Sekou Mara - Official: Signs for Strasbourg

[Lighthouse]

Okay, bye then. Thanks for the er… pass against Leeds.

[Midfield_General]

Over £10m for Mara - who saw that coming? Not cut out for English football, good to draw a line under it and get a very decent fee. 

[Toadhall Saint]

Bon chance mara - wish you all the best at Strasbourg 

[Give it to Ron]

Good luck to him just not suited to English game

[Turkish]

Will go down in history as the first players whose mum made more of an impact on the fans than he did.

[Benali Saint]

Id hope that we have included a sell on clause, just incase he lives up to any potential he has

 

[bpsaint]

Thank god for that. Him and Che gone in the same window, lovely stuff.

Always said he’ll end up at some mid to lower league French side as that’s his level.

£10.2 mill is a great bit of business whoever negotiated that.

[Sheaf Saint]

I really wanted to believe there was more to come from him, but it wasn't to be. He has some talent, but without the necessary application that's not enough.

Some of his 'performances' last year were just unforgiveable. Was it against Coventry when he came on as a sub and basically just jogged around near the halfway line doing literally nothing.

Clearly not cut out for English football, but I hope he goes on to have a decent career in France. 

[AlexLaw76]

“There’s a player in there”

😂

[saint francis]

3 minutes ago, bpsaint said:

£10.2 mill is a great bit of business whoever negotiated that.

This.  Sold him for pretty much what we paid it would seem.  

[hypochondriac]

This is just superb business for us. Either it gives us some FFP breathing room or it frees up some funds for more players. My sense is we are almost done bar a possible winger and hopefully keeper. Maybe a lb if kwp goes. 

[Jack]

Lazy fucker. Good riddance 

[SambaMaverick]

35 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

I really wanted to believe there was more to come from him, but it wasn't to be. He has some talent, but without the necessary application that's not enough.

Some of his 'performances' last year were just unforgiveable. Was it against Coventry when he came on as a sub and basically just jogged around near the halfway line doing literally nothing.

Clearly not cut out for English football, but I hope he goes on to have a decent career in France. 

That could apply to the majority of his games with us

[Whitey Grandad]

36 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

“There’s a player in there”

😂

Just as there’s a thin person inside every fat one.

[Patches O Houlihan]

18 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

Well Mara is an outstanding player. I mean literally - he’s out, standing in the middle of the pitch.

That's not fair. Sometimes he manages a brisk walk.

[gammon cheeks]

Au revoir et merci putain x

[Turkish]

54 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

“There’s a player in there”

😂

Remember that Leeds pass!!! 🤣

[Midfield_General]

Dan Nlundulu. Michael Obafemi. Sam Gallagher. Steve Basham. Paul Moody. Frankie Bennett. 

Sekou Mara. 

[skintsaint]

How much.......

[pingpong]

10 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Remember that Leeds pass!!! 🤣

To be fair, he scored a beauty against the best team in the country...

 

 

 

[Midfield_General]

Is this how Monaco felt when we signed Carillo?

[Midfield_General]

9 minutes ago, pingpong said:

To be fair, he scored a beauty against the best team in the country...

 

 

 

Love that the second highlight on that video, literally the second best thing he did that season, is slicing it high and wide and out for what looks like a throw-in 🤣

Edited 21 August, 2024 by Midfield_General

[Patches O Houlihan]

20 minutes ago, pingpong said:

To be fair, he scored a beauty against the best team in the country...

 

 

 

Anybody who watched that and thought - "Yes, that's the guy for us" really needs to question their recruitment credentials! 😁 We have had their pants down good and proper to sell for over £10m.

[Charlie Wayman]

2 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

Okay, bye then. Thanks for the er… pass against Leeds.

Bit uncharitable. He didn't fit but that's not a reason to take the piss. 

[Wade Garrett]

Any chance they could pay another £10m for Bazunu!

[S-Clarke]

We've had some pretty bad forwards, he's up there. 

The fact we've got £10m for him, and he's paid for a new GK, is absolutely bonkers and amazing business.

[Osvaldorama]

Wouldn’t even start for my Saturday team. 
 

Shambles of a player. 10mil is absurd business. Amazing work by Saints to get that money, bordering on fraud 

[hypochondriac]

I know that rasmus' relation owns that football site where clubs put what they have available and for sale. I wonder if saints and Chelsea are on it? If so makes sense how we were able to arrange the lesley loan so quickly and then they've seemingly helped us to sell Mara to their feeder club. 

