January 2023 Transfer Window

[hypochondriac]

21 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

To be fair the point is that in August Ralph was saying we were going to sign a first team striker. He wasn't saying "we've done that, its Mara, he's the striker we've signed".

Everything about Mara at the time was about him being one for the future, absolutely not that he was the striker we were promised.

 

Exactly. 

[david in sweden]

8 minutes ago, Baird of the land said:

I don't necessarily have an issue with create more chances for Che.

What i do find bizarre is why we won't recall Tella if a youngish pacey wide man is the desire.

Tella has been impressive enough at Burnley, so let's get him back and help keep us up.....

and then Burnley can come back in the summer and buy him - if they want to.

[Chez]

11 minutes ago, Barsiem said:

So do you never anticipate how a signing might do?  Or whether we may win a game or not? Or where we may finish in the league at the start of a season?  That's all the rate the transfer thread is. An anticipation on how saints will do based on the signings we made (or didn't make). Yes we can all be completely wrong (although I still think we strengthened in the summer transfer and therefore has a decent window, hanging onto Ralph was the real issue) but the anticipation of where the club is going is pretty much the only joy we get as fans at the moment.

Fair point. I should have got involved in that thread and will do next time.  It was a very hard window to rate then. We were very active, so that's a plus, but lots of youngsters that made it hard to anticipate how they and we would do. 

[hypochondriac]

11 minutes ago, Chez said:

Fair point. I should have got involved in that thread and will do next time.  It was a very hard window to rate then. We were very active, so that's a plus, but lots of youngsters that made it hard to anticipate how they and we would do. 

That's a fair comment. I don't think there's anything wrong with giving an immediate reaction at the end of a window. It's not a definitive opinion, just like it's annoying if someone calls a signing underwhelming when they sign and they get accused of writing someone off. 

[miserableoldgit]

14 minutes ago, david in sweden said:

Tella has been impressive enough at Burnley, so let's get him back and help keep us up.....

and then Burnley can come back in the summer and buy him - if they want to.

I thought that players who were impressive in the Championship weren't good enough for us.....

[egg]

17 minutes ago, Chez said:

If we can get a decent striker, bring him in. If we can't, then in my opinion it's no bad thing to bring in a talented attacker to create more chances. I'm not saying one is better than the other, I'm saying if one is not possible then do the other. You just want to pigeon hole to give you someone to argue with.

I state this regularly, we need better quality in every position. 

I have no issue of a plan B of more creation if we don't address plan A of getting a better finisher in. If that was your view too, it didn't read that way. 

No wish to argue mate, I just pointed out that I thought your opinion strange - don't be upset at being questioned, it's a forum.

[egg]

Just now, miserableoldgit said:

I thought that players who were impressive in the Championship weren't good enough for us.....

Tella is, Bree isn't, Armstrong was but isn't now, Che wasn't but then was but now isn't. I think. 

[miserableoldgit]

2 minutes ago, egg said:

Tella is, Bree isn't, Armstrong was but isn't now, Che wasn't but then was but now isn't. I think. 

Ah.....I understand. Thank you.

[egg]

1 minute ago, miserableoldgit said:

Ah.....I understand. Thank you.

It'll be different next week, check back in for an update! 

[FarehamSaintJames]

6 minutes ago, miserableoldgit said:

I thought that players who were impressive in the Championship weren't good enough for us.....

I found it funny back in the summer when people were saying Tella wasn’t good enough for us despite never really putting a foot wrong.

Now he’s gone and having a good season he’s the best thing since sliced bread. 🤣

[wild-saint]

4 minutes ago, egg said:

Tella is, Bree isn't, Armstrong was but isn't now, Che wasn't but then was but now isn't. I think. 

Although Tella In the PL wasn’t impressive IMO and Bree who has been impressive in the championship hasn’t ever actually played in the PL so it’s hard to predict how he will do. Agree with the other two though.

[Chez]

6 minutes ago, egg said:

I have no issue of a plan B of more creation if we don't address plan A of getting a better finisher in. If that was your view too, it didn't read that way. 

No wish to argue mate, I just pointed out that I thought your opinion strange - don't be upset at being questioned, it's a forum.

