Southampton Rumours Archive August 02 2013

02 Aug 2013 19:34:01
Some interresting news from last year,

Southampton came really close to signing Jack Rodwell who obviously ended up at City. It even went as far as him coming to the training ground.

We were also very serious about signing walcott on an end of contract deal and Theo himself expressed some interrest.

Deals for Davide Astori, Jack Butland & Alex Buttner but we were never interrested in Jermaine Lens & Coutinho was never even slightly interrested.

This year we have tried to sign Erik Lamela, Damiao & Ever Banega & believe it or not actually enquired about Alexi Sanchez.

Management feel a deal for Lamela may be dead but the other two may still happen but they want to see more of ward prowse & mayuka before they start negotiations ( see MP's comments about negotiations happening when we want & may not have room for these players)

Doesnt really help as to who we will sign but I found this interresting & shows our ambition as a club.

I think some may say we are too ambitious but although we've missed out on a few, so have the big clubs & our ambition has helped us get some good quality.

Happy to reveal my source if Ed says I can without this post getting deleted?

If this is true then it really is interesting.
Does suggest we are not going to get anyone else which I genuinely believe will cause us serious problems in the season. We need a striker and an attacking midfield. We don't get these we run the risk of trying to walk the ball into the net. again.

Sensible post that sounds extremely likely. Nice to hear something reasonable for a change.

You confused me when mentioning lamela! You say it could get reignited depending on mayuka and ward prowse erfomances, but what about the current state of the damaio deal, you dodnt mention the currrnt state offf that! I do believe you but the walcott point for example is probably true but stuff like that happens all the time agents and players know about interest more often than not before the clubs so we have probably contacted loads of players si while I agree I doubt it ever got past the point of them seeing If he would be willing to talk to us

^ you read the post wrong. He doesn't say reigniting for lamela, he is talking about banega and damiao

Interesting post, but all this "news" has already been referenced over the last twelve months and was the most probable out of all the information!
Don't see that it suggests we will not sign anyone else. There will be a host of players who will not be allowed to commit until their current clubs secure replacements. I would still anticipate two significant first team players to be added (and maybe one or two to the under 21s/18s. )

Saint Martin

Absoloutely!. i'm not saying I know everything but I believe these to be true. The Damiao deal is still alive as is the banega deal but MP believes the squad may be too crowded as he has high hopes for ward prowse. The options were buy banega & send JWP out on loan or save the money on banega & keep JWP. a lot of people would be suprised as to how highly JWP is rated. The Damiao deal is similar. Do we need to spend £20-£25m on a striker if Mayuka can be as good as we think he can
Management are just being proffesional and sensible with developing & staying loyal to who we already have but buying where we need too
We're in a lot more control than we think & there is a hell of a lot of thought going into these deals

Couldnt care less who we were after last season!

Pochettino said he was interested in Coutinho though? In an interview he said he admired him and had tried to bring him in. From memory think it was after the Liverpool game at home last year.

Apart from that your post makes perfect sense. But the Coutinho bit does make me question the legitimacy of the rest of your post.

No, I said Coutinho was never interrested, we were interrested in him. It was supposed to be a double signing with Astori.
I meant we were never interrested in Lens.
My fault, it doesn't read very well

I read the post that Coutinho wasn't interested in signing for us, not the other way round. So spot on there

Above, your not saying anything new.

JWP has has always been thought high of for many years now, and is just developing more and more each year! This though would not stop us bringing in a midfielder as the midfielders will be changing over during the games all season long, and any talented high profile midfield will only give players like JWP someone to learn from!

Also we are not a club who will be looking to save here and spend there! We don't need to, and the ambition is bigger, and as long as NC can justify it as he has said it will happen. The club is look at moving forward to Europe in the best way, and if talent takes us there and develops younger talent then they will buy. NC is being prudent not penny count or offsetting! If the player is there they want at the right price they will but him!

As for Mayuka this guy is for the future, though a little more will be expected of him now, and MP is clearly pushing him, and he may just deliver this season! But the club will not gamble on its future this much, if a top quality striker wants to come to Saints at the right price. So don't be surprised on an undisclosed fee in the region of 20 mil!

