08 Jul 2017 06:53:12
Any news of any incoming players? Feel like we need 3-4 players to make us stronger this season. With every other team signing players I think we should be signing is making me a tad nervous. Hopefully that little black box has got some players in it.

You can see why Ronald left with the spending power Everton have. Hopefully our new owners will be a generous.


1.) 08 Jul 2017
08 Jul 2017 08:41:07
Every other team signing players like they have money to waste. We have never rushed out decisions to sign players!

As for Koeman and Everton they have just pretty much received everything they have spent on players with the sell of Lukaku so the net spend is not even 15m now.


2.) 08 Jul 2017
08 Jul 2017 09:16:50
Just spending vast amounts of money would do what.? The last three years we have finished 6th - 7th and 8th, our youth policy is the correct way. We have brilliant Senior Management, they are again part of our strength.
Buying players is a small part of the cost, the wages of Mercenaries and Pre-Madonna players would lead to an unsustainable financial position.

Most Saints fans appreciate what we have. we are never going to compete with Chelsea - Man United - Man City and Tottenham. If we can become a thorn in their side, win and draw a few games against these and beat Liverpool consistently, that's "All Good"

We should live within our means, carry on producing great youngsters, buy a few 18-21 year olds that can be developed and one or two players as needed, not end up with a raft of players warming the bench on inflated wages for what.?

Take Loftus-Cheek, not sure if he will come on a years loan, but hope that we have some sort of Option to Buy or that he doesn't have too many years on his contract and that he ends up with us as per Ryan Betrand and Oriol Romeu

What would be wrong with this selection for 2017-18.?
Early Team Selection

Fraser Forster
Cedric Soares - Jack Stephens - Virgil Van Dyke (Captain) Ryan Bertrand
Oriol Romeu
Ruben Lotus-Cheek - Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - James Ward-Prowse
Sam Gallagher - Nathan Redmond
Manolo Gabbiadini

Reserves

Alex McCarthy (Still needs a new Plan B too)
Maya Yoshida - Sam McQueen
Steven Davis - Dusan Tadic
Charlie Austin - Shane Long.


3.) 08 Jul 2017
08 Jul 2017 13:40:53
Nothing wrong with that other than the fact you're starting 12 players. Also don't see why people seem to think Gallagher has earnt a starting spot, and still rate Yoshida over Stephens for sure.


4.) 08 Jul 2017
08 Jul 2017 14:32:08
I don't even think we need to make any signings unless players leave. loftus-cheek on loan would be a good shout though. He'll add a bit more "oomph" to midfield and he'll have a point to prove and be hungry for it.

Forster/ Mccarthy

Cedric/ pied
Van dijk/ Yoshida/ Stephens/ bednarek
Bertrand/ targett/ mcqueen

Romeu/ davis/ clasie/ ward-prowse/ hojbjerg + loftus-cheek

Boufal/ tadic (if he stays) redmond/ sims

Gabbiadini/ Austin/ long/ Gallagher

Maybe one more pacy addition on the wings or replacement for tadic if he goes, I don't think we look bad. We just didn't use these players properly last year and losing van dijk killed us a bit.


5.) 08 Jul 2017
08 Jul 2017 16:21:09
Shame - 12 players looked quite good. :-) )

Agree that it will be either Boufal or Tadic and with Tadic he goes missing. Boucle could become very good

Loftus-Cheek has been on my wish list for some time, can't see him going back to Chelsea because they have so many mid-fielders so if he enjoyed his football and we agreed a sensible figure as Bournemouth did with Ake it could work.

MP2 may have something special up his sleeve, and its usual to allow a manager a prodigal son!, whoever it is, needs to have goals in him, not necessarily an out and out striker but a creative offensive midfielder with 6-8 goals in him. Sort of a Steven Davis with goals in him.

Yoshida did well for us last year but he isn't going to displace VVD or Stephens as hardcore Central Defence with the excellent Soares on the Right, if Bertrand stays we have the rear guard on the Team list every game with Oriol Romeu locking down just in-front of them.

Pellagreno will then need to decide on who he prefers with the rest, hopefully Gabbiadini will be a starter and Redmond should push on. Just have a real good feeling about Sam Gallagher, we missed a Lambert/ Pelle player last year and hopefully he can make this his own.

Agree that we don't need many more players and the players that have to push for the right to win their place are:-
Boufal
Classie
Tadic
Long
Austin

Going to be a very interesting year. bring it on!


6.) 08 Jul 2017
08 Jul 2017 16:29:21
I agree milkysaint and I said before I really don't think we need anyone in this year. Yes it's exciting for us fans if new blood comes in but we haven't seen Boufal properly and VVD was out for a lot of last season. We need to continue developing our team from within like we have been a supporting promotion from the reserves into the first team squad.
I'm not expecting us to be busy this transfer window and if no senior first team players move on I would be quite happy with our squad. Callum Slattery has just signed a new contract and he will be knocking on the door of the first team squad if he has a good pre season.


7.) 08 Jul 2017
08 Jul 2017 23:25:47
I think Redmond is mediocre at best, and vvd will be sold. Need more goals from midfield for sure!


8.) 09 Jul 2017
09 Jul 2017 05:14:07
By not investing and getting in a few players that will challenge for first team places shows the club and star players that we are not moving forward. I may be wrong but vvd if he stays which is looking doubtful and we haven't brought in a fonte replacement. Romeu when he is suspended or injured we haven't got the oomph in midfield and tadic needs a rocket up his arse at times. I just think there's areas that need strengthening. It's nice to see optamism from saints fans but by bringing in a new manager and a young centre back is that enough for the season ahead? Not sure.


9.) 09 Jul 2017
09 Jul 2017 11:05:11
On the whole I like these ideas, the squad seems much stronger than it has done in previous windows, now that there is a stronger chemistry.
As for incoming players I like Loftus-Cheek but ideally we would sign another CAM to replace Tadic - who is far more consistent - such as Toornstra (14G,10A), Elyounoussi (10G,13A) or Armstrong (15G,7A), perhaps even more of an unknown like Alioski (16G,14A - Mané had 16G and 9A at a better team, same league) .

Otherwise our defence, holding midfield and forward line look good. Austin was topscorer last season for games played, whereas Redmond was top scorer in goals scored, so neither should be left out.