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Martin Caceres Signs - Official

Katalinic

By Katalinic,
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Saint Albert

Saint Albert

Posted
Posted (edited)

I assumed that he'd be a backup for the final with Yoshida and Stephens starting. Perhaps with around ten days of training with the squad, combined with the friendly that the squad is supposedly playing in Spain, combined with his overall experience, Puel may pick him.

Edited by Saint Albert
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Professor

Professor

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Posted (edited)

The high level of interest in the CB situation is shown by the number of pages in this thread. The club has found itself in a most unusual situation. After having a settled CB pairing, one of them effectively forced a transfer by deciding not to play for the team any more; then an opponent’s dirty play caused an injury putting the other out of the team for months. For these two events to occur so close together and at a difficult time of the year was extremely unfortunate.

 

There is still one reliable CB in Yoshida but most people would agree that for different reasons, neither Stephens nor Gardos are yet ready to be a confident selection alongside a CB who was himself still third choice, as recently as last season. With this predicament arising during the January transfer window when clubs are known to be reluctant to sell a quality CB, it has been fascinating to see if the club could find a solution. We have the suspense of waiting to see if they have pulled a rabbit out of the hat with the Caceres signing.

 

The pessimists have warned that a player can’t be expected to play at the top level after an enforced year out of the game and others have suggested that Caceres might return just as good a player as he ever was. With the squad in Spain for a week and no opportunity to see how he performs on the pitch, we fans are hardly in a position to have an informed opinion. What we do know is that until this time last year Caceres was a top quality defender who would probably have been out of our reach financially and that he is at an age when CBs are at their peak, expecting several more seasons in the game. What we don’t know is how well he has recovered from the injury that resulted in him being out of contract and we only have his word that he feels very fit.

 

Fortunately, the week in Spain has come at precisely the right moment. The club’s medical and physiotherapy staff can oversee the steps needed to increase the player’s fitness while the manager and the coaches have the opportunity to assess his ability on the field. A week of close contact with the squad will enable him to get to know his teammates more rapidly than if they were here in Southampton. At the end of this, it will be for the manager to decide if Caceres is ready to play a part next Saturday but as fans, we can be sure that Claude Puel has the experience to make that judgement and he will have the information on which to make it. In the meantime, it remains fun to speculate but guesswork won’t affect the facts on the ground.

Edited by Professor
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austsaint

austsaint

Posted
Posted

I think we have to be brave in this Cup Final to have a chance. Trying to keep it tight and nicking one later might work, but I hope we don't give them too much respect or too much space. I have a feeling Puel is going to start JWP - but I'd rather it was Romeu, Davis and Hojbjerg/Clasie to limit Pogba, Mata and co. I'd also like to see Sims on the bench - his speed and run might be just what we need in the last quarter of the game; ask yourself how many Saints' players could have run the length of the pitch like that to link up with Long at Anfield. If Boufal is fit, he must play a part too - Tadic did very well v Sunderland but mostly this season he hasn't measured up and has tended go missing against the stronger teams.

 

The training camp in Spain will probably decide the player to accompany Yoshida - in keeping with the need to be bold, if Carceres shows something on the track in the next few days then the gamble must be taken. What a great day awaits, all the best to those supporters making the trip to Wembley.

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kermitsaint

kermitsaint

Posted
Posted
The high level of interest in the CB situation is shown by the number of pages in this thread. The club has found itself in a most unusual situation. After having a settled CB pairing, one of them effectively forced a transfer by deciding not to play for the team any more; then an opponent’s dirty play caused an injury putting the other out of the team for months. For these two events to occur so close together and at a difficult time of the year was extremely unfortunate.

 

There is still one reliable CB in Yoshida but most people would agree that for different reasons, neither Stephens nor Gardos are yet ready to be a confident selection alongside a CB who was himself still third choice, as recently as last season. With this predicament arising during the January transfer window when clubs are known to be reluctant to sell a quality CB, it has been fascinating to see if the club could find a solution. We have the suspense of waiting to see if they have pulled a rabbit out of the hat with the Caceres signing.

 

The pessimists have warned that a player can’t be expected to play at the top level after an enforced year out of the game and others have suggested that Caceres might return just as good a player as he ever was. With the squad in Spain for a week and no opportunity to see how he performs on the pitch, we fans are hardly in a position to have an informed opinion. What we do know is that until this time last year Caceres was a top quality defender who would probably have been out of our reach financially and that he is at an age when CBs are at their peak, expecting several more seasons in the game. What we don’t know is how well he has recovered from the injury that resulted in him being out of contract and we only have his word that he feels very fit.

 

Fortunately, the week in Spain has come at precisely the right moment. The club’s medical and physiotherapy staff can oversee the steps needed to increase the player’s fitness while the manager and the coaches have the opportunity to assess his ability on the field. A week of close contact with the squad will enable him to get to know his teammates more rapidly than if they were here in Southampton. At the end of this, it will be for the manager to decide if Caceres is ready to play a part next Saturday but as fans, we can be sure that Claude Puel has the experience to make that judgement and he will have the information on which to make it. In the meantime, it remains fun to speculate but guesswork won’t affect the facts on the ground.

Umm could you show your proof that Fonte refused to play please ?

