Summer 2017 transfer window

So yeah… this just happened. Fuck all that political shit. We have more important matters to discuss as grown ups.

I just read that _Sky Sources _‘understand’ that we are interested in signing Gylfi Sigurdsson. He would be a cracking signing and would add regular goals and assists from midfield and set pieces.

The fact that it makes perfect sense is precisely the reason why I doubt it will transpire. It just doesn’t feel like a ‘Saints signing’. He is already established and is 27. Not the usual youngster we can improve and flop for a profit. I doubt we’d be the only interested party either if Swansea succumb to the drop.

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I have never understood the need to pick over the bones of the relegated teams.

If they were not good enough to stay up with team A, B or C they are not good enough for us.

Depends how much we get for Tadic I suppose :lou_sunglasses:

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Only 27 ? He seems to have been around forever. He’d be a great signing and a realistic target. I’m sure he’ll have many suitors but I’d be surprised if there was any top six interest, so we’re in with a shout … if the story’s true

He must be feeling a bit disenchanted at Swansea nowadays and be contemplating what’s best for his career… No idea what he’s valued at … 10 - 12 mil ?

Typical, only just learnt how to spell Hjoyjjberk and now we’re after Siggertsun !!

Generally I would agree with you but not in this instance. Sigurdsson is a very good player. Swansea would already be down if it wasn’t for him. A mate of mine is a Swansea fan and he raves about him too.

If we signed him I wouldn’t be too upset if we moved Tadic along. Especially if it to one of the foreign sides (Juve, Napoli etc) who have been linked with him of late. Admittedly those links sound a little like agent talk to me.

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I’ve seen figures quoted as high as £35million! I’d hazard a guess it would be significantly lower than that in reality though.

£35m?

Crazy money.

A few seasons back I would have said £8m max, and that’s being generous.

Thought there were some rumours about this earlier in the season or Jan window.

Basically us WBA or Everton type of player never going to get much game time at a top 4 club.

The Star claim £15 million this morning. What’s £20 million between friends these days?

Think Everton will likely get him purely because they’ll throw more money at it than we would, but agree he’s a great player and seems a good pro (less aggro than Tadic behind the scenes).

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Yeah think the Bidding will get too hot on that bro tbh. I’d still go in heavy tho, even if only to fk Everton & drive the Price Up

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You’ve been watching too much storage hunters!!

Smashing buy though - and have been saying so for years. A proper goal scoring midfielder, who can pass to his mates who wear the same shirt in a position more up the pitch from where he is. If you get what I mean.

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That strike from Eriksen just now is exactly why we need a player who can shoot from range. Someone like Sigurdsson.

Goals out of nothing.

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Don’t think Sigurdsson will be coming to us(see @bearsy above). It’ll be someone younger, cheaper and possibly from France. Fast as well.

That should narrow the options a bit.

Any ideas?

Here’s an idea

Why doesn’t Kat sell to a Russian multi-billionaire and then just buy a world-class side and effectively buy the Premiership?

We,can then sell the current squad to some club that wants to play entertaining football but are happy with mid table mediocrity

Forget Leicester, that was a mistake the “big boys” won’t let happen again.

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That’s depressing @cobham-saint

We can’t win anything, so sell everyone to Liverpool?

Next season. Just wait till next season :lou_lol:

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OK, bear with me, as this is a bit long and I know this is probably a bit over the top (and I *may* have over-estimated a few of our players abilities), but I don’t think we are far from having a superb first eleven. The problems really occur when we start to rotate or get injuries and suspensions - and I don’t believe we are ever going to be a big enough team to keep sufficient quality players happy to sit on the bench until called upon.

For us to crack the top 4 we need a settled side with few injuries or suspension. A tough ask, but Leicester did it and I think we could have a better team than they had.

If I could pick a team I would like to watch then it would probably consist of:

GoalKeeper: Shotstopper who also commands his area HAVEN’T A CLUE (McCarthy possibly - jury still out on him, but not Forster)
Left back who can tackle and also be a winger CEDRIC
Right back who can tackle and also be a winger BERTRAND

Centre half who wins everything in the air but has great positional sense and comfortable with the ball at his feet VAN DYK
Centre half who picks up everything the other guy misses YOSHIDA

Midfield destroyer (who doesn’t get booked every game) ROMEO
Midfield goalscorer SIGURDSSON?
Midfield Playmaker WARD-PROWSE (at a push) or TADIC or BOUFAL (potential)

Forward Speed Machine who can also cross the ball and score goals REDMOND

Forward who defends from the front but scores lots of goals GABBIADINI

Forward who is a “fox in the box” and knows the offside rule HAVEN’T A CLUE (but AUSTIN at a push until we can find and afford better)

Of course Gabbiadini fits both of the latter roles, so what I am saying is we just really need 3 players:

A Goalkeeper (if McCarthy isnt up to it)

A goalscoring midfielder

A forward who can score goals and take some weight off Gabbiadini’s shoulders up front

That still leaves a bench consisting of

McCarthy (if replaced)
Hassen
McQueen
Pied (might as well give him a chance)
Stephens
Davis
Clasie
Hoijberg

2 from JWP, Tadic, Boufal
Gallagher
Long

With a few fringe players for which it is a “make or break” season (but will get on the bench if injuries and suspensions and if they haven’t gone out on loan):
Targett
McCarthy
Hesketh
Seager
Sims

That leaves a few to get shot of:

Get rid of

Forster
Rodriguez
Gardos
Caceres
Martina
Isgrove
Taylor
Gazzaniga
a handful of U18’s

Can’t see any money coming from any of those, bar Forster and Rodriguez

Further down the chain there’s a fewU23/U18’s to watch
Barnes (if he can overcome his injury problems, otherwise get rid)
Flannigan (if he can overcome his injury problems, otherwise get rid)
Olomola
Wood
Jones
Valery
Slattery
O’Connor
Vokins
Freeman
O’DRiscoll
Klarer
Johnson
Smallbone

Of course…this isn’t allowing for any of the players we would like to keep wanting to move on and throwing a spanner in the works…

(and cudos to any of you who actually bothered to read all the way to the end…lol)

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I agree. He doesn’t fit the profile. Mainly because he has already played in the Premier League and because I have actually heard of him.

I believe we could do with someone LIKE him though. With long rangers in his locker.

Davis cannot shoot for shit, Tadic doesn’t appear to want to try, Redmond is an 18 yard boy at best and JWP can only hit them when it ain’t moving. Even then he has only ever scored the one free kick for us. Bizarre given the hype of his deal balls.

Boufal seems to be our best hope in this regard but he is too busy farting around and running in circles to shoot from distance.

It looks to be an interesting summer ahead. There are quite a few players in my opinion (Gardos, Martina [a certainty as he is out of contract], Rodriguez [as much as it pains me to give up on him but Puel isn’t getting the best out of him] who we should look to move on but once added to the inevitable two or three that you don’t want to lose, it will look like another fire sale. At least that is how the media will spin it.

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Considered piece on why we won’t sell VVD to Scousehampton

Voted down as touch screen and big fingers B x3 nothing else

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