I'm certainly not upset, it's a bloomin web forum, just stating my position.

At the start of the window I suggested that ings was the only real answer to our problems. I'm not daft, I know we need goals, but I also know signing players is tough, so tend to cut the management some slack. Maybe too much. Hopefully Mara will get the goals instead. If he doesn't, we are fucked.

[Chez]

7 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

I found it funny back in the summer when people were saying Tella wasn’t good enough for us despite never really putting a foot wrong.

Now he’s gone and having a good season he’s the best thing since sliced bread. 🤣

Never putting a foot wrong? He was a non entity in some games and absolutely turd in some games. His first touch was horrific. No where near good enough. Glad he's playing well, but by and large he was a complete let down last season when we had hoped he would step up. 

[egg]

13 minutes ago, wild-saint said:

Although Tella In the PL wasn’t impressive IMO and Bree who has been impressive in the championship hasn’t ever actually played in the PL so it’s hard to predict how he will do. Agree with the other two though.

It was tongue in cheek to be fair. Bree may be ok, and having been underwhelmed initially, he deserves a chance and will hopefully step up if and when needed. 

[egg]

7 minutes ago, Chez said:

I'm certainly not upset, it's a bloomin web forum, just stating my position.

At the start of the window I suggested that ings was the only real answer to our problems. I'm not daft, I know we need goals, but I also know signing players is tough, so tend to cut the management some slack. Maybe too much. Hopefully Mara will get the goals instead. If he doesn't, we are fucked.

It was a misunderstanding mate. I took your comment to mean that you favoured a creator over a finisher 👍

[Baird of the land]

19 minutes ago, wild-saint said:

Although Tella In the PL wasn’t impressive IMO and Bree who has been impressive in the championship hasn’t ever actually played in the PL so it’s hard to predict how he will do. Agree with the other two though.

I'd argue Tella was erratic in the prem. Last year against Brighton he was very good but other games he was quiet. Personally i put a fair amount of that down to how Ralph was using him & that we are seeing him thrive at Burnley.

[Lord Duckhunter]

12 hours ago, DT said:

Trouble is, this is now the model for clubs like ours. Scout well and get profit. 

Yes I long for the old days  where we kept hold of players like Steve Williams, Alan Shearer, Mark Wright, Danny Wallace, Rod Wallace, Tim Flowers, Jeff Kenna, those were the days. Before the big clubs came along and nicked all our best players. 

[OldNick]

13 hours ago, Golac's Cunning Stunts said:

I'm probably bitter, but i don't feel sorry for the at all. brings back memories of when we used to get raped by the likes of arse-anal,

Brighton can always bring this guy back when he is way past his best and looking for a final pay check

The owner as far as Im aware made his money from gambling, so I have no time for him at all

[Raging Bull]

1 minute ago, OldNick said:

The owner as far as Im aware made his money from gambling, so I have no time for him at all

I thought he made it in telecoms/broadcasting etc?? 

[Lee On Solent Saint]

1 minute ago, OldNick said:

The owner as far as Im aware made his money from gambling, so I have no time for him at all

Well, he is certainly gambling with the clubs future that is for sure

[OldNick]

44 minutes ago, wild-saint said:

 

 

3 minutes ago, Raging Bull said:

I thought he made it in telecoms/broadcasting etc?? 

Ah, I thought he was with one of the gambling things

[a1ex2001]

3 minutes ago, wild-saint said:

Although Tella In the PL wasn’t impressive IMO and Bree who has been impressive in the championship hasn’t ever actually played in the PL so it’s hard to predict how he will do. Agree with the other two though.

Also tella is free and zero risk if he doesn’t work out we have lost nothing, any other championship player particularly a forward is a risk as many of them turn out to be not quite good enough!  

[Gingeletiss]

1 hour ago, david in sweden said:

Tella has been impressive enough at Burnley, so let's get him back and help keep us up.....

and then Burnley can come back in the summer and buy him - if they want to.

Has anybody thought, that we may not be able to recall him. Not all season long loan deals have a January recall written in. Just saying.

[OldNick]

8 minutes ago, a1ex2001 said:

Also tella is free and zero risk if he doesn’t work out we have lost nothing, any other championship player particularly a forward is a risk as many of them turn out to be not quite good enough!  