Because Fonte has stated many times that he never did anything like that .

 

This is a Les Reed cock up and nothing more

 

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meatball

meatball

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Posted
Umm could you show your proof that Fonte refused to play please ?

Because Fonte has stated many times that he never did anything like that .

 

This is a Les Reed cock up and nothing more

 

Sent from my SM-G925I using Tapatalk

 

Oh the delicious irony of demanding proof for a statement and then making a statement that you have no proof for.

 

There are so many variables to this situation that simply saying it was the fault of one or the other is narrow minded to say the least.

 

What would be great is if everyone could accept that nobody is perfect and flipping well move on.

 

 

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the saint in winchester

the saint in winchester

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The Cacares deal is only until the summer, right? Anyone know if we have the entitlement to an option to extend his contract at a set rate? Or are we looking at another Alderweireld scenario where if he does well, other clubs can simply conclude a contract with him without us having a voice?

Seems a shame if we are being used only as match practice for him to prove his is still up to it and can sign for anyone in the summer. I am asking if we have a hidden term in the deal that allows us to concrete boot him, at our option, if he proves to be a jolly good fellow. :)

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VectisSaint

VectisSaint

Posted
Posted
Fairly sure I read we had an option / automatic one year deal based on appearances.

 

For every Alderweireld there is a Caulker.

 

Fairly sure it's only some idle speculation posted here just like the suggested friendly in Alicante which I posted as a suggestion and which now seems to have legs.

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SW5 SAINT

SW5 SAINT

Posted
Posted
The Mirror (I think it's what they call fake news)

 

Meanwhile, he was only on 50k at Juventus

 

I can't imagine that a half fit out of contract CB of whatever previous quality would be able to demand 100k per week. Nobody else has exactly been battering on his door to sign him.

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Roboze

Roboze

Posted
Posted

i think alot depends on where martin is at. as some one already said "i hope we have pulled a rabbit out of the hat" i really hope thats the case, and hopefully we have not pulled "a cabbage out of the patch!" i wish him well and have faith in Saints, how many times have people written us off, only for us to come back laughing in their faces! COYS

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  • 4 weeks later...
SaintTex

SaintTex

Posted
Posted

did we really sign him for cover if Yoshida or Stephens get injured?

 

I don't get it, but

 

1) I am not privy to what the manager sees on the training ground.

 

2) or maybe they found a real gem and don't want to show Caceres much, in order to sign him to a longer deal.

 

3) or maybe, this season is over, let's get Stephens some experience.

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Heisenberg

Heisenberg

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Posted
did we really sign him for cover if Yoshida or Stephens get injured?

 

I don't get it, but

 

1) I am not privy to what the manager sees on the training ground.

 

2) or maybe they found a real gem and don't want to show Caceres much, in order to sign him to a longer deal.

 

3) or maybe, this season is over, let's get Stephens some experience.

 

Or the reported 100k per week wages is in fact 10k per week + 90k when he plays?

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the saint in winchester

the saint in winchester

Posted
Posted

Odd that he isn't being given game time. If we deemed we needed him in January, then we still need him now ... unless the club feel we don't actually need him now. This was a game to test him out in, with 2 weeks until next game.

Same with Hassan. Genuinely mystified why we got them in if we had no plans to use them. If the argument is "as squad filler" "to make up to 25" then we could have used the U21s for that.

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Lord Duckhunter

Lord Duckhunter

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Posted
Odd that he isn't being given game time. If we deemed we needed him in January, then we still need him now ... unless the club feel we don't actually need him now. This was a game to test him out in, with 2 weeks until next game.

Same with Hassan. Genuinely mystified why we got them in if we had no plans to use them. If the argument is "as squad filler" "to make up to 25" then we could have used the U21s for that.

 

Nothing odd about it at all. Obviously Gardos isn't fit or is not up to it, therefore we need someone in case Yoshida or Jack get injured. Same with McCarthy, so if FF gets injured we've got cover rather than a nipper.if there were players in the U21's capable of covering these positions we wouldn't have signed them.Genuinely mystified how you can be mystified

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
simo

simo

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Posted

Took the boy to meet the players turn up before the game , He drove into the car park using his phone parked up jumped out (still on the phone) and ignored all the fans waiting outside and stormed straight in ! Geezer can rot on the bench as far as I'm concerned!

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foxy9143

foxy9143

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Posted
Took the boy to meet the players turn up before the game , He drove into the car park using his phone parked up jumped out (still on the phone) and ignored all the fans waiting outside and stormed straight in ! Geezer can rot on the bench as far as I'm concerned!

 

On the other hand....at the end of his first U23 game at St Mary's he came over to the crowd by the tunnel and spent ages posing for photos (many of them topless because he gave his shirt to a young saints fan). I'm not doubting how annoying your experience with your lad was but he certainly wasn't an arrogant git a few weeks ago.

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Lighthouse

Lighthouse

Posted
Posted

Fairly obviously just cover for our first choice CBs and with nothing to play for, other than whether we finish 8th or 12th in midtable, we might as well give JS some game time.

 

Seems fairly sensible to me and a reasonable save from the cock-up in the transfer window. Doubt either MC or FG will be here come August.

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