Summer 2022 Transfer Window

[SaintJackoInHurworth]

10 hours ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

I actually think we’ll lose 3/4-1 today convincingly, and this’ll spark a sudden urge to bring in some immediately good players rather than “kids with potential”.

A decent attacking wide player and a CB being priority.

I think this could well turn out to be almost prophetic after today's result! Ralph has certainly come out and said that we must sign better players. Maybe this will indeed raise the bar on the sort of signings we make in the next few weeks. Clearly, at the very least, we need both a decent striker and a decent central defender. I guess the question is how do we get such players? The clues to this may be in the signings we made under Poch and Koeman: Tadic, Pelle, Aderweireld, Van Dijk were all quality that we signed (or almost signed in Toby's case!) and maybe they should show us the way to sign quality. I suggest signing like Davis and Stu Armstrong are also decent examples, if not quite on the same level as the other four.

What is significant about those players is that they were either players struggling for game time in top teams in major leagues (TA) or they were players doing well in top teams in slightly less major leagues (DT, GP, VVD, SD and SA). All/most of them had experience of playing in winning teams and in playing against top European opposition.

For me this suggests we need to be looking at more players playing regularly at TOP teams (i.e. ones that qualify for European competition or equivalent) in Scotland, Belgium, Holland, France, Denmark, USA, Switzerland, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, etc.

Alongside this we can also be looking (as we have been doing with English sides) at those top young players struggling to break into the first team at TOP sides in TOP leagues: Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, At Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, etc.

So who are the top up-and-coming central defenders and strikers at Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, Club Brugge, Union St.Gilloise, Gent, Anderlecht, Celtic, Rangers, PSG, Marseille, Monaco, Copenhagen, Midtjylland, Silkeborg, Brondby, Zurich, Basel, Young Boys, Trabzonspor, Fenerbahce, Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Braga, Olympiacos, PAOK, etc.? I know we have looked at players at some of these clubs, but maybe we need to broaden our search?

[FarehamSaintJames]

1 hour ago, SaintJackoInHurworth said:

I think this could well turn out to be almost prophetic after today's result! Ralph has certainly come out and said that we must sign better players. Maybe this will indeed raise the bar on the sort of signings we make in the next few weeks. Clearly, at the very least, we need both a decent striker and a decent central defender. I guess the question is how do we get such players? The clues to this may be in the signings we made under Poch and Koeman: Tadic, Pelle, Aderweireld, Van Dijk were all quality that we signed (or almost signed in Toby's case!) and maybe they should show us the way to sign quality. I suggest signing like Davis and Stu Armstrong are also decent examples, if not quite on the same level as the other four.

What is significant about those players is that they were either players struggling for game time in top teams in major leagues (TA) or they were players doing well in top teams in slightly less major leagues (DT, GP, VVD, SD and SA). All/most of them had experience of playing in winning teams and in playing against top European opposition.

For me this suggests we need to be looking at more players playing regularly at TOP teams (i.e. ones that qualify for European competition or equivalent) in Scotland, Belgium, Holland, France, Denmark, USA, Switzerland, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, etc.

Alongside this we can also be looking (as we have been doing with English sides) at those top young players struggling to break into the first team at TOP sides in TOP leagues: Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, At Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, etc.

So who are the top up-and-coming central defenders and strikers at Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, Club Brugge, Union St.Gilloise, Gent, Anderlecht, Celtic, Rangers, PSG, Marseille, Monaco, Copenhagen, Midtjylland, Silkeborg, Brondby, Zurich, Basel, Young Boys, Trabzonspor, Fenerbahce, Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Braga, Olympiacos, PAOK, etc.? I know we have looked at players at some of these clubs, but maybe we need to broaden our search?

Fully back this.

We need to stop pissing about changing formations, tinkering unnecessarily. 
Just go simple, back to basics, overthinking over and over again doesn’t work.

I’d love to see us go 4-3-3. Simple formation. Adams up top, another good CB, another good wise player and I think we’d be half decent.

