Dusic

Nixon saying Everton leading the chase for Che Adams with four PL clubs keen. He will be cheap for a PL side and with a year left on his contract you can imagine a deal will be done. The signing(s) to replce him will be the key one for us. Get it wrong and it will be very hard to get promoted I think.

Agree, however worth noting that aside from Downes there has been very little firm mention of Charles, Manning (and Lumley) deals until they were very advanced. Partly a non PL thing but also a good sign to be able to get things done without protracted media reports. I am sure we are weighing up loads of things and clearly will have financial backing but our two big obstacles are 1.) Some incoming are clearly tied to outgoings and 2.) Some of the players we want probably have interest from lower PL teams and also Leicester and Leeds with whom we have historically shared transfer targets.

No, not that simple. It depends on who the outs are, in position and status. For various reasons if any of KWP, ABK, Tella or Adams were to go they need to be replaced. Perraud, Djenepo, McCarthy, Onuachu etc could go without being replaced.

Our pal Nixon is saying Sheff Utd will go for Piroe if they can't get Archer from Villa. Obviously no idea on this or if we are really interested in Piroe but I guess it depends on whether Adams stays or not... Really need to start firming up the exits to be able to make moves.

Disagree. You have to split the squad into the key players, and the crap ones who add depth but make no real difference. IMO, its an absolute certainty that if any of these players are sold, they will be repalced by a signing: KWP, Adams, Tella The ones who pad out thw squad but could leave without being replaced would be the likes of: McCarthy (already signed Lumley), Perraud, Djenepo, possibly Mara if Ballard stepped up Then there are ABK and Lyanco. If they go then they would need replacing because all squads have four CBs minimum and our four are Stephens, Bednarek, Lyanco and ABK. If Zach Awe is seen as being able to be the 4th then perhaps only one addition would be needed. But of our key players plus ABK and Lyanco they would be replaced almost one for one, so if we sell a few more then we will end up making quite a few signings.

Still so much to do in 3 weeks, especially considering Smallbone injury. Minimum without additional exits beyond JWP & Lavia: 2 x CM Maximum assuming exits of Adams, KWP, ABK, Lyanco, Tella and/or Sulemana: 2 x CM, 2 x CB, 1 x RB, 1 x Striker, 1 x Wide player Would be up to 7 signings if those players leave as all would need replacing.

Exactly. Its clearly not accurate so no point even discussing.

Said at the time, why would a guy who just played two seasons as a starter in the Champ, and won Players Player of the Season last season, suddenly accept being a no3 keeper and not even making matchday squads? Would be more logical that we brought in Lumley knowing that AMc is likely to move.

Would a proven Championship CB be better than one with over 100 PL starts and 50 Intl caps for a decent European nation? On paper probably not. Certainly to replace Lyanco in the squad but as a starter? Sky saying Downes move is a straight loan, i.e no options and should be announced this afternoon.

I think this is mostly lazy cliché. We have signed Manning and seemingly Downes who have both experience at this level and of working with the manager. The likes of Tella, Arma, Adams, Smallbone, Bazunu all hae experience of the EFL and largely of excelling in it. Bednarek is has over 100 PL starts and 50 caps for Poland whilst Stephens has played a lot at PL and Championship level. Of our starting team today only Edozie and Alcaraz are relatively inexperienced. I would suggest we dont need any more "league knowhow" and not really sure what "grit" actually means in real terms? Yes we need to be better at set pieces but I would say thats the main thing so far that has been a clear thing to improve. Otherwise, rather than the things you have said the best thing to add would be better players, which is pretty much the same for any team in any division. And I would say in general we have much better quality players than 90% of teams in this league as we are.

What are the expectations of what we will spend on incoming for the rest of the window? The squad is still very big and RM said he wants to keep the likes of Doyle, Meghoma, Ballard involved so clearly we don't need squad fillers. I reckon probably about £25m to £30m with a decent chunk of that on a striker to replace Adams who I am sure one of the mid/lower PL teams will see as a handy signing for a very affordable fee due to having less than a year left. Overall that would mean a spend of £40m or so with at least one loan, pretty sizeable for this level.

We aren't going to be signing a no1 keeper. However much people keep going on about it. After Downes I reckon RB for when KWP goes, CB or two, winger and striker.

