NewYorkSaint

I'd argue it's in the club's interest to keep him for now, even if he never plays a match. Absolute statements have been made. For Kruger and the club's credibility they have to show that no means no. If they do, my guess is that MS won't play first few games, but will eventually come round. It's not in his professional interest to sulk all year either. I thought Jose was impressive in what he said about Morgan. Don't give up yet. If they do capitulate, it really does put a big black mark on Kruger's credibility, even if it seems to make short term sense.

Welcome, Redslo, and thanks for a fine piece. Even if it's not the full explanation, it's at least part of it. One further problem with the whole crazy wage cap rules is that even with flexibility to raise wages for one player, a club will find it hard to do so because of the knock on effects on others. So, with Morgan, we would now appear to have the flexibility now to at least part-way match the wages offered by Spurs. Yet it will be hard to do so without annoying other players. "So if I threaten to leave do I also get a pay rise?" The system is incredibly broken.

May just be my natural optimism, but Paul Lambert doesn't sound that convincing in his claims he'll be able to keep Vlaar. That single signing would be huge for us. http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/495518/Paul-Lambert-plans-talks-with-United-Spurs-and-Saints-target-Ron-Vlaar I see SkyBet have us at evens to sign him... and clear favourite over Spurs. Evens.... Toss a coin, call heads, it IS heads. Welcome, Ron! (See? No need for stress!)

I live in the US, where interest in the Premier League is rocketing, and many know about Southampton's reputation for nurturing great players. But the point is not what our brand is today. The whole argument of the article is that our best shot at raising our global profile is to build on this strength. I think it's a brilliant, if counter-intuitive idea. If the club moved in this direction, the real question is not: would it immediately boost our brand, because it wouldn't... that would take years... the real question is would promising young footballers be excited to join a Saints-branded academy in their country. And the answer is: I think they would. From that start-point, roll the clock forward 10 years and imagine what we might have....

Fantastic article. And the incredible idea presented in the last few paragraphs of Saints launching a global football development school actually isn't that insane. Someone with vision could do that. It would be a gamble if the only purpose was to nurture talent for the club to play or sell. But if you add on to that the idea of building Southampton as a global brand that stands for giving every talented kid anywhere in the world a chance to realize their potential.. now that really would be something. KL, are you there? This would be a vision your dad would be proud of.

Interesting suggestion that introduction of 'fair'play rules was reason for Cortese departure. It could have been part of it...

Lloyd Isgrove! I stand by my suggestion that he's one of our main reasons to be cheerful. I really think that when the story of this season is written, his name will be a big part of it. The kid is remarkable. Ever since seeing his astounding pace in LAST season's preseason, I've been excited by him. Looks like this could be his year. Saint's ability to produce players like him, Ward-Prowse, Targett... that's what makes the difference. The transfer craziness comes and goes (and it now looks like we'll end up getting as good as we've lost, and for less money)... but when you can add new home-grown talent coming through, wow... that really changes things.

Too much cynicism here. Although he was a little clumsy on some answers, and the Canadian thing doesn't always play well in England, he basically could not have been clearer. They're drawing a line in the sand. The tipping point he was referring to was the acceleration of hysteria that was in danger of drowning the club. They recognized that and are saying enough is enough. You couldn't have hoped for a clearer statement. The other key statement was that every penny of the money received would be reinvested. That's huge. Provided we see evidence of that in next few weeks, there will be a huge swing of opinion now.

Chairman's public commitment on keeping Morgan and Jay is huge. It means the club recognizes that no matter how good the previous trades have been financially, enough is enough. Whether or not he had the players' agreement to stay (and I suspect he did) it was the right thing to say. Even people who want to leave may reconsider if they can see that a public commitment has been made which will delay any departure for at least six months. So I think both players will now give RoKo and the club a chance. With 3-4 new signings, the glass may well soon look a fuller than it did last night. The dynamic between Krueger and Reed is strange. Last time he spoke publicly implying no sales Lambert was announced soon after. I suspect he may have felt a little backstabbed by Reed over that... (no evidence, except the timing). But this is a much more clearcut commitment. There's no way the club will renege on this.

