Summer Transfer Thread and Gustavo Cisneros Type Rumours.

[Vegas]

For us not to sign anyone else would be a huge optimism sapper. A missed opportunity and an inadequate response to selling Grealish.

Yeah, I agree with that. Glaring weakness in the team not fixed, and very contradictory to the statements about pushing for Europe this year. You don’t push on from 11th to 6th with negative net spend.

[Monty]

I have this sneaking suspicion that Dean isn't all that worried about the midfield, and wants to play basically a game based on winning the ball high up the pitch with four attackers. It's not what I'd do, but it's what I suspect we'll see when Bailey and Watkins are back starting.

[Clark W Griswold]

We as fans can see it so why can't the club?
Summer 2018, we all knew that we were left painfully short of centre backs by Bruce. We were shite until Smith came in and we had new manager bounce. Then we went off the boil again but Smith signed 2 centre backs who contributed greatly (Mings moreso) to that run at the end of the season which got us up.
Summer 2019, everyone was calling for another striker despite all the good business we'd done. I will admit that i wasn't one of them but was wrong. We looked short in a number of areas that season in the end but not least with firepower. First thing we did in Jan was panic buy a CF which didn't work out. We scraped it by the skin of our teeth.
Summer 2020, we were one short again, another creative player. We felt that El Ghazi and Trez weren't offering a lot and if Grealish was out for any period we'd have a problem. El Ghazi suprised us by having a half decent season but Grealish did get injured and we did struggle, we could have done with that extra quality creative player and may have finshed a few places further up if we had. First thing we did this summer was buy that player.
Summer 2021, we need a top quality DM, maybe even another combative midfielder in additon and here we go again.

It'll hold us back big time this season, i agree with Ozzjim that we could be in a sorry position come mid October. I don't think Smiths job will be in danger at that point but once we have an easier run of games if he doesn't start clawing it back who knows. Depends maybe on who's decision it is not to bolster the midfield. The ownership have got us back to an established PL side and given us our pride back but the ambition they've spoken about so often has been sadly lacking since the euros and the Grealish situation. It looks at the moment like we're happy to stand still.

[PaulWinch again]

For us not to sign anyone else would be a huge optimism sapper. A missed opportunity and an inadequate response to selling Grealish.

Yes agree. It’s an issue with the signings we’ve made, because I think they’re all excellent, but to not use this opportunity to address the gap in midfield is pretty poor.

[aj2k77]

We're nowhere near a top 4 side and the problem is for every season that's ''consolidation'' and looking like going nowhere it's another season where your better players think the grass might be greener elsewhere.

Buy a centre mid and stop fucking around with players out of position.

[Monty]

Here's a write-up from Hampshire Love last year on the system I'm guessing Smith wants to implement:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hampshirelive.news/sport/football/football-news/strengths-weaknesses-hasenhuttl-system-southampton-4203343.amp

Aside from anything, what a reminder as to how shite our own local media coverage really is.

[sickbeggar]

If a DM doesn't arrive I think it will be Smith's decision undoubtably and he thinks we can carry on playing the same way without ratboy, missing the point that it didn't work without him. He took a hell of a lot of pressure off the likes McGinn & Co defensively because the opposition targeted him. Now they don't. Likewise the whole tempo of our games relied on the fouls committed on him. Whatever the attributes of his replacement(s) they don't add that to the defensive side of our team.

[Clark W Griswold]

We're nowhere near a top 4 side and the problem is for every season that's ''consolidation'' and looking like going nowhere it's another season where your better players think the grass might be greener elsewhere.

Buy a centre mid and stop fucking around with players out of position.

Yep, that's the other problem. Say we finish the same as last season at best and some of Europes top clubs come sniffing around Martinez. Then we're already on the back foot next summer trying to address the massive hole that he would leave.
Get into European competition and all of a sudden Martinez thinks it might be good to stick around, and you build on it.

[Goldenballs]

I think the owners would be fairly happy with the same position as last year, Mings has said himself that would be a success and I agree.

The preseason was a bit of a shambles, losing our best player, a few new signings, injuries, potential covid isolation issues, AFCON.

[Goldenballs]

And there's no way we get into Europe with Smith as manager, in my opinion. Far too limited. But that's a different issue which has been discussed loads already.

