Dusic

Personally would have taken Broja over Archer - think he has a higher ceiling and we have already seen that at his best he can majorly trouble good PL defenders - I don't think Archer has shown that level yet. Also feel he would have added a different element to our team with his running power and ability to create for himself. I wouldn't be suprised if Broja scores more than Archer and Armstrong. Good signing for Ipswich.

As we see on here pretty frequently being a STH of a club doesn't mean you have a clue about what you are watching. No offence to them but Steele is excellent with his feet, its the entire reason he displaced Robert Sanchez and beyond what you can see is also demonstrated in the stats too: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/12854916/jason-steele-s-passing-under-pressure-for-brighton-under-roberto-de-zerbi-has-seen-him-replace-robert-sanchez Basically plays a far higher proportion of "pressure passes" than other PL keepers and with a better completion rate. Literally what we will aak him to do.

Seems obvious to me that we will end up with Steele. Supposesly in for O'Riley and Kagioglu too. Stacked squad having raked cash in from big sales and recruited some absolute gems who are now worth multiples more. Amazing really that they could sign Ibrahim Osman for £16m and loan him straight out whilst Buananotte was probably Leicester's best player tonight. Will probably end this window with at least 5 signings of £25m + They will have no FFP issues as can easily sell players like Mitoma or Ferguson for huge cash and have them replaced from within. I reckon their squad overall is probably worth more than Spurs or Man Utds which is crazy.

Will be interesting to see whether it has improved since the home friendlies. You get so uses to seeing absolute carpets at PL level (and even many lower down) that it sticks out hugely if its poor. Really hope they can sort it as despite what the groundsmen say it absolutely does have a playing impact and our style relies on a good surface.

https://twitter.com/sachatavolieri/status/1825219734230409607?s=19 Another wide attacker to cross off the list - we have been linked with enough that surely we want one but must be way down our list by this point!

Annoying that Brentford won as I thought they were largely pretty poor. They have such a basic way of playing and such little quality in the first two thirds but a low risk style and very direct to basically allow the front three to put pressure on the opposition defence which they are good at. They will definitely be bottom third of the league and our game there will be a decent barometer of where we are - after their lucky win today we really need to get at least a point of them.

If its a loan, from the PL and someone we have been linked with then there is IMO one candidate that is by far the most likely and that is Jason Steele. He isn't the best overall GK around but is excellent (easily one of the PL's best) with his feet which is almost entirely the reason why McCarthy isn't suitable for this team. De Zerbi binned off Sanchez in favour of Steele because of his ability to play out from the back, in a very similar way to we do. He started for Brighton yesterday but only because Verbruggen, who is their clear #1 has a small injury. Steele started I think 17 PL games last season but eventually BV took over and is a considerably more valuable asset as well. Their other keeper is Carl Rushworth who is a top prospect and arguably the best in the Championship last season. There were reports this morning that he isn't being allowed out on loan - and if true it would be utterly pointless having someone of his profile as a 3rd choice. It points to Steele being allowed out. Add to this that he is good pals with Lallana (they lived in the same apartment block) and likely knows RM in some capacity then I think this is the obvious move. Not convinced we have £10m to spend on Sam Johnstone - and is he good with his feet anyway? Ramsdale due to wages, competition and the fact Arsenal want a permanent sale has always felt unrealistic. Dubravka was awful last season for Newcastle and would be a big disappointment. Steele is the obvious and realistic option and would at least suit how we play which at this stage has to be the main consideration. https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/12854916/jason-steele-s-passing-under-pressure-for-brighton-under-roberto-de-zerbi-has-seen-him-replace-robert-sanchez

I also don't think Fernandes and MO'R (and Carvalho who we bid for) seem of the same profile - look at the difference in goal output for a start which I assume is the biggest driver of interest in MOR - he is a difference maker in and around the box whereas Fernandes seems to play deeper from all the clips Ive seen this evening. Depth wise we aren't great in midfield and clearly Alcaraz will be on his way so seems like Fernandes will add competition for Smalbone and Aribo and also opportunity to add quality from the bench in a physically demanding league. Re O'Riley - listen to RM answer to Alfie House here, certainly didn't rule it out as of Thursday when he had a clear opportunity to (from 3.05): https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/video/press-conference-part-two-martin-on-newcastle-trip

I am ITK on this one so can answer for you. He is being sold and has no future at the club. I know that has come out of the blue but thats what I am hearing and that is why he wasn't on the bench.

RM seems confident we will get the additions needed and despite public defences etc he isn't stupid - he can see what we do well and what can be improved. Seems like we have a couple of sales lined up (eerily quiet on ABK though) and that will help.

From his interview he speaks very good English and comes across as very focused and confident. Everything read about him suggests he is a top prospect so could be a very clever loan deal with potential to benefit all three parties.

After these two additions, we obviously need a GK and attacking midfield option...anything else? Striker wise we would have 3 (4 incl Ross Stewart) - possibly enough? Out wide we could probably do with a right sided player which is why we have been linked with a few, thats probably the main one. Full back we seem to have a lot of options but a number of them with big question marks: KWP, Manning, Bree, also Wellington who is seemingly a Saints signing rather than Goztepe. If KWP goes then I would try to get shot of Bree (not PL level) and get in another RB. Quality still questionable but numbers wise we look fairly strong.