[S-Clarke]

1 hour ago, SaintJackoInHurworth said:

I think this could well turn out to be almost prophetic after today's result! Ralph has certainly come out and said that we must sign better players. Maybe this will indeed raise the bar on the sort of signings we make in the next few weeks. Clearly, at the very least, we need both a decent striker and a decent central defender. I guess the question is how do we get such players? The clues to this may be in the signings we made under Poch and Koeman: Tadic, Pelle, Aderweireld, Van Dijk were all quality that we signed (or almost signed in Toby's case!) and maybe they should show us the way to sign quality. I suggest signing like Davis and Stu Armstrong are also decent examples, if not quite on the same level as the other four.

What is significant about those players is that they were either players struggling for game time in top teams in major leagues (TA) or they were players doing well in top teams in slightly less major leagues (DT, GP, VVD, SD and SA). All/most of them had experience of playing in winning teams and in playing against top European opposition.

For me this suggests we need to be looking at more players playing regularly at TOP teams (i.e. ones that qualify for European competition or equivalent) in Scotland, Belgium, Holland, France, Denmark, USA, Switzerland, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, etc.

Alongside this we can also be looking (as we have been doing with English sides) at those top young players struggling to break into the first team at TOP sides in TOP leagues: Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, At Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, etc.

So who are the top up-and-coming central defenders and strikers at Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, Club Brugge, Union St.Gilloise, Gent, Anderlecht, Celtic, Rangers, PSG, Marseille, Monaco, Copenhagen, Midtjylland, Silkeborg, Brondby, Zurich, Basel, Young Boys, Trabzonspor, Fenerbahce, Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Braga, Olympiacos, PAOK, etc.? I know we have looked at players at some of these clubs, but maybe we need to broaden our search?

I don't think we'll all of a sudden rip up the blueprint, we have targets and I'm sure those targets include the more 'experienced' and established players we need to add. 

I noticed Hudson-Odoi wasn't in the Chelsea team today, even with 9 subs. Not sure if he's injured or not, but if not that's quite telling. The guy needs to play, he'll get in our team every week and even offers the versality of playing wing back if required. 

So those are the sorts of opportunities that we'll see cropping up now in my opinion. The slight chink in our chances are Brighton, who are now flush with cash, and Chelsea wanting Leicester players who may be interested in those infamous 'swap deals'. Next few weeks will be interesting imo, for a change we're clearly going to be heavily involved in it.

[Give it to Ron]

4 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Fully back this.

We need to stop pissing about changing formations, tinkering unnecessarily. 
Just go simple, back to basics, overthinking over and over again doesn’t work.

I’d love to see us go 4-3-3. Simple formation. Adams up top, another good CB, another good wise player and I think we’d be half decent.

I think that’s it Ralph stop thinking he is a tactical genius he isn’t- if he thought playing Valery and Moussa 2 players he hardly played last year were the answer to our defence well !

Look at todays line up - we signed 6 players in summer yet 3 players who hardly got a kick under Ralph last year are now starting. Lost the plot.

[FarehamSaintJames]

Bazanu,
KWP, ABK/Stephens, Salisu, Perraud
JWP, Lavia, Romeu
Aribo, Adams, S. Armstrong

Redmond, A. Armstrong, Lyanco and Elyounoussi are competent squad players.

A better wide player, maybe another CB, sell Bednarek, Djenepo and Valery and that’s a decent window.

Edited 7 August, 2022 by FarehamSaintJames

[ecurnew02]

 

[SuperSAINT]

 

[AlexLaw76]

4 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

 

Bring him in, only to play RB or CF

[Appy]

5 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

 

He would be a fantastic signing, so he’ll end up at Leicester. 

[The Kraken]

He’ll play LWB instead of Djenepo.

[FarehamSaintJames]

5 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

 

Dreamy but can’t see it happening.

[SNSUN]

Top choices for CHO there. Saints or Leicester.  Would be a decent signing for us though. CHO and Aribo behind a decent new striker - we might actually beat some teams with that.

[pimpin4rizeal]

I think the most annoying thing with our business is the most obvious positions to strengthen at least to me were striker and number 10s we have spent 50 odd million and still haven’t really come close to solving the problems .. it’s all good saying we are waiting for deals near the end but it’s gonna cost us dearly in the meantime..

we need a prolific striker ready to go and a lallana/mane type number ten which we haven’t really got right since those two left 

[Pat from Poole]

Isn’t Hudson-Odoi on over £100k a week??