[RamboandBruno]

Sanson seems to have been written off because of some meh performances when he first arrived then injury. Perhaps the management that scouted him, signed and watch him train, think differently and think he could be a player for us. Perhaps with the way Smith likes to play, with three in the middle, two wide and one up top, he thinks with McGinn, Luiz, Ramsey, Sanson and Nakamba as back up, he has enough. Perhaps, he also thinks he can play Ollie and Ings, with one of Bailey, El Ghazi, Buendia or Traore in Support.

It’s far to early in the season to be panicking and talking about fearing for Smith in regards to his job. What club in the right mind would think along those lines, even if we lose the next two, when he’s had half his best players out.
From the teams we played, I hoped for 7 points, if you told me that would be 4 I would of been disappointed/concerned. If you told me that would be 4, with Bailey having 30 mins, Traore and Watkins having less, and McGinn and Mings missing one of three games, I would of probably taken the 4.
I think we’ll probably lose to Chelsea, no real shame in that, so Everton who have started well, if we have a relatively full team to choose from is more of a marker.

[Drummond]

If a DM doesn't arrive I think it will be Smith's decision undoubtably and he thinks we can carry on playing the same way without ratboy, missing the point that it didn't work without him. He took a hell of a lot of pressure off the likes McGinn & Co defensively because the opposition targeted him. Now they don't. Likewise the whole tempo of our games relied on the fouls committed on him. Whatever the attributes of his replacement(s) they don't add that to the defensive side of our team.

Yet Buendia for one had the highest number of tackles (or was it interceptions) yesterday. Showing how we are stronger defensively than with Ratboy. The plain facts of the matter are that we haven't been close to starting our best side yet. Bailey will make a big difference I'm sure, as will Watkins. That will immediately take the pressure off the centre of midfield too.

Last season with Luiz and McGinn we were fine. When Grealish was out we struggled with Traore Barkley, and AEG. This season we will have Buendia, Bailey and Ings. The difference in quality looks so much better to me.

[brontebilly]

Sanson seems to have been written off because of some meh performances when he first arrived then injury. Perhaps the management that scouted him, signed and watch him train, think differently and think he could be a player for us. Perhaps with the way Smith likes to play, with three in the middle, two wide and one up top, he thinks with McGinn, Luiz, Ramsey, Sanson and Nakamba as back up, he has enough. Perhaps, he also thinks he can play Ollie and Ings, with one of Bailey, El Ghazi, Buendia or Traore in Support.

It’s far to early in the season to be panicking and talking about fearing for Smith in regards to his job. What club in the right mind would think along those lines, even if we lose the next two, when he’s had half his best players out.
From the teams we played, I hoped for 7 points, if you told me that would be 4 I would of been disappointed/concerned. If you told me that would be 4, with Bailey having 30 mins, Traore and Watkins having less, and McGinn and Mings missing one of three games, I would of probably taken the 4.
I think we’ll probably lose to Chelsea, no real shame in that, so Everton who have started well, if we have a relatively full team to choose from is more of a marker.

It's a much better performance we are looking for against Chelsea. Unlikely we will get any points but some signs about how the team is likely to setup for the rest of the season would be great. A front three of Bailey/Ings/Watkins with maybe Luiz/Nakamba/McGinn behind them and we already look much better.

[Drummond]

I'd stick Buendia in that instead of Nakamba.

[sickbeggar]

If a DM doesn't arrive I think it will be Smith's decision undoubtably and he thinks we can carry on playing the same way without ratboy, missing the point that it didn't work without him. He took a hell of a lot of pressure off the likes McGinn & Co defensively because the opposition targeted him. Now they don't. Likewise the whole tempo of our games relied on the fouls committed on him. Whatever the attributes of his replacement(s) they don't add that to the defensive side of our team.

Yet Buendia for one had the highest number of tackles (or was it interceptions) yesterday. Showing how we are stronger defensively than with Ratboy. The plain facts of the matter are that we haven't been close to starting our best side yet. Bailey will make a big difference I'm sure, as will Watkins. That will immediately take the pressure off the centre of midfield too.

Last season with Luiz and McGinn we were fine. When Grealish was out we struggled with Traore Barkley, and AEG. This season we will have Buendia, Bailey and Ings. The difference in quality looks so much better to me.

I just don't think an opposing team targets someone like Buendia the same way as ratboy. it's not the tackles i'm talking about, its the fact he drew 2/3 players around him and the respite we received when one of them inevitably fouled him.  Looking at his stats last season the nearest I can get to what i'm talking about is Duels won = 231. As for the fouls we all know the stats on them, but those two factors inevitably helped us defensively because he was taking the pressure off our midfield.