I think Archer could potentially be a decent addition - from the clips he reminds me of Craig Bellamy in that he he is very sharp over short distances and looks to be a composed finisher with both feet - and enough about him to create chances for himself. Also knows the level of the PL so won't need a year to adapt and had a good pre season with Villa so has some kind of form. Hasn't really been settled yet with various loan spells so good chance to find a home. Interesting that RM said power and athleticism was the biggest difference between PL and Champ - both these signings have those attributes. Also interesting how coy RM was about O'Riley when Alfie House asked about him in the embargoed section yesterday - certainly didnt sound totally dead.

RM made it very clear in that press conference that the amount of business we do will be dictated by outgoings. Seeing as he seems keen for KWP to stay despite only having a year left then thats ABK, Paul and Alcaraz. If ABK move falls through it will have a very unwanted impact - especially as CB is the one area we are stacked. Imagine he would go out on loan if the Hoffenheim move doesn't happen. I'm sure they are trying to renegotiate a loan with option at the moment!

Prices have just gone up so they have moved with the times. If they get 4 or 5 for around £30m and some do well in the PL they are instantly worth £50m - and its less risky to sign someone good for £30m than someone who might possibly be good for £15m. When you think next summer who we could sell for £30m+ its probably limited to THB if he had a brilliant season and possibly Sugawara, Dibling or SAA if they really shine. Would say thats about it. Whereas at Brighton they have a huge list without even including Rutter or Kadioglu: Ferguson, Mitoma, Joao Pedro, Verbruggen, Minteh, Wieffer, Enciso, Adringra, Gruda, Baleba, Barco etc Their model seems very sustainable for the next few years because they have acquired a really strong asset base - due to a combination of good scouting and also spending big to get already good players.

Rutter if it happens would be Brighton's 4th signing of €30m+ this summer plus the £15m or so signing of Osman who they have already loaned out to Feyenoord (imagine us signing someone for that kind of cash and not even using them this season!). Whilst we have spent £7m on Sugawara and BBD (edit - plus obvs Downes & THB) Brighton predicted by many to finish 10th to 12th - just shows what we are up against really and the importance of making big sales to be able to reinvest.

Bild reporter suggested heart issues - which if true is a.) not really something that should be in the public domain and b.) purely from a Saints perspective a disaster in terms of selling him on a favourable deal. Fingers crossed its a minor issue that can be resolved otherwise big consequences.

Also weird as he would only have a year left on his contract by next summer so unless he had an absolutely storming season his value will be even less and we will likely just get teams ask to loan him til his deal expires. At least we presumably still have the £12m we budgeted for him to use elsewhere!

Judging by this summer so far its hard to be overly bothered about players linked/offers rejected until fees are agreed and they are travelling for a medical. I think we have likely missed out on many of our preferred targets - as a fair few have been made public - either due to FFP constraints on fees or players having better options within the PL where we are scrapping with Ipswich right at the bottom of the food chain. All our completed transfers so far have been 'easy' in the sense that they were either free involving no selling club, for players with contracts running down or players largely unwanted at their current club, with Downes the only slight exception. This current group (Parsons, Bitcon, Mowbray) still have a bit to prove to show they can get things over the line when its not so straightforward.

He will leave, its just negotiation. Be amazed if he plays a minute for us before then.

Even on loan it seems quite unlikely as: a.) we won't cover his full wage and I'm sure someone else (e.g Forest) would happily do so b.) he will have a whole heap of European clubs to pick from if available on a loan deal favourable enough for us to even be an option Interesting to hear the Newcastle fan on TSP laughing at the idea Dubravka would be a good option for us - as I said when he was first mentioned he was awful for them last season to the point where fans were suggesting an Academy keeper should be brought in at one point. Keeper will be interesting as our whole situation (Baz, AMC new deal, likely relegation, tight budget) points towards a loan without any obligation being by far the best option. One thing for sure - any keeper we get has to be good with their feet given how we play.

Usual stuff overall but thought Jack Stephens came across very well: seems a good, grounded bloke and clearly cares.

Removing the promoted clubs, how many of our players would get in other teams? Probably KWP for most and potentially Downes for one or two. I don't think a good argument can really be made for many/any others. Flip it and look at how many Forest, Wolves, Brentford etc players would get in our team and its probably 8 or 9 of their starting XI. Really very hard to see us finishing ahead of any of those- and just as we will still strengthen, so will they - and in the case of Carvalho & Brentford its with a player we also wanted. Any indepdendent prediction that is not for us to be relegated would be frankly ludicrous based on pretty much every available method of analysing it.

Hopefully they can sort somehow but sounds like it would take drastic action at the end of the season. If we have a wet and cold winter it could look and play awfully come January.

Disagree that it plays well, pretty much every pass yesterday bobbled about and it makes some lose pace and then get intercepted. Obviously no fault of any individual but less than ideal for a team who seeks to play short passing, possession football. And it looks shit.