With all due respect, we are risking PL safety, so it is a gamble. I dont think he set the world alight.

In other news Everton are now after the Coventry forward

[Chez]

2 minutes ago, Gingeletiss said:

Has anybody thought, that we may not be able to recall him. Not all season long loan deals have a January recall written in. Just saying.

You'd think Jones' would have just stated that when he was asked if Tella would be returning. 

 

[S-Clarke]

7 minutes ago, Gingeletiss said:

Has anybody thought, that we may not be able to recall him. Not all season long loan deals have a January recall written in. Just saying.

We own him, so ultimately we have all the power to decide where he stays. There would likely be financial consequences for us, i.e. we'd have to pay Burnley back any loan fee they gave us, but other than that it's entirely our call.

We have probably decided it's best to let him continue his development there, so we either have an accomplished Championship player next year or we are able to get a decent fee for him (2nd most likely I'd have thought).

[Give it to Ron]

All this chat about Tella ….we need a centre forward I am absolutely baffled why this is so hard to get one better than the poor quality we have!

not one in whole of Scandinavia, Asia or Europe better than Adams or Armstrong who can play down middle.

Its like we know but we are not getting one we know better !

[baggytrousers]

Meanwhile it’s being reported that we may be in with a serious chance of getting Sulemana 

https://insidefutbol.com/2023/01/28/rennes-leaning-towards-selling-southampton-target/592943/

if that happens you can forget Tella. 

[The Kraken]

There was a release clause, it was reported on before Xmas. Tella just didn’t want to come back, and who can blame him.

Not sure what Tella would add. When he burst onto the scene he looked raw but bags of promise. Towards the end of his stay here Ralph started using him through the middle, and he just didn’t look at all cut out for it. He played central up front in pre season and looked poor. Whether he’d have developed if he’d been given the Adam Armstrong role, who knows, but it’s spilt milk under the bridge, he’s not coming back this window.

[Dman]

Our issue isn’t creating chances so to speak, it’s actually taking them. 

Che isn’t and never has been a strong enough finisher to play as a lone striker. He wastes far too many chances, at least 1 big “he should be scoring that” a game. Outside the top 6/7 teams, no one in this league is good enough to waste the chances we do.  

It’s no surprise that our best runs of form have been when we have a striker taking their chances, Ings / Broja. 

With the way we are playing under Jones, deep block and counter, we simply need to find a clinical striker. 

Im not sure a ‘forward’ to create more for Che is a sensible approach. Che is a likeable bloke and box to box is brilliant, but if want to stay in this division, we simply have to place him with someone more clinical.

Those suggesting Tella are blinded by a half decent run in the championship playing for a cracking team. He’s been tried in the Pl and much like other we’ve signed, Armstrong / Adams, isn’t good enough at this level. His time at Burnley is perfect as it’ll give him some much needed experience (and evidence he is good enough at that level) in the championship and/or tempt Burnley to give us a decent wedge for him. 

[Dman]

Just now, The Kraken said:

There was a release clause, it was reported on before Xmas. Tella just didn’t want to come back, and who can blame him.

Not sure what Tella would add. When he burst onto the scene he looked raw but bags of promise. Towards the end of his stay here Ralph started using him through the middle, and he just didn’t look at all cut out for it. He played central up front in pre season and looked poor. Whether he’d have developed if he’d been given the Adam Armstrong role, who knows, but it’s spilt milk under the bridge, he’s not coming back this window.

He had bags of potential but no end product. He’s basically a winger version of Che. 
 

If we want to stay up, we need to stop littering our squad with championship players. We’ve got far to many already. 

[S-Clarke]

8 minutes ago, Dman said:

Our issue isn’t creating chances so to speak, it’s actually taking them. 

Che isn’t and never has been a strong enough finisher to play as a lone striker. He wastes far too many chances, at least 1 big “he should be scoring that” a game. Outside the top 6/7 teams, no one in this league is good enough to waste the chances we do.  

It’s no surprise that our best runs of form have been when we have a striker taking their chances, Ings / Broja. 

With the way we are playing under Jones, deep block and counter, we simply need to find a clinical striker. 