That's the thing. By most reasonable measures we aren't. The amount we were offered for Chambers was crazy high. Wenger admits it's a big risk for Arsenal. Most people here rate Chambers below Clyne. We spent less than that to acquire what seems to be an exciting upgrade to Rickie Lambert. We can spend that money on a great new LB (with Targett as backup) and a strong supporting RB. ...and overall the squad is strengthened and better balanced. The problem is the perception... and suspicion that the money we're getting in won't be recycled. But if it is, the actual deals done so far all seem to be really strong business deals. There's no evidence Reed is a bad negotiator. Indeed, it's he who brought in the Koeman brothers. We're supposed to be supporters. I think it's too early to hit the panic button. The alleged communication issues with the players does trouble me, and I'd love to know the full back story. But in terms of actual public transactions, there's no evidence of incompetence. These deals are actually pretty amazing... PROVIDED the money is now well spent.

Agreed. That's why I said the £100m question is whether the £100m we've brought in is genuinely made available to RoKo (and Reed). I'd be surprised if he/they spent more than half of that this window. It would be better to spend half of it, let the team gel, and then add to it in January. But unless that money is taken away, I think that nothing that has happened so far proves bad faith behavior on behalf of KL or the board. I get that people are impatient for good news. But there's still time enough, and it's important to get these decisions right. As they say in business: hire slow, fire fast.

The loss of great players is stressful, no question. But you can still make a case that we'll be fine. Consider. - We've just signed a centre forward in Pelle who seems to be better than the guy whose pic is top right of this page -- and the amount we paid for him is substantially less than the amount we've been offered for our reserve right back. (Yes, ages, are relevant here, but as far as the next 3 years are concerned, I personally think Pelle will add more to the team than Chambers would have, great though he is.) - We're making a 150% profit on Lovren... as well as getting a great year out of him. - We got paid the highest amount ever paid for a left back, someone who cost us nothing except X years of academy nurturing. He has a replacement from the same academy who may be almost as good, and we're committed to buying a new first choice LB. So unlike last year we'll have two great left backs - and still with many extra £ in the bank. - Even without Morgan, our midfield is teeming with talent: JWP, Cork, Wanyama, Davis, Gaston, Tadic ...and now Reed. - Isgrove is storming through as an incredible prospect. He's faster than J-Rod and seems to possess fantastic instinctive skills. - We have an excellent new manager duo, who based on pre-season evidence look likely to continue where MoPo left off in terms of the fast-passing attacking style. - We've made £100m on players who cost us So just as a sustainable business model, you can make the case that Saints are in a league all their own. We have an academy that is not only turning out incredible players, it seems capable of funding the entire club. Now the loss of many of our best players is certainly alarming. It's easy to see why some think the board is being deceptive. But there's another interpretation that still seems to me just as likely to be true. The root problem is that the premier league has vast discrepancies in financial strength between different teams. What is driving these transfers is simply this: a 'big' club likes the look of one of our players and puts the word to them that could double their wages if they make the move. If that is accompanied by an offer to the club to break the contract that is dramatically higher than what we perceive as that player's replacement value, then it is quite likely the move is going to happen. If it doesn't, you preserve continuity, but risk a demotivated player. If it does, you have the chance to actually improve the team with a handpicked selection coming in. Koeman has made clear he wants players motivated to play for Saints. And as a new manager, it's appealing to build your own team. So the £100m question is: will the board honor the various statements that have been made and implied that the full amount of incoming transfer money will be available to Koeman. If it is, it should be possible for him to materially improve the team compared to last year's, albeit it may take a couple months for the new combination to gel. My own main response to what's happened this pre-season is awe at just how good Saints became in the last year - and what an amazing return we're getting on all that's been put into the academy. It's really incredible that the sale of just a few players has raised so much money. So count me among those urging patience. Let's see how the money is spent in this window - and the next. Most of the big clubs now have their 2014 squads largely sorted. The big, crazy offers are going to slow, and we still have enough of a core that - combined with 4-5 carefully chosen newcomers will make a powerful squad. I'll be among those upset if Morgan and Callum both leave... but I still think it's too early to be so dismissive of KL and the board. From a business pov, I suspect every other club is looking at what they've achieved with considerable respect. My predictions: Opening day, Liverpool 1 - Saints 1. Midway through season, we'll lie around 12-14th By end of season we'll climb to 10th or higher. OK, now you can all shout at me.

