The Southampton Thread!

[Barcon]

This sums up FFP in a nutshell.
Major teams get bigger and bigger sponserships whilst the rest feed on scraps. No team has a hope of finishing in the top 4 now with exception of say 6 clubs. Its 2 leagues in one, the race for the title and CL and the rest hoping to stay up.
Teams that show promise ie Southampton, are asset striped by teams with the money.
There is little hope now for teams to compete with the big boys and we just got in before the doors slammed.

i dont think its got anything to do with ffp they have plenty of money, but there owner apparently doesn't even like football and is trying to make her money back, they are selling off all the clubs assets

It's not just about how much money the owners have, it's how much the club have and the level of their income. The problem Southampton would have faced is the salaries they would have needed to pay Lallana, Shaw, Lambert and the rest in order to keep them. All the players that have left will be on vastly improved wages at their new clubs, Shaw's salary has reportedly increased by about 5 million a season.

Nobody would be arsed about signing them if it wasn't for the homegrown quota.

 

[GHoddle]

I thought he was after one of them but I can't remember who. It wasn't one of the obvious ones though (I don't think).

Maybe he's not allowed? Can't imagine Levy giving him the run of the place, and he'd probably have to sell to buy anyway, either because of money, wages, or just to fit them in the squad.

In theory he has a better squad at Spurs anyway so should only be looking to replace any he wants out (eg Holtby) and to fill a gap or two.

You might be thinking of Schneiderlin, who he certainly wants.

We have a better squad than Southampton but we have some holes that need filling, specifically at CB, CM, and LW. I could see us getting a CB and maybe Schneiderlin if we sell a midfielder but that's probably about all that we'll do.

Is Sandro, Capoue, Dembele, Paulinho, Bentalab, Holtby, Eriksen and Chadli at a push not enough?

Well Holtby and Eriksen would play behind the striker, not in central midfield. Chadli is a winger.

So what we have is Sandro, Capoue, Dembele, and Paulinho. Sandro is injury prone and though I would like us to keep him it sounds like he may be sold. That leaves Capoue, Dembele, and Paulinho for 2 spots (and Bentaleb and Mason but both are young and may possibly be loaned out). I'd be quite happy to sell one of Dembele or Paulinho to bring in Schneiderlin.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

Chambers signs for Arsenal. Another one gone.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

 

[BigOscar]

Arsenal continuing to use Southampton as their youth academy. They don't like it when we do it to them though do they?

 

[superseiyan]

Arsenal continuing to use Southampton as their youth academy. They don't like it when we do it to them though do they?

Wow, all the attention is on 20M for Lovren but 16M for Chambers!!!

Perhaps I'm not taking inflation into account, because Mangala and Shaw are at 30M, so looked at from that perspective perhaps it's just the current market.

 

[CityFan94]

Southampton have an amazing budget now and, if invested properly, could actually strengthen on last season. Must be close to £80/90 million now? I'm not convinced that will happen though, pretty sure they have debts to pay off.

If they dont re-invest the money, they're serious contenders for relegation.

£16 million for Chambers, who wasn't in their strongest 11 last season, is good business IMO.

 

[supercity88]

Very interested to see what they do with the money and who they sign. Dutch players coming into this league have been hit and miss, as have players from the Dutch league in general. They also have a manager who hasn't done much and I wonder how he will handle the league. They've made good money from those players but it is unbelievable just how many have gone and there are still a few who might decide it is time for them to go as well. Still a few young players there who will hopefully get a chance and if they add the right sort of experience the will be fine.

 

[Blue Til Death]

I suspect that the full quota in the kitty will not be set aside for bringing players in, also, its about the wages players demand on top of the signing on fee that kills their budget. I hope I am wrong but I cannot see Southampton out of the bottom 6 next season.. They have cut away too much of the spine of the team in one hit and replacing them will be very difficult.. !!

 

[chris85mcfc]

I think Schneiderlin will be next out of the door, with mediocre replacements coming in

It's not as easy as you'd think to spend money well when you have it burning a hole in your pocket