Pwoite

Interesting question. If he returns to Chelsea, as seems likely, then what have we gained. Yes, a few key goals, and points, and it would be worth seeing quite how much they amount to, and in January Armando was on fire. Since then, well, what? They are the positives. On the downside, he has taken a place that could have gone to Adam Armstrong, to further his potential, or Long or Tella or even someone from the B team, that would have increased their experience, skill and value. As a result of Broja's presence, AA has become a lonely, forgotten squad member and his career has been set back, perhaps irreversibly. Longer term, has the club truly gained?

Or Shilton?

I cannot disagree with the sentiments posted or the priorities highlighted. Indeed, even those who are told where the door is, if not yet actually shown it, but the one thing missing from the debate is who might emerge from our junior ranks into potential first team players. Also, no one ever mentions Smallbone. Admittedly, Will has had wretched time with sickness and injuries, but does he have a future role? Equally, with the exception of Small, no 'prospects' get mentioned. Clearly the next few months are potentially huge for Simeu, but there are some youngsters starting to get rave reviews, and if this is genuine talent, we must ensure their paths aren't blocked. But, if this real talent, or just short term hype? So, looking at our 'best' eleven, if we could agree one, we have three camps: Broja, Salisu - secure or replace like for like Romeu, JWP, Tino/KWP, Lyanco, Adams - maintain, ensuring a good, probably young, player is covering Keeper, right back, No 10 - upgrade I know that's only ten positions, but it leaves that flexibility to play Diallo, Armstrong S, Tella, third central defender, Redmond, depending on the opposition, which has actually been working well for us over the last few weeks.

This was the old Liverpool policy from thirty years ago. Buy someone in, embed them, get them thinking and behaving, and playing their way, then gradually introduce them into first team matches. The Liverpool team isn't virtually unchanged for three years, and there are a few, particularly in midfield, such as Oxlade Chamberlain, who could well be moved on. I can see this deal working for both parties, providing he is that good.

It simply a fire-fighting situation.

So if Anjorin goes through that will be four deals in little over six months with Chelsea. There are two ways of looking at this. Either it suits Chelsea to see their best youngsters getting game time, and there is a buy back clause so that no one ever truly escapes the net, or, they get pretty sick to death of all their talent being stolen. I strongly suggest the former. It is all very well going to Locomotiv or Arnhem for game time, but it isn't the Premier League. It doesn't provide real experience of what the parent club's players are living with every week. However, a top club, well run, and just an hour away down the M3 from Cobham has some appeal, especially if you can bring these prodigal sons back again once out of nappies and competing at the highest level. Of course, such an arrangement to develop talent, if formalised, would surely be illegal, but a sale, or loan, with a buy back option...... It could really work well for both clubs. Chelsea get their finest brought onto the big stage and apprenticed elsewhere, thereby showing future generations that there is a real opportunity to succeed, whilst we get top young players, filtered and developed at no cost to us, to replace our own, rather stuttering, youth development programme. Sure, we lose the players after two or three seasons, but we do that anyway. That is the Southampton Way. And, we get good players, and sell them on for good money.

So, would this be a loan with an option to buy? Can't see the point if it isn't, as it blocks the progression of a squad player, for little longer term gain. However, if Ralph can turn his game around, and the asking price isn't too high, then great. Certainly a step up on Minamino.

Great point, but, as fans, will we ever know? If a young gun asks to leave, how can we tell he stayed an extra season, compared to what he might have done prior to the takeover.? I think you might be right, players chasing a bigger pay day might find the differential between what we can now offer and the 'big six' is less than it was, and some will stay longer, and those staying should encourage others to also stay, but we all know, ultimately, that there are very few MLTs around who spend all their career at one club. So, at some point Salisu, Livramento, Diallo will all move on. I guess, if we can keep each for a season longer, through higher wages and the new regime, it has to be good news, and might also make us more attractive to new recruits.

Interesting, I wonder where we are currently seen by players looking for a new club, and presuming we are now able to be more competitive in the wage market, we must be punching above our current league position in terms of attractiveness. So, we won't be on a par, or close to the top 3 and MUFC, and never will, and the next three London clubs have both the glamour and bright lights appeal, so would be ahead most of the time. At the other end, the bottom four, even Newcastle with its money, can't be that appealing, and I'd add to that Everton and Brentford. So, that leaves us with Brighton, Palace, Wolves, Leeds, Villa and Leicester. Reluctantly, I can see Villa being seen as a good place to go, and Leicester have, until this season, seemed like a top six club for a few years, but I don't think the other four offer anything we can't. Indeed, new owners, stable, respected manager, great training facilities, great youth and development prospects...that puts us ahead of the four in my eyes. In summary, it makes us top half, but certainly upper midtable, in terms of a 'good place to play', which means we have a fighting chance of attracting new talent into the club, if the deal is right and the prospects of game time in that position are genuine, which will at times, put us above some more attractive clubs. So, I don't think Carvalho is impossible, if the lad wants a real chance to play regularly at a high level in a positive, supportive environment.

For Newcastle, or for Saints? Or both? (Obviously he can't sign for both teams, that's not what I'm asking!!) If he can replicate what he achieved at WHU last year, then most clubs would want him. IF!!!!!!!!!!!