He’s not what we need. We need two strikers and a no-nonsense CB in ASAP.

[ecurnew02]

 

[FarehamSaintJames]

Just now, ecurnew02 said:

 

Wolves. 🇵🇹

[DT]

1 hour ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Fully back this.

We need to stop pissing about changing formations, tinkering unnecessarily. 
Just go simple, back to basics, overthinking over and over again doesn’t work.

I’d love to see us go 4-3-3. Simple formation. Adams up top, another good CB, another good wise player and I think we’d be half decent.

If he doesn’t fuck about with formations it exposes how bad a manager he is

[FarehamSaintJames]

1 minute ago, DT said:

If he doesn’t fuck about with formations it exposes how bad a manager he is

He’s a manager that’s been here for years. He still doesn’t know his best team. He doesn’t know his best players. He doesn’t know his own tactics, nor do his players.

He needs to go back to basics.

[saintscottofthenortham]

1 hour ago, Give it to Ron said:

I think that’s it Ralph stop thinking he is a tactical genius he isn’t- if he thought playing Valery and Moussa 2 players he hardly played last year were the answer to our defence well !

Look at todays line up - we signed 6 players in summer yet 3 players who hardly got a kick under Ralph last year are now starting. Lost the plot.

This is exactly my issue.

[saintant]

13 hours ago, DT said:

 

‘Love the morning positivity’

😂

Turns out it was nothing more than morning reality 🙂

[DT]

7 minutes ago, saintant said:

Turns out it was nothing more than morning reality 🙂

Quite. I was quoting him having a go at me for reporting a pundit suggesting we might be in trouble this season. And that Ralph wasn’t safe. 

[FarehamSaintJames]

10 minutes ago, saintant said:

Turns out it was nothing more than morning reality 🙂

Barrel of laughs 😅

Edited 6 August, 2022 by FarehamSaintJames

[saintant]

59 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

He’s a manager that’s been here for years. He still doesn’t know his best team. He doesn’t know his best players. He doesn’t know his own tactics, nor do his players.

He needs to go back to basics.

I'm hoping that basics is a small village in Austria.

[SNSUN]

Sesko has decided to stay at Salzburg this season rather than join United. I wonder if we're still interested in his strike partner Junior Adamu whom we were linked with earlier in the summer. May make it easier to get him if Sesko stays put.

[Billy the Kidd]

Everton lost Ben Godfrey to a broken leg, and Yeri Mina to something else.

Go on Frank, you know you want a Bednarek for £20m 😇

[Sunglasses Ron]

46 minutes ago, Billy the Kidd said:

Everton lost Ben Godfrey to a broken leg, and Yeri Mina to something else.

Go on Frank, you know you want a Bednarek for £20m 😇

They are desperate, not insane! 😃

[davefizzy14]

10 hours ago, SuperSAINT said:

 

Yes please!

[FarehamSaintJames]

He won’t come to us, not if bigger teams are sniffing around him.

[DT]

13 minutes ago, davefizzy14 said:

Yes please!

Not much chance he’ll come to us. The foreign options and Leicester must be ahead of us, unless there’s a Chelsea link we can squeeze

[Pilchards]

Callum Hudson-Odoi on the phone to both Ralph and Rodger’s.
 

Callum ‘Yeah I would be interested in signing for Saints as I have many ex team mates there.?’

Ralph ‘Can you also play centre back?’

Callum ‘Mr Rodger’s I’m on my way to you guys.’

 

 

Edited 7 August, 2022 by Pilchards

[FarehamSaintJames]

It would be very Saintsy to be linked with someone like CHO and then buy an unknown teenager from some obscure foreign league on the cheap, only for Ralph to not play him. 😂

[Neef]

We still need an established CB, badly so.

I'm happy with the ABK signing, but that needed to be an addition to a solid CB. Ralph clearly doesn't trust him to start, which is fine as he's young. But then we are still in the same position as last year - and have started the season with a back 3 of Salisu, Bednarek & Valery. We are playing 3 at the back to protect a weak core - but an established CB alongside Salisu would have solved that surely.