Edited 21 August, 2024 by hypochondriac

[Holmes_and_Watson]

30 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

I know that rasmus' relation owns that football site where clubs put what they have available and for sale. I wonder if saints and Chelsea are on it? If so makes sense how we were able to arrange the lesley loan so quickly and then they've seemingly helped us to sell Mara to their feeder club. 

Interesting. Adds another angle to datasets, recruitment and growth of the club's all buying into a shared resource.

[hypochondriac]

6 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Interesting. Adds another angle to datasets, recruitment and growth of the club's all buying into a shared resource.

It's how we got the THB loan last year. It would make absolute sense for a team like Chelsea to have a loose partnership with a smaller club in the same league. Yes we are technically competitors but not really. 

[Sevvy]

1 hour ago, Wade Garrett said:

Any chance they could pay another £10m for Bazunu!

We would have to pay them to take Bazunu.

[Midfield_General]

1 hour ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Bit uncharitable. He didn't fit but that's not a reason to take the piss. 

Quite right, we should all follow your lead and show the utmost respect to all our players at all times. Not like this guy:

On 18/08/2024 at 11:00, Charlie Wayman said:

Bloody McCathy cost us the bloody match, he should never be seen in a Saints shirt again. If this is the best we can do for a goalkeeper then somebody up top needs effing sacking. 

 

[santolijador]

1 hour ago, hypochondriac said:

I know that rasmus' relation owns that football site where clubs put what they have available and for sale. I wonder if saints and Chelsea are on it? If so makes sense how we were able to arrange the lesley loan so quickly and then they've seemingly helped us to sell Mara to their feeder club. 

Most, if not all of the prem are on it these days. It has been a disruptor in football tech and now has over 700 clubs (including the major clubs in pretty much every important league) and at this point clubs are in the minority to not have some presence on it, if nothing else to browse opportunities. 

I don't doubt that with the Rasmus connection we were one of its first more active users in the prem, given that when SR came in, it wasn't as popular or well known as it is now. 

From what I know, it has been quite useful post-brexit to put South American and other international/non-EU players in shop windows. It is also quite big in Brazil, which might explain some of our signings this summer as well.

[hypochondriac]

3 minutes ago, santolijador said:

Most, if not all of the prem are on it these days. It has been a disruptor in football tech and now has over 700 clubs (including the major clubs in pretty much every important league) and at this point clubs are in the minority to not have some presence on it, if nothing else to browse opportunities. 

I don't doubt that with the Rasmus connection we were one of its first more active users in the prem, given that when SR came in, it wasn't as popular or well known as it is now. 

From what I know, it has been quite useful post-brexit to put South American and other international/non-EU players in shop windows. It is also quite big in Brazil, which might explain some of our signings this summer as well.

Thanks for the post. I think we can infer that the signings done on that system  could well be the ones from foreign leagues that are done very quickly with seemingly little back and forth - like Fernandes for example. It certainly makes things simpler and gives you access to players that you may not have been aware of. 

[Saint Fan CaM]

Good luck Mara…Hope you find your mojo cos’ you certainly didn’t have it here.

[Miltonaggro]

Used to hold forth at SMS last season about Mara with the old boy sitting directly in front of me.  As he said, he looked to have everything you'd want in a forward athletically, but no end product, like there was a missing link.  I'll remember the lad as a frustrating player, that crucial WBA playoff semi at the Hawthorns a standout example, but he's young enough to build a good career.  Wish him well, but delighted we've essentially recouped the outlay.   

[davefizzy14]

Good luck to Mara, wish him all the best 👍 £10.2m for him is excellent business. 

[beatlesaint]

5 hours ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Bit uncharitable. He didn't fit but that's not a reason to take the piss. 

You say that Charlie old son but that sub appearance he made towards the end of last season, everyone knows the one, was one of the most pathetic, lacklustre, couldn’t give a shit performances I have ever seen ! Lack of ability is one thing, if you put in the effort there is a “but”. In his case there wasn’t, and RM should never have picked him again.

Will not miss him one little bit.

[Mr X]

8 hours ago, Midfield_General said:

Over £10m for Mara - who saw that coming? Not cut out for English football, good to draw a line under it and get a very decent fee. 