Agreed. Reed showed a few more good touches. Not seeing too many signs of Gallagher or Mayuka coming through. A great striker and CB are the keys at this point.

James Ward-Prowse also playing well. But Isgrove biggest revelation. I thought he was incredibly exciting in a couple of preseason games last year. His first half here fantastic.

They'll be on second half, I would think.

The goal he scored against Marseilles (video in the link above, second to last goal), is a true stunner. I've always thought he had amazing potential. Would love to see him get a chance to prove it.

He's passed the medical today?

Claimed sighting at Southampton! https://twitter.com/aaronwoodford

If The Sun is right that Luke's text-flirting with a Playboy model violates Hodgson's standards, that might just kill his chance to be selected... That would be a downer. I have a hunch he would really shine in this final game.

Today's Sun story of Luke looking for a threesome just might change the equation. Maybe he shrugs it off with a laugh, but if he has strong relationship with his family, they might encourage him to stay a little at home a bit longer. OR he might feel a little shamefaced and decide a new start is definitely what's needed. A good time for saints fans to reach out to him and tell him we still love him!

Maybe, but it's easily fixable. "I've spoken with Ronald Koeman and his vision for the next few years at St Mary's is incredibly exciting. The uncertainty I personally felt at the end of the season has been resolved and I'm thrilled to be staying. I truly appreciate this club's faith in me." It wouldn't take much to have everyone excited about him again. It wasn't so long ago we were debating whether to add him to the masthead of this site. Just as when Saints are 2-0 down with 80 mins played you want the crowd to rally, that's what I want right now. Fan opinion is only a small part, but I think it still matters if a decision is in the balance.

It's not that simple. He's under contract. All he can do is let the club know that he would like to leave... and he's done that, albeit informally. The fuss over no formal transfer request is neither here nor there. In his situation, there's bound to be a negotiation over terms of departure, if that's what it comes to. Like I say, I think he's earned benefit of the doubt. The bigger picture, is that I get that it's natural for people's disappointment at losing him to turn into anger at him. It's a way of managing the pain. I just don't think it's fair on a guy who gave us so much for so many years.

I get that. But I think it may be perception more than reality. It's got to be incredibly hard to juggle loyalties to family, club, future, etc. For me, his years of incredible excellence have earned him the benefit of doubt. And even if leaves, I personally would get more joy by saying: Fair enough, mate. Thanks for all you gave. Until then, fingers crossed Koeman can work his first little piece of magic. "One more year Adam. It's going to be amazing. Then if you still want to, you can go with my blessing."

Could someone enlighten me here, a little? Just what is it that Adam has done that has so upset everyone? Signed a kid's Liverpool shirt? Told the club he'd like to play Champions League football next year? I haven't seen any comments from him that are disrespectful of Southampton. Far from it. His end of season speeches were highly emotional about the time he's had with us. But if you put yourself in his shoes at the end of the season... there really did seem to be a lot of uncertainty about, a lot of it MoPo generated. An offer from Champions League qualified Liverpool, where pal Rickie L was already heading, would have been hard for any one to turn down. Maybe there have been behind the scenes shouting matches at Saints refusal to let him go ahead of a new appointment. Maybe bridges have been burned. But let's hold onto another possibility. Maybe, just as we have all be impressed and delighted by Katerina and the board's level of commitment with Koeman appointment, maybe Adam is too. Let's give it a chance, yes? The more he sees fans here already ****ed off with him, the less he might be inclined to stay. I think we should send out a different message. That we'd really, truly love him to stay. The man's a genius footballer and gave me more pleasure last season than anyone else. And I for one will be absolutely celebrating if he has a good world cup moment or two. He's given years of loyalty to Saints, and is as key as anyone to where we are today. The fact that he's ambitious, and maybe has come to believe his own hype a little too much, can't cancel all that out... can it?? Adam, breaking up is hard to do... so I ain't doin' it just yet. Come on home!!

Yup. It's been a terrific season. Results aside, the style of play has been an absolute joy to watch. Fingers crossed for the summer. We will probably know a lot more within a week. I would hate to lose Lallana.