You compare it to CM, where Lavia is coming into the team with relatively little pressure because we already have two good & experienced players in JWP / Romeu in his position. Essentially, we aren't pinning our hopes on him having a great season as there are other players in his position who can step up.

[Dusic]

8 minutes ago, Neef said:

We still need an established CB, badly so.

I'm happy with the ABK signing, but that needed to be an addition to a solid CB. Ralph clearly doesn't trust him to start, which is fine as he's young. But then we are still in the same position as last year - and have started the season with a back 3 of Salisu, Bednarek & Valery. We are playing 3 at the back to protect a weak core - but an established CB alongside Salisu would have solved that surely.

You compare it to CM, where Lavia is coming into the team with relatively little pressure because we already have two good & experienced players in JWP / Romeu in his position. Essentially, we aren't pinning our hopes on him having a great season as there are other players in his position who can step up.

We need another CB but currently have 7 on the books.

We need to be able to shift some (and shouldnt have signed Lyanco on a perm)  before adding an 8th!

[Baird of the land]

We're not going to bring in another Cb unless there is an idiot who wants to buy the useless bednarek we are going to struggle to get rid of any of the current crop.

 

[FarehamSaintJames]

I could quite happily see Lyanco, Bednarek and Valery leave. All below average.

Leaving is with Salisu, ABK, Stephens and BUY A GOOD ESTABLISHED ONE!

[Appy]

Lyanco was one of the weirdest signings we’ve made in years and that’s saying something. 
 

[FarehamSaintJames]

4 minutes ago, Appy said:

Lyanco was one of the weirdest signings we’ve made in years and that’s saying something. 
 

Agreed. Enthusiasm and wackiness doesn’t make a player good, something which our fan base seems naive to sometimes.

I’d rather Stephens played over Lyanco. He’s got fight, passion and leadership and that makes up somewhat what he misses in ability.

[SNSUN]

32 minutes ago, Neef said:

We still need an established CB, badly so.

I'm happy with the ABK signing, but that needed to be an addition to a solid CB. Ralph clearly doesn't trust him to start, which is fine as he's young. But then we are still in the same position as last year - and have started the season with a back 3 of Salisu, Bednarek & Valery. We are playing 3 at the back to protect a weak core - but an established CB alongside Salisu would have solved that surely.

You compare it to CM, where Lavia is coming into the team with relatively little pressure because we already have two good & experienced players in JWP / Romeu in his position. Essentially, we aren't pinning our hopes on him having a great season as there are other players in his position who can step up.

This

[Turkish]

49 minutes ago, Neef said:

We still need an established CB, badly so.

I'm happy with the ABK signing, but that needed to be an addition to a solid CB. Ralph clearly doesn't trust him to start, which is fine as he's young. But then we are still in the same position as last year - and have started the season with a back 3 of Salisu, Bednarek & Valery. We are playing 3 at the back to protect a weak core - but an established CB alongside Salisu would have solved that surely.

You compare it to CM, where Lavia is coming into the team with relatively little pressure because we already have two good & experienced players in JWP / Romeu in his position. Essentially, we aren't pinning our hopes on him having a great season as there are other players in his position who can step up.

We’ve needed one since 2017, been a shambles at the back since then, still those in charge know better 🙄

[Appy]

4 minutes ago, Turkish said:

We’ve needed one since 2017, been a shambles at the back since then, still those in charge know better 🙄

Yep, haven’t had a decent centre back since Van Dijk got injured and Fonte left, five and a half years since we wouldn’t give Fonte a longer contract and he’d still walk into our team. 

Edited 7 August, 2022 by Appy

[Baird of the land]

23 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Agreed. Enthusiasm and wackiness doesn’t make a player good, something which our fan base seems naive to sometimes.

I’d rather Stephens played over Lyanco. He’s got fight, passion and leadership and that makes up somewhat what he misses in ability.

Disagree i'd rather see Lyanco in the first 11.

He wasn't a particularly odd signing given the Gao situation.