First and foremost most of us are Sport Republic fans so need to change our Saints mentality and adopt more of a stable-based view. The club are already making strides like enabling Goztepe and Valenciennes fans to stream Saints games, hopefully a reciprocal arrangement is on the way for us. #SaintsFC #GozGoz #ValenciennesMeUp

Hopefully Chelsea just offer us the cash we are looking for today and we can move on. Have clearly budgeted for selling Lavia and he won't be playing in the Championship this season whatever happens.

We may as well fully embrace our EFL status so would be good to get this reverberating around a near capacity St Mary's on Saturday. Edits and alternatives very welcome: Rasmus had a dream Based on a multi club scheme Funded mostly by Dragon's serbian dough We got Tella back Added Valenciennes to the pack With our new game model We're on our way back!

Chelsea would certainly have a better pool of potential loans for us than Liverpool do, if we were interested in that. Either way, fingers crossed these Lavia and JWP deals get wrapped up by early next week at the latest. Why anyone is worried is beyond me. Its literally playing out exactly how the club, manager and DoF expected and told us it would so they have clearly planned for it.

Whilst seemingly some of our fans are suprised that we are selling our best players despite both Russell Martin and Jason Wilcox telling us that this is exactly how it would play out, we can take comfort from the fact that presumably Russell Martin and Jason Wilcox are not taken by suprise that what they told us was likely to happen has actually happened. They will have plans, they have been expecting this, they know as RM said after the Sheff Weds game that we will need to replace these players with starting XI signings. Interesting that we actually had an offer accepted for Aarons even if he then chose initially Leeds (Farke reunion) and ultimately Bournemouth ahea of us. Suggests they know KWP will be going too as Aarons wouldnt stay in the Championship to be a sub.

The likes of Lavia, JWP, Tino were always bound to leave as they are good PL players and we have been relegated. Can understand a bit of sadness about JWP but don't see why anyone is suprised. Before the window Adams, KWP and ABK will also go, probably Sulemana too because teams higher in the foodchain will see a value in signing them, despite what a wally like Fareham James thinks. The issue for Saints isn't and never has been selling them because it was always going to happen, and RM and JW have both pretty much said this. The key is replacing them well. And the sooner they all go, the sooner they can be replaced.

Feels like we still have so much business to do and really need to get on with these outgoings, including JWP, to get a sense of certainty. Its a hard sell to Aarons, or any other RB, to join whilst we still have KWP but do we know that he isnt going to be leaving? Probably not, so very difficult to plan. We probably have four or five first team signings to make in 3 weeks whilst also making 4 or 5 key sales of good players as well, so might as well start the domino effect. Absolute needs: 2 x CM 1 x RB if KWP goes, two if Bree does too 1 x CB 1 x Striker

After tonight its extremely obvious which players just won't be successful or contribute anything meaningful this season...Lyanco, Djenepo, McCarthy, Bree - senior players behind the level of the better players in the squad. Would hope we can still shift at least half of those, in addition to the inevitable sales of some of the better players. Also for the likes of Doyle and Ballard...no league cup games to feature in...they should surely be sent out on loan til January? Don't see either making first team squads too often and they won't learn much in the sterile U21 football. Although Doyle having less than 12 months on his contract is ominous anyway.

Unless there is a specific contractual clause then you would think probably not, but it doesn't matter anyway as he will go this summer. Would assume part of our agreement with Liverpool will be a hefty sell on clause for when he joins Al-Someone for £200m in a couple of years.

The bit lots of people seem to muddle about this buy back is that its up to City if they want to activate it next year (they don't have to) and also there is literally nothing stopping them moving for him this summer if they wished to, they would just need to negotiate like everyone else and the current price minus their sell on is pretty much similar to their agreed buy back anyway. Personally I don't get the logic that City are seemingly ok for Lavia to go to Liverpool or Chelsea this summer hence they havent got involved in bidding for him but that next summer they will suddenly move for him as a priority. If City saw him in their future plans they would be in for him now to stop him going to a rival, so I would assume on that basis that they don't see him moving back there any time soon.

He was a starting GK the last two years in the Championship so I doubt we would. Certainly not the usual profile of a no3 keeper. I wouldn't be suprised if he is no2 by the 1st Sept and then the club have their options open for next summer with only Bazunu under contract. From what I have read it sounds like Lumley is a good character (was Players Player of the Season at Reading last year) so seems a handy cover signing. From someone who actually watched him last season: https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/sport/23541843.former-reading-fc-captain-bringing-back-middlesbrough-loanee/

Its Premier League, a big pay rise and European football. If they agree a fee with Saints of course he will go.

According to Nixon, whose strike rate is even worse than Adam Armstrong.