe next year...) champions.

Stuart Taylor. He doesn't need a sensible hair cut to get his fringe out of his eyes because he hasn't played a game of football since 2001.

Just what the midfield has been crying out for... Maybe Sammy Lee's coming back after all?

Ancient, one-season wonder, perma-crock, Championship striker. Our options might not be incredible, but there's nothing going on in Bournemouth to be envious about. Except nice beaches.

Austin also couldn't last more than 60 minutes when he played - or start two games in a row. That was when he was "fully fit" after a complete pre season. I just can't see him fitting in with the high tempo way Pellegrino wants to play, as good as he is from six yards. And the manager is said to be uncompromising in filtering out the players who can't or won't adhere to his regime. As an option off the bench he'd be handy, but I can't imagine that's a role Austin would be happy with.

Looked a major young talent a couple of seasons ago before a knee injury set him back. Not unlike Kurt Zouma in that respect. Not sure he's much of an upgrade over Zouma, to be honest, but hey - not our problem...

Only one year left on his contract too. You'd like to think we're monitoring him at the very least. We're crying out for some physical presence in midfield (and defending set pieces). And Chalobah's a better footballer than just a destroyer. Possibly a relative bargain to be had?

Angus Gunn, the England u21 keeper (and son of former Norwich keeper Bryan) will probably be their third choice keeper now Caballero's gone. Patrick Roberts would count as a home grown player - albeit developed at Fulham. However, he's yet to play for them and probably has another year out on loan somewhere in his near future. They've got a pretty excellent youth team, haven't they - them and Chelsea have hoovered up all the talent in recent years. So presumably there will be one or two on the fringes of the first team before long. Slim pickings, though.

I'd rather have Patrick Roberts.

And Jack Cork for £2.5m. We should raid our feeder club more often. Chalobah alongside Romeu would be just the ticket at the base of the midfield.