Im not sure a ‘forward’ to create more for Che is a sensible approach. Che is a likeable bloke and box to box is brilliant, but if want to stay in this division, we simply have to place him with someone more clinical.

Those suggesting Tella are blinded by a half decent run in the championship playing for a cracking team. He’s been tried in the Pl and much like other we’ve signed, Armstrong / Adams, isn’t good enough at this level. His time at Burnley is perfect as it’ll give him some much needed experience (and evidence he is good enough at that level) in the championship and/or tempt Burnley to give us a decent wedge for him. 

I can't help but lose faith if the club see Adams as a number 9, to anyone with an ounce of footballing knowledge you can see that he's the supplementary forward in a pair (the 2nd player being the clinical, number 9 type). Adams will do all your ugly stuff, run the channels, hold off players, make space etc, but ultimately he has never really been what I'd class as a goal scorer and the club shouldn't see him as one. As I keep saying, we're hanging a decent player out to dry by trying to force him to be someone he's not.

Armstrong is cut from exactly the same cloth - which is why we now play him from wide left in a 3. Adams could arguably do a job in those sorts of roles as well.

The links to wingers concern me as whilst they are needed, it's both we need - but if there was a choice, number 9 would win. - so based on our only link being a wide man, it concerns me as we are still seemingly looking at Adams as being our 9, he's not. We had our most success with two proper number 9's - Broja and Ings, with Adams supporting them. That's what got us goals. Adams up top on his own never has and never will equal goals, I just wish they'd stop trying to convince us (and probably themselves) that he's a number 9. He's a modern day Brett Ormerod I'd say.

All teams need an Adams sort of player, but they need to be paired with clinical players otherwise their work goes unnoticed and they're the ones getting the headlines for missing chances.

Edited 28 January, 2023 by S-Clarke

[Weston Super Saint]

4 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

You know we will most likely get a winger in at the last minute (although I'm not discounting the possibility that we get no one) and then see a load of fluff about us not panicking and about how we had always planned for this scenario and everything has gone to plan. The reality is that the failure to get someone earlier has probably already cost us points. 

What a novelty it would be if they actually told us what the 'plan' is, rather than this bullshit line they trot out when everyone can see things are going to ratshit.

I guess they don't want to publish the 'elastic' plan so no-one can judge whether it's been achieved or not amd they can keep shifting the goal posts to keep fooling themselves 🤷‍♀️

[Fabrice29]

22 minutes ago, The Kraken said:

There was a release clause, it was reported on before Xmas. Tella just didn’t want to come back, and who can blame him.

Not sure what Tella would add. When he burst onto the scene he looked raw but bags of promise. Towards the end of his stay here Ralph started using him through the middle, and he just didn’t look at all cut out for it. He played central up front in pre season and looked poor. Whether he’d have developed if he’d been given the Adam Armstrong role, who knows, but it’s spilt milk under the bridge, he’s not coming back this window.

I'm led to believe this is not quite the case. Tella and Southampton both feel there's no point coming back to be part of the squad when he's on an upward trajectory at Burnley right now. As has been pointed out and is obvious to anyone with a brain, being good (not prolific, not outstanding) in the Championship is at best on par with what we already have here. All parties (including Burnley) will review it again at the end of the season. 

Edited 28 January, 2023 by Fabrice29

[Weston Super Saint]

35 minutes ago, Gingeletiss said:

Has anybody thought, that we may not be able to recall him. Not all season long loan deals have a January recall written in. Just saying.

True.  Some have 'send back' in January clauses in them - hi Janny B 👋

[FarehamSaintJames]

1 hour ago, Chez said:

Never putting a foot wrong? He was a non entity in some games and absolutely turd in some games. His first touch was horrific. No where near good enough. Glad he's playing well, but by and large he was a complete let down last season when we had hoped he would step up. 

You could argue the same about Broja aside from his purple patch mid season though. Most just gloss over the fact he didn’t turn up for the final three months of the season. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Tella would’ve been a decent squad player going into this season but given how poor we’ve been he’s be close to starting compared to some of the crap we’ve had to

endure.

