Ivan Katalinic's 'tache

Given we're now just about into July, hopefully an announcement is imminent, if the deal is as close as is being speculated? I do miss the days of K,billy and Guan popping by with their thumbs up early warning signs...

Can he do it on a wet Tuesday night in Burnley? Doubtful.

What Ralph Hasenhuttl said about Thomas Delaney transfer with Borussia Dortmund move linked - HampshireLive Interesting line in Hampshire Live's piece playing down Thomas Delaney as a target for Saints: Saints will instead look to offer an alternative in the number six position by signing a flexible full-back who is comfortable stepping into the midfield. Reads like a very Ainsley Maitland-Niles type of signing. who we've been linked with again? Or am I reading too much into it?

And Messi is only back-up to Redmond

I'd hope that bringing Armstrong in is for good ol' competition for places. Two up top from Ings, Adams and Armstrong - whoever is scoring and/or playing better plays? It's the only way we'll look to improve. Then, next summer, either Danny signs to stay on or he leaves on a free and we look for a replacement. This also has the benefit of keeping Redmond out of the front line and maybe back in as one of the attacking midfielders if he can re-discover some form.

Although not a big fee, I guess they have the Buendia money to spend, a pot of cash they didn't have to tap into last time around.

Isn't his name Adam? I remember us chasing Alun Armstrong a striker from Stockport back in the 90s, who ended up at Middlesbrough and Ipswich and didn't really turn out to be the player they both hoped he would be. Just like Saints to be leading the chase for the wrong player... 🤣

An interesting line at the end of that article is that Leicester switched their attention to Patson Daka after there negotiations stalled over the fee for Edouard. I wonder if Celtic have a higher price in mind than the one being quoted in the papers (about £13-15m from memory)?

Started typing one thing and then left it in when I realised it had already been said (but clearly didn't delete it)! I blame the heat... 😁

Arsenal have rejected Maybe this was the double-barrel surname player they are really after and not Ward-Prowse (he says hopefully).

Doesn't seem like a £25m player based on that so I guess we'll see what happens if/when he signs up for them. Whilst I accept a higher transfer fee doesn't guarantee success, wouldn't it be good to be able to spend that sort of sum on a player if we deemed him worth it...

Maybe that's what Sangare perceived as us moving too slowly?

Depends on who you believe, I guess: Ibrahim Sangare explains why he snubbed Southampton transfer move in favour of PSV - HampshireLive

They also brought in an Ecuadorian lad as an eventual for replacement for Bissouma for a smallish fee too, who they have high hopes for. [They probably saw the stunning success we had with Delgado and Chala back in the early 2000s and thought they wanted a piece of that]

I have a feeling Ibrahim Sangare, who PSV beat us to (for moving too slowly?!) before we turned our attentions to Diallo, was perhaps more physical but still able to play when on the ball. He's 6ft 3in and seemed to have a greater physical presence than Diallo. No idea how he got on at PSV but I wonder if he was more of the destroyer we were after.

5 if we were to get Shaun's son D'Margio who's been at City too and is a U-23 player at Stoke. [Shaun Wright-Phillips having a son old enough to play pro football makes me feel very old...]

Leeds (and apparently others) linked with a move to keep Harrison Reed in the Premier League: Leeds set to make summer swoop for Fulham star Harrison Reed | Daily Mail Online

Don't think he could've done much more, other than score one of his trademark free-kicks. Pressed & tackled well, kept the play moving in possession and demonstrated his set piece abilities when required. If Southgate picks someone else, it's because he's clueless not because Prowsey hasn't been good enough.

There's a bit of me that thinks Southgate is going to wait until after this weekend's game in case someone else gets injured or it becomes more obvious that one of those already with an injury is unlikely to take part. That way he doesn't have to make a decision between the likeliest choices of JWP and Lingard, he could pick both. Gutless or sensible? Probably both...

It'll be Arsenal where Zaha ends up. So many areas of their team need improvement to try for the top 4 again yet they will buy another forward and hope it fixes everything!

Southgate has been a bottler since he missed that penalty. It's always easier to drop someone from a smaller squad and include a half injured player from a so called bigger team. I mean what sort of weak twat drops Lingard from the squad then says he'll play him in this week's first friendly...?

Lingard omitted too apparently...

Looks like Minamino might be up for sale after all, as part of an Anfield clear out, according to this (it is the Sun, I accept...): https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/15097753/liverpool-transfer-cull-wijnaldum-origi-shaqiri/

Southampton's social media department have finally revealed their true feelings towards Ralph... “Yes, he [Oriol] was training today so only Will Smallbone is out and Ché Adams is out," the nagger said. "Ché cannot play at the weekend as he has a small groin injury, so he will also definitely be out. The rest are fit.”

We have form for that even pre Les. Think Imants Bleidelis and Kleber Chala...