Bewildered

He knows that if he doesn't put the effort in and impress the scouts then he's stuck playing in the championship next season.

How does whoscored decide he is a strong finisher if he didn't score a goal last season?

Would be surprising if we let him go with the new manager seemingly coming in and being tasked with giving players like Targett more first team opportunities. He is a decent prospect, but lacks pace.

Yeah it does have that attempt at positive spin once it gets to the part about incomings.

We will most likely buy from the continent or championship where prices aren't ridiculous to the degree they are for PL players.

Has he recovered from his injury yet? I remember he was on loan at Crewe when he suffered a cruciate injury in Feb and the loan was ended.

No. Rodriguez has not proven he can return to his previous performance level and Austin is highly prone to constant smaller injuries that keep him out 3-4 weeks at a time and don't ever allow him to reach full fitness.

I don't know, looks like they are hoping to pinch the pennies to an even greater extent than they have in the last two seasons. Kind of annoying when the new TV deal will beef up the finances a lot, not to mention the no doubt incoming bragging about increased sponsorship deals and kit deals. Sounds like the planned Saints summer is: Pelle = Austin and a youth player £0 Mané = Redmond £11m Wanyama = new guy £8-12m A RB £? probably around £8-12m Spend = 27m-35m Sold = £58m

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/14608031.Pelle_set_to_quit_Saints_for_China/?ref=twtrec Piece on Pelle suggests Puel feels the squad is already good and at least right now, does not plan on a huge number of transfers. A replacement for Wanyama and a RB are the priorities. Austin was the Pelle replacement and With Seager (who I thought had messed up his knee) and maybe Gallagher to provide back up to Long, Rodriguez and Austin.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/14608031.Pelle_set_to_quit_Saints_for_China/?ref=twtrec £13m, no replacement likely according to the Echo. In fact, not a great deal of incomings at all really. A new RB and a Wanyama replacement.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/07/07/wales-heroes-joe-allen-and-hal-robson-kanu-attracting-interest-f/ Maybe we will find out if Joe Allen would improve us.

They can say they intend to buy players for 8-12m all they like, inflation thanks to this tv deal means many players that would have been in that price range last year will now be nearer 15-18m.

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/neven-subotic-middlesbrough-fc-leading-11584571 8m is a steal for a player like Subotic, who would be an excellent signing for a lot of sides in the PL.

Chose not to renew his contract at the end of last season so is available on a free transfer. Can play at RB or on the wing so would make a decent squad addition. http://en.francais-express.com/news/sport/-33437-southampton-linked-with-a-move-for-nice-wide-man-jeremy-pied/

Looks like Djibril Sidibe, who were were linked with, is going to Arsenal now according to Gianluca DiMarzio. A few days ago he was seemingly close to joining Monaco.

Seems talk of a bid is premature. another update from get football france: http://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2016/no-southampton-bid-for-sofiane-boufal/ No bid, but one could be made by the end of the week.

On that occaision it worked out well since Rojo ended up being a poor signing for Man U.

Probably being used to encourage Chelsea into making a bid since they are the other club supposedly with big interest in him. Much in the same way Batshuayi's people made Palace interest public to draw out a firm offer from Chelsea.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3673958/Chelsea-weighing-12m-Italy-striker-Graziano-Pelle.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490 Chelsea contemplating a 12m bid if they fail to get Alvaro Morata according to the Mail. Saints want 16m.

http://sportwitness.co.uk/agency-working-close-southampton-transfer-deal-club-can-meet-asking-price/ Yet another Dennis Praet story. This time, the player prefers Sevilla, but Saints have the money to meet Anderlecht's asking price and Sevilla believe his representatives are working to try and close a deal with Southampton. Also, Praet recently said in an interview that he is in no rush to leave Anderlecht and may just run down his contract rather than make any move this summer.

Leicester according to the editor of a russian sport website

http://gianlucadimarzio.com/en/eng/pelle-conte-wants-him-at-chelsea-milan-also-interested/ Di marzio also saying Chelsea wants Pelle as well as Everton, AC Milan and also Shanghai Greenland, who are wiolling to pay Pelle 15m euros a season for three years to go to China.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/07/03/graziano-pelle-to-leave-southampton-in-summer-transfer-window-wi/ The Telegraph (club's pet paper) reporting that Pelle isn't being offered a new contract and club is looking to sell him.

http://www.insidefutbol.com/2016/07/03/claude-puel-tells-southampton-to-snap-up-sunderland-target/293353/ inside futbol reporting that le 10 sport in France believes Puel has told the club that he wants Djibril Sidibe at the club by the time the season starts.

It's true that Eric Black has worked under many a ****house manager, not sure you can blame him for any of those failures though. Not as if the likes of John Barnes and Steve Kean were miracle workers whose success in management came to a screeching halt once Eric Black showed up.