Further to my earlier post I notice Gervinho has been sold to Roma. Could this have any link to the future of Lamela? Maybe/maybe not-but it may be an example of the point I was making reference clubs wanting to secure a player before they let any go.

Saint Martin

The club have no interest in loyalty. They want the best team their budget can accommodate. To say anything else is daft. I read this as saying the management are evaluating all the players to see where the need is. Our squad is not too big if we want a cup run.

I would of loved coutinho, he's been such a talent for a long time, finally showing great skill and quality for liverpool. But that boat has sailed.

Would much prefer Lamela over Damiao, I think he's two times the player. Needs a little more refinement but has so so much more talent and potential.

Damiao for 10m yes, for 20m odd no thanks

Aha I see what you mean RE coutinho. Apologies for my jumping the gun.

Thanks for clearing up. Good info, cheers.

We don't need another attacking midfieldier fgs we have gaston who needs to play as much as he can to improve, jayrod who if we sign damaio which we our alll hopfull of will probably compete with gaston at cam or go rw with puncheon were he played several times last year ad steven davis mayuka we don't need banega end of

I agree mate, i'd love to sign lamela but tbh I think that deal is dead!

Im personally really excited to be a saints fan. I've been a fan for 30 years & can honestly say this is the most promising period I have had the opportunity to enjoy.
Go on lads! Give it a crack

Stay positive. & believe in Gaston! This kids got unlimited potential

We only scored 3 goals in the last 6 premiership games; whoever thinks we don't need another striker is clearly deluded!

I agree completely reference Gaston, but he has yet to produce his potential for Saints for a full game every week, and he will suffer from international duties next season as well.

Saints do need his sort of flair to unlock defences, as well as a forward threat that will convert the chances made.

I see few posts saying because we have RL we don't need another forward, and I feel it is the same with Gaston. Whether it could be Banega/ Lamela or someone else, time will tell but the club are obviously looking for someone like that and I expect we will sign someone shortly.

Saint Martin

Unlimited potential? He only manages 45 minutes!
Hope I'm proved wrong.
Jrod will be the long term replacement for SRL. He isn't an attacking midfielder even though he gets played there now n then.
And to those who said we don't want Banega.
Watch him play. He is class and would walk in the first team.
As a season ticket holder looking back on last season the 2 main things we lacked last season were stability at the back ( something that improved as the season went on) and a lack of creativity in the middle of the park.

Gervinho has gone to Roma. Could Pablo Osvaldo On way out. maybe

I agree with every word the poster above me said. We need depth. We don't have enough in key positions.
We lack creativity and goals.
To say we don't need banega is ridiculous. You need to watch the bloke and you'll see just how much we could do with him.

Worries me that we even if we get new people, it will take a long time for them to bed in. Something we don't have if we want to do better than last season

What a load of tosh, especially walcott and rodwell, theo had no intention of leaving Arsenal, and certainly wouldn't drop to Southamptons level

Rodwell wasn't even at Arsenal. Get your facts right.

No one said Rodwell was at Arsenal.

02 Aug 2013 14:21:58
I have limited information here but a source I have based in Portugal informs me that Southampton are close to taking two players from Sporting Lisbon on free transfers. I don't know who the players are but apparently Sporting are desperately trying to get us to pay compensation like we did for Steven Davis from Rangers but are pretty much resigned to losing them to us.

How many more times do I have to say we won't be signing any more players this year no money left in kitty.

How and why is there no more money left in the clubs transfer fund?

To the second poster, you look ridiculous posting that on here. Swim home. Everyone knows we have the money available.

Even if we didn't. at what point did they say. oh good lord. those two players we were going to get. we can't get them. I looked in my wallet and its empty.

The club has millions left in the transfer fund. These are also free transfers. Learn to read.

Say it as many times as you want it's still rubbish there's plenty of money they just won't spend it unless its justified. And as your not the club accountant or anything for that matter can you just stop posting your negativity is giving me diabetes.

Suspect it might be youngsters to add to the Academy!

Eric Dier and Armindo Tue Na Bangna.

Again I quote from my previous post, we will not get anyone else in unless its a loan deal or free transfer. NC will not just buy in anyone for the sake of it, In Jan he will asses the situation and performance of the team and then act. I know this as my work colleague had lunch with him at the end of last season.
For all you out there saying we do not loan in players, you have short memories, NC is a hard business man and he knows what he wants.