Sullemana is another one not cut out for English football I feel 

[Dark Munster]

So long Sekou, and thanks for all the goals.

[SaintNewForest]

Genuinely cannot believe we've robbed £10m for him ... deal of the century (for us), and no refunds allowed. 

[Convict Colony]

Interesting that Chelsea initiated this purchase rather than Strasbourg, they just can't stop signing young players, will be interesting to watch as they do have some young promising players at Strasbourg.

And absolutely we use transferoom, I've posted links from their website where we breakdown how we've used it for Charly, THB as mentioned above.

[david in sweden]

Players like Mara, Sulemana and even Alcarez are not bad players, but being young, suddenly  adapting to another formation, and 

in this case " Russ ball " is a new phenomenon and it takes time to adjust ...and failing that they quickly become " square pegs". 

 

All " new managers "..(and we've had a few of those in the last 5 years) have their own tactics and ideas and sadly ..for every player

" ..if your face don't fit " ....you've got one foot out of the door.   Moyes' purchase of JWP was a signal that he understood the player's

talents and skill,  but WHam's new manager has other ideas.  Historically, some of our best Academy products have had to find new clubs,

not because they are " sub-standard " in any way, but simply because the incumbent in their role was quite simply... " irreplaceable".

 

The dominance of Ryan Bertrand meant that players like Reed and Targett were all forced to leave if they wanted to get first team football

(and succeeded) whilst the likes of Sam McQueen might have been a replacement for RB.... had he not suffered a career-ending injury. 

The timing of such events are often the "make-or-break" periods for some,   in what is often ... a relatively short career.

 

Many of us doubted a future for Mara given the "wandering role" he frequently displayed in games when he often seemingly " disappeared"

for long periods, but in those better moments he showed us that .." there is a footballer in there somewhere ".

Having returned to his homeland, he may feel more settled, and if his career "skyrockets " and he ends up in a French international squad

at some future date, I won't be entirely surprised.    Au revoir Sekou. 

 

[hypochondriac]

Sekou Mara is never getting into a France squad unless the current French squad, the French B team and the under 21s drive off a cliff simultaneously. Even then it will be close. 

[Dellyears]

10 hours ago, SaintNewForest said:

Genuinely cannot believe we've robbed £10m for him ... deal of the century (for us), and no refunds allowed. 

Agree he never fitted here and needed to go but with the right manager and style of play he may become a winner...I hope he turns the page and does brilliantly

[Holmes_and_Watson]

2 hours ago, david in sweden said:

Players like Mara, Sulemana and even Alcarez are not bad players, but being young, suddenly  adapting to another formation, and 

in this case " Russ ball " is a new phenomenon and it takes time to adjust ...and failing that they quickly become " square pegs". 

 

All " new managers "..(and we've had a few of those in the last 5 years) have their own tactics and ideas and sadly ..for every player

" ..if your face don't fit " ....you've got one foot out of the door.   Moyes' purchase of JWP was a signal that he understood the player's

talents and skill,  but WHam's new manager has other ideas.  Historically, some of our best Academy products have had to find new clubs,

not because they are " sub-standard " in any way, but simply because the incumbent in their role was quite simply... " irreplaceable".

 

The dominance of Ryan Bertrand meant that players like Reed and Targett were all forced to leave if they wanted to get first team football

(and succeeded) whilst the likes of Sam McQueen might have been a replacement for RB.... had he not suffered a career-ending injury. 

The timing of such events are often the "make-or-break" periods for some,   in what is often ... a relatively short career.

 

Many of us doubted a future for Mara given the "wandering role" he frequently displayed in games when he often seemingly " disappeared"

for long periods, but in those better moments he showed us that .." there is a footballer in there somewhere ".

Having returned to his homeland, he may feel more settled, and if his career "skyrockets " and he ends up in a French international squad

at some future date, I won't be entirely surprised.    Au revoir Sekou. 

 

 

2 hours ago, Dellyears said:

Agree he never fitted here and needed to go but with the right manager and style of play he may become a winner...I hope he turns the page and does brilliantly

Well said. There are loads of players who have spent time in the PL, it's not been fantastic for any party involved, and who have done perfectly well elsewhere. I hope he does well. It's a little nod to our scouting, if he does, too.