[AlexLaw76]

5 minutes ago, Turkish said:

We’ve needed one since 2017, been a shambles at the back since then, still those in charge know better 🙄

Hoedt - joke

Vestergaard - slow

Salisu - took a year to get into the side

ABK - No idea (but very cheap and very young)

 

Heaven forbid we sign players in this area more than the £15m price point

[sadoldgit]

27 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Agreed. Enthusiasm and wackiness doesn’t make a player good, something which our fan base seems naive to sometimes.

I’d rather Stephens played over Lyanco. He’s got fight, passion and leadership and that makes up somewhat what he misses in ability.

Stephens is no way good enough for the EPL. We brought on two players at half time yesterday who made the team worse. If I was a striker I would love to see Stephens name on the team sheet. He may have the various qualities you mention but he really isn’t a very good footballer at this level and for. CB is very poor in the air.

[Lighthouse]

4 minutes ago, Appy said:

Yep, haven’t had a decent centre back since Van Dijk got injured and Fonte left, five and a half years since we wouldn’t give Fonte a longer contract and he’d still walk into our team. 

Not this again. He was 33 when we sold him and we offered him a contract which would have taken him up to a few months shy of his 35th birthday. That’s fair, his star was waning and he really didn’t look much good at West Ham. As for walking into our team today; don’t be silly, he’s 38.

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Lighthouse said:

Not this again. He was 33 when we sold him and we offered him a contract which would have taken him up to a few months shy of his 35th birthday. That’s fair, his star was waning and he really didn’t look much good at West Ham. As for walking into our team today; don’t be silly, he’s 38.

but still better than those who immediately followed him

[Neef]

 

56 minutes ago, Dusic said:

We need another CB but currently have 7 on the books.

We need to be able to shift some (and shouldnt have signed Lyanco on a perm)  before adding an 8th!

Yeah, the squad is bloated. Re the CB's, I think the most damning statement is that if this takeover had come a year ago, we wouldn't have signed Lyanco, and Stephens wouldn't have signed a contract extension.

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Lighthouse said:

Not this again. He was 33 when we sold him and we offered him a contract which would have taken him up to a few months shy of his 35th birthday. That’s fair, his star was waning and he really didn’t look much good at West Ham. As for walking into our team today; don’t be silly, he’s 38.

To be honest I'd have him over Bednarek. 

The problem with the Fonte situation wasn't the contract as such, it was our ridiculous approach to not replacing him in that window. As a token we bought in Caceres but then didn't play him.

I would agree with others that we haven't had a 'leader' CB for many many years, that doesn't necessarily need to equal age and experience, but someone who can actually organise. There is talk about Bednarek and Stephens being experienced, but as defenders at this level they couldn't organise a defence if they were just defending 1 striker.

It doesn't matter how many talented young players you add to that mix if the base experience is so terribly bad. I do think we need an established CB to come in, but I just don't see how it happens unless we shift at least 1, but the problem is no one wants them as they're shit.

[Appy]

6 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

Not this again. He was 33 when we sold him and we offered him a contract which would have taken him up to a few months shy of his 35th birthday. That’s fair, his star was waning and he really didn’t look much good at West Ham. As for walking into our team today; don’t be silly, he’s 38.

His star was waning? But has continued to be picked in far better teams than us for years. 
 

While we’ve trawled through a continuous shower of shite of centre backs. 

[S-Clarke]

12 hours ago, ecurnew02 said:

 

Yep, it's Wolves.

They've had an offer in excess of £30m accepted. He's a Jorge Mendes client.

[Lighthouse]

48 minutes ago, Appy said:

His star was waning? But has continued to be picked in far better teams than us for years. 
 

While we’ve trawled through a continuous shower of shite of centre backs. 

Our sh*te recruitment is irrelevant with regards to Fonte. Undoubtedly we should have brought in better than the crap we did but Fonte was on his last legs in this league one way or another. West Ham fans were thoroughly unimpressed by him and when he last played here five years ago he spent most of the game chasing Gabbiadini’s shadow.

He has done well for himself in a much easier, lower paced league. Just like Tadic at Ajax or Juanmi in Spain. None of them would be playing like that here.