[saint michael]

There seems to be a sympathy for Ralph now that he didn’t get the experienced striker in. Didn’t he say at the forum that he didn’t rate experience and it was more about attitude and application?

I don’t think we are going to shell out now for experience. More likely to be someone along the lines of Bree that Jones knows and buys into or another in the more expensive version of Mara who will be a long shot of being any better than we have. 
 

I think it feels so late again that whoever it might be will be underwhelming and almost certainly not the answer to the problem we have. 

[VectisSaint]

46 minutes ago, Gingeletiss said:

Has anybody thought, that we may not be able to recall him. Not all season long loan deals have a January recall written in. Just saying.

Tella has turned down the option to return (I read somewhere). You can't recall a loanee unless the player and the other club agree. I don't think we will see Tella in a Saints shirt again, he has fitted in well at Burnley, playing for a manager who rates him and the team will be in the PL next season. Ralph messed up Tella. It's not like Tella owes Saints anything, he was an Arsenal academy player, not ours. Shame because I think he will be good going forward.

[Roo1976]

click bait................so were not anywhere nearer signing a forward then?........................................just asking in case there were very good rumour's to be had....................apparently not it seems...........

[Chez]

42 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

You could argue the same about Broja aside from his purple patch mid season though. Most just gloss over the fact he didn’t turn up for the final three months of the season. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Tella would’ve been a decent squad player going into this season but given how poor we’ve been he’s be close to starting compared to some of the crap we’ve had to

endure.

Without wanting to go over the whole Broja thing again, I'm not sure you can compare the impact Tella made with Broja. 

I had no issue with him going out on loan. Quite frankly he was not up to standard last season and a loan made sense. However, playing wingers would have been a better fit for him. 

[Grim Reaper]

https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-southampton-agree-personal-terms-with-kamaldeen-sulemana-as-talks-advance/

[Miltonaggro]

54 minutes ago, saint michael said:

There seems to be a sympathy for Ralph now that he didn’t get the experienced striker in. Didn’t he say at the forum that he didn’t rate experience and it was more about attitude and application?

I don’t think we are going to shell out now for experience. More likely to be someone along the lines of Bree that Jones knows and buys into or another in the more expensive version of Mara who will be a long shot of being any better than we have. 
 

I think it feels so late again that whoever it might be will be underwhelming and almost certainly not the answer to the problem we have. 

If that’s the choice I’d take a Mickey Evans over an Augustin Delgado right now.

[Turkish]

NATHAN Jones admitted latest Saints target Kamaldeen Sulemana would “add potency to anyone” but stopped short of confirming the club’s interest
 

one goal in 17 games 🤣🤣

[Toadhall Saint]

19 in 75

[Miltonaggro]

2 minutes ago, Turkish said:

NATHAN Jones admitted latest Saints target Kamaldeen Sulemana would “add potency to anyone” but stopped short of confirming the club’s interest
 

one goal in 17 games 🤣🤣

Maybe he was referring to being shagged by him. Long, dark, nights in the valleys…

[Colinjb]

Another winger. Oh good. That's what we need.

Edited 28 January, 2023 by Colinjb

[SaintsFan86]

8 minutes ago, Turkish said:

NATHAN Jones admitted latest Saints target Kamaldeen Sulemana would “add potency to anyone” but stopped short of confirming the club’s interest
 

one goal in 17 games 🤣🤣

Potency isn't just directly goals scored by the player, you can measure it in many ways, His pace, ball carrying and bringing away defenders all add up to potency up top.

Edited 28 January, 2023 by SaintsFan86
Mistake.

[ally_uk]

Should just recall Tella and sign a striker.... 

Who is making such silly decisions ..

[Baird of the land]

2 hours ago, a1ex2001 said:

Also tella is free and zero risk if he doesn’t work out we have lost nothing, any other championship player particularly a forward is a risk as many of them turn out to be not quite good enough!  

Yep. Ohh wait instead we're potentially looking to blow over 20M on some raw young player struggling to score many in french league.

[SNSUN]

1 minute ago, Baird of the land said:

Yep. Ohh wait instead we're potentially looking to blow over 20M on some raw young player struggling to score many in french league.

Where have I *cough*Guido*cough* heard that before...