There is no such thing as a free transfer, signing on fee's wages can cost millions. we aren't as most seem to think on here a rich club. we have a benifactor. NC has to balance the books or will find himself out of work. part and parcel of being someone's plaything unfortunately.

Both of the transfers being mentioned would be free transfers in this post. Plus we clearly are looking to splash on a striker.

All the people who think us building a new stadium is all made up are wrong. Nicola Cortese in a major interview about 2-3 years ago said that he wanted to move to a new stadium as St Marys would not be suitable for development. I know loads of you don't believe this but if you investigate you will find out just how true it is. He wants corporate facilities attached to the site i. e. hotel, conference centre etc. He is a business man and knows the income this can generate. I don't know for sure but the Ford site would be good however I remember the objections when we wanted to build a 25,000 seater stadium a few years ago in Eastleigh so think we might struggle to get the planning permission.

Currently the option is being explored to buy up land near St Mary's. The costs have come down since St Mary's was built so it is feasible to expand now but it could harm attendance figures while the expansion is being done.

This will never happen and that is one of the reasons they will not expand St. Mary's because if they do they would never get it completed in the close season thus seriously affecting attendances. He will build a new stadium and only move into it once it is completed, the exact same way as the Arsenal. This man NC is super motivated. Wait for the big signing this week I am convinced it is going to happen.

Just for the record the Ford factory is not in Eastleigh. It's 100% in Mansbridge. The Motorway is the dividing line.

The objections to the Stoneham stadium where because they effectively proposed to build on greenbelt land between the two built up area's. Eastleigh Council at one point suggested that if they where to move there they would have to change the name of the club!

You live and learn. Point accepted.

Why was it always known as Eastleigh airport then, just curious.

01 Aug 2013 23:10:34
Was speaking to the official saints photographer last night and he said that we are still after a Brazilian and Italian midfielders for £26 million & £27 million not to sure of there names. He also said they are happy with chambers as cover for clyne as he did really well in pre season.

I'm presuming that isn't two midfielders rather a Brazilian something and Italian midfielder.

However this is clearly bull****. We're going to spend £75 million on 4 players in one transfer window? Cortese does his business on what's called a sustainable business model, something you have clearly never heard of. Be real, we're rich, but we're not stupid.

Sorry but watts (photographer) would not share this info. Yes it is a rumour site but please post something credit worthy

You know Paul? He doesn't even acknowledge this conversation and has literally just text me to say that every thing is done through JS (media officer) at the last minute.

Why shoot me down? I'm only relaying the info that was said to me.
I think he actually said that it was an Italian forward for £27m

When would the photographer be in the know. he would just be told to show up for work and be as surprised as the rest of us. POPPYCOCK

I am guessing that IF this has any truth to it the two players are Leandro Damiao from Brazil and Erik Lamela from Roma in Italy - and the fees are 26 million and 27 million Euros - not £ pounds.

But I doubt the clubs official photographer would say this to anyone unless he was just repeating rumours he'd heard

Besides there have been rumours about Saints interest in both players all Summer

An Italian with a Brazilian more like.

Maybe a little more believable if it was £26m for a Brazilian forward (Damiao), but more likely £21m and £7m for an Argentinian playing in Spain for Valencia (Banega)

Euros/£s why split hairs. Like I said only saying what he told me. Plus he done just turn up and go when told he is with the squad all the time. He even showed me pics on his iPhone of him walking on the hot coals with the team. He even went out with drinks with team on there day off.

Your missing the point. irrelevant of whether he is with the team all the time on pre-season he is no more in the know than the average joe on the street. If he did leaked information then his job would be at jeapody for squealing. I'm sure he a bright enough lad and keeps quiet about potential signings if by a miracle he did find anything out

MP: Hey photographer, can you please come take some photos of us while we are talking about transfers?

You having a laugh mate, you just saw what he has on his twitter page and looked at the conversations he had with the rest of the media team.

No mate I saw him in person at my sons football match the other night as they play in the same team. Why would he make things up? What else would you like to know about pre season?