The whole Newcastle situation is extremely amusing, from a distance. Their fans are getting understandably restless at the lack of visible progress in bringing in players, with more names being thrown up daily. Much of this is agent talk, no doubt, or the press desperately trying to find stories in yet another quiet window, but the club needs to bring in players urgently to stay up, so the frustratio0n of knowing the money was there, but having only got two deals over the line is understandable. Contrast that to our situation. Any money available now became available later, and we have no urgent need to buy this month. So, whilst we might like a marquee purchase this month, our survival doesn't depend on it, so any lack of visible progress is not a concern to our fans. Simply, a 'nice to have'! A great position to be in, and one the Board and the manager have done well to manufacture. Newcastle's plight provides great external entertainment because of the what ifs that might arise. Should they stay up, then those players brought in now, along with those already there, will certainly be deemed 'not good enough', and be cast aside, though presumably with massive survival bonuses. Next summer will then see the cheque book come out in style, and bigger names come in. But, if they are relegated, their current squad is probably not strong enough to secure automatic promotion, but who will join a championship club, in a World Cup year, knowing that if they gain promotion, they are likely to be cast aside twelve months later? So, a relegation might be followed by two seasons in the second level. How patient to such a situation will their owners be?

One of the reasons Diallo shone on Tuesday was that we played five at the back, meaning he benefitted from Perraud overlapping, and playing one twos. The pair, in combination, were ripping Brentford's defence apart, and, unlike the Redmond/Bertrand partnership, were creating shooting opportunities Diallo is not a Romeu, so we need to play to his strengths. So, if that means a back three/five, three midfielders and two further forward, so be it, except it places rather a lot of the squad on the bench, particularly if Broja's name is automatically on the teamsheet.

Trouble is, it would be a statement to 25 squad players that the wage cap didn't exist anymore!!

Who will break through past the twenty odd senior players and establish themselves as matchday squad players this season? Vokins? Slattery? Smallbone ? Can any of them with so many seasoned pros without a serious injury crisis? Or is U23 their only hope?

Ralph seemed to trawl quick deeply into the kids last season but are there any others coming through that will gain consideration and could be pushing for the bench? Appreciate this won't impact on the 25 man squad but it will affect possible purchasing priorities.

Hang on. Whilst Sam might be fourth choice, I can see times where I'd prefer to bring him on rather than Shane Long, when height rather than speed is required. I'd hang on to him till January, then consider a loan, unless we have another striker coming in.

Fans will have fun with chants if one of these makes it.. Olu - dare? Olu - fun? Wah!! Must fit into some wicked songs!

I think JRod has probably burnt too many bridges within the club and equally the black box has undoubtedly revealed another young, cheap, foreign starlet who we will be attempting to bring in. Let's hope he isn't another Boufal.

As this has come up again, it is either sloppy reporting or one of those slow burners like Gabiadini, where it took ages of rumour but still finally happened. What is happening with Caceres,though? We have yet to play him which either suggests Puel doesn't rate him, he isn't yet fit or Puel would prefer to see the current pairing get more game time. Is the Sakho rumour simply putting him back into the shop window, and his agent is trying to earn his corn, or are we really continuing to harbour a real interest? Will there be a Caceres/Sakho auction this summer where we play one club off against the other?

So, in summary, we haven't a clue about negotiations or a possible buy out or anything else, though there are rumours of Katerina saying the interests of the club are paramount in any decision. For any potential investor, what are they looking to achieve? Certainly not a return on their investment, as that simply isn't what happens in football, unless they can grow their business and sell it on. In truth, that is unlikely. They might be looking to use us as a means of increasing brand awareness in the UK but there are many cheaper and more rewarding means of doing that rather than the high risk of football. Alternatively it could be a vanity project, as so many club purchases appear to be with hindsight, but would a major financial institution indulge in such things? Generally unlikely. And what would be the intentions of any purchaser beyond financial or marketing gain? Do they see real reflected glory through a mid table team, or are they prepared to invest. And if they do invest, is that in players, infrastructure or both? To significantly improve the squad would require cash investment similar to the money talked about to buy it. Is anyone mad enough to do that, when the return would be minimal on the gate, in the ground, in TV rights or merchandise? Sure, success following investment could create a potentially massive Chinese marketing opportunity, but with the game in that country growing rapidly eyes will turn to domestic teams rather than European ones only 0.01% of he Chinese population will ever have heard of. So, much as I'd like to see more money for new players, development of the ground and surrounding area, better facilities on match day and so on I cannot make any financial case for why serious investment over the long term, which is critical, is going to come our way. In Katerina we trust!

Look at Taylor's career record on Wikipaedia. He is 35 or something but has hardly played for all the clubs he has joined. Always a bench warmer. Very sad in some ways. Guess we as paying him absolute peanuts compared to Theresa of the squad, but if we don't plan to play him ever, what's the point.

As much as Puel got it wrong in Europe, he got it right against Liverpool. He delivered, as, of course, did a team missing three or four key components. No one can take the Wembley appearance off his CV now, or out of the history of Saints. Without Puel and his rotation we could not have had the strength in depth or experience to win the semi. Koeman wouldn't have tested and brought through Sims, Stephens, McQueen and the others that made last night possible. How much more could or would we be doing with someone better able to take chances in the box? Whilst Puel will never be the media or fans darling like Klopp, and he doesn't have the ability or possibly want to be a great public speaker, he is clearly doing something with his squad and results. It isn't always pretty, it doesn't always work, but he has only had six months and in that time look at the difference in Yoshida, Romeu and now even Redmond, never mind the youngsters. Keep the faith. We are Saints.

Thought he had a really poor game in the Capital One against Sunderland

Sturbridge on loan ticks many boxes for all involved.

All time Saints legend. Does that make him the first non English legend, not that it matters? What a story. What a season for also ranks, no hopers and johnies come lately. Eat your heart out so called superstars, the ordinary guy is gonna mug yer!