[tommcneill]

A part of me wonders whether the club would have such bottle to bleed in our academy prospects..

You have to give credit to Southampton - they have a brilliant academy - an academy that bailed them out when they were in financial trouble and played a large part in getting them to where they are know. If Lallana and co go then you will bet your bottom dollar that the likes of Ward-Prowse, Sam Gallagher and others play a more prominent role.

It would be nice for our club to have a similar academy that could constantly produce players who are capable of stepping into the first team.

The talent is out there its finding it. Southampton have an outstanding academy they keep on producing

[gerry m]

Man United have signed Luke Shaw for around £33million.

Well you have to give credit to Southampton who have raped Man United there. United could have shopped abroad and made two or three defensive additions getting far greater value for money and could still have had some loose change available. Whilst I like what I've seen of Luke Shaw, he's had 12 good months and doesn't deserve a deal worth £100k a week or such an inflated transfer fee - but of course, he's English and therefore any common sense with money goes flying out the window.

Adam Lallana also looks like joining Liverpool in a figure being touted at around £26million. There is always a clamour for clubs to play English players but when you see figures like those being thrown around then I often remain thankful that our club employs such few English players.

Always amazes me when young English players go for this sort of money. Southampton must be virtually crying with laughter.

[wbako]

Man United have signed Luke Shaw for around £33million.

Well you have to give credit to Southampton who have raped Man United there. United could have shopped abroad and made two or three defensive additions getting far greater value for money and could still have had some loose change available. Whilst I like what I've seen of Luke Shaw, he's had 12 good months and doesn't deserve a deal worth £100k a week or such an inflated transfer fee - but of course, he's English and therefore any common sense with money goes flying out the window.

Adam Lallana also looks like joining Liverpool in a figure being touted at around £26million. There is always a clamour for clubs to play English players but when you see figures like those being thrown around then I often remain thankful that our club employs such few English players.

£27m + for a left back, albeit a quality one, is utterly farcical.

I really hope we shop around this transfer window. There's great quality to be found in central america; players who would cost a fraction of what you have to pay for Brits. 

[LiamTheBaggie]

Always amazes me when young English players go for this sort of money. Southampton must be virtually crying with laughter.

Liverpool look set to purchase Adam Lallana for £26million.

Man City bought David Silva for £24 million - Lallana isn't fit to clean his boots.

One of the best left backs in world football was sold to Chelsea for £5million when that player was entering his prime - a case is argued that he should have been at the World Cup above Luke Shaw.

Jordi Alba - an ever present for Barcelona and Spain was signed for £11.5million from Valencia at the age of 23.

Cesar Azpilicueta joined Chelsea for £6.5million at the age of 22. He is a right back who kept both Ashley Cole and Ryan Bertrand out the Chelsea side featuring regularly at left back.

Marcel Schmelzer an ever present for Borrussia Dortmund was signed on a free transfer in 2005 at the age of 17.

Above are full backs who are far greater than Luke Shaw but just because of his nationality and his age the market has gone crazy.. If I had more time I'm sure I could find even more left backs who are better than Luke Shaw but cost a fraction of that price.

[Atomic]

Liam I agree with what you say about ridiculous overpricing.

The only thing I will say is I think Luke Shaw is very, very good and has the potential to be the best left back in the world, he has everything in his game.

As I say, totally agree with overpricing of English players per se.

[Foster#1]

Michu close to signing for Napoli.

[Standaman]

I do not understand what is going on at Liverpool or Man United to pay these sort of fees which by any sort of rational analysis are twice what the players might be reasonably worth. On a smaller scale the £8m shelled out by Hull for Snodgrass and Livermore is equally bizarre. My conclusion is there is no or little value to be had in the English market at Premier League level other than free agents.

From the Southampton perspective last year's team is being picked clean I think Lovern is also being linked with a move away. Equally the money will absolutely not be reinvested in players (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26813363) and even if it were there is very little prospect of them bringing in players of the quality that are leaving and any player that they are interested in the price has just gone up.

Strangely enough nobody wins the seller loses players they probably can't replace the buyer is paying over the odds and the player is saddled with a fee they will always struggle to justify and in some cases that pressure will contribute to them being the next expensive flop. The whole transaction is just utterly stupid.

[Foster#1]

Hull have completed the signing of Snodgrass from Norwich.

Swansea signed a young defender from Falkirk called Stephen Kingsley

[lewisant]

Bony of Swansea has suffered a double leg break and is out for 18 months. Wonder if they were looking to sell what with Gomis coming in. Either way, huge blow for them.

[addy]

Bony of Swansea has suffered a double leg break and is out for 18 months. Wonder if they were looking to sell what with Gomis coming in. Either way, huge blow for them.

Think that was a made up rumour.

[Ska-dForLife-WBA]

Can't find any confirmation of a Bony injury from mainstream news sources or Swansea themselves.

[royhan]

Can't find any confirmation of a Bony injury from mainstream news sources or Swansea themselves.

I have also checked their fans forum and there is nothing to suggest Bony has been badly injured. People shouldn't post wild statements like this without any supporting evidence.

[lewisant]

Think that was a made up rumour.

Oh wow, I swear I saw Swansea's twitter post it! Bloody twitter with its idiotic users setting up fake "official" accounts. Felt genuinely sorry for him!  Why would somebody make that up? Bizarre!

[Aixelsyd]

Oh wow, I swear I saw Swansea's twitter post it! Bloody twitter with its idiotic users setting up fake "official" accounts. Felt genuinely sorry for him!  Why would somebody make that up? Bizarre!

is this what you saw?

https://twitter.com/Swans0fficial?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.redcafe.net%2Fthreads%2Fwilfried-bony-suffers-double-leg-break-out-for-18-months.393195%2F&tw_i=486191202396823554&tw_p=tweetembed


interesting that the link contains a reference to a Man Utd site

[WBAinDEVON]

Man U signed up with Adidas then

[BobTaylor]

Bojan signed for the stokies  quality pick up if he can regain some of that form of few years ago was suppose to be bigger than neymar at 16.

[addy]

Bojan signed for the stokies  quality pick up if he can regain some of that form of few years ago was suppose to be bigger than neymar at 16.

Big if though, been pretty average last couple of seasons. Hence the signing for Stoke

[Dan]

Bojan signed for the stokies  quality pick up if he can regain some of that form of few years ago was suppose to be bigger than neymar at 16.

For the right price he's worth a gamble. He's been desperately poor for some time though, the fact Ajax didn't want to keep him on in Eredivisie says a lot. Royston Drenthe is probably a good counterpart, won player of the tournament at the under 21 euro's in 2007, got a big money move to Real Madrid and was considered one of the brightest talents in the world yet at 27 his career has regressed to the point Reading are struggling to get rid of him.

It'll be interesting to see what the fee actually is. I'd say anything below 5m is worth a gamble but anything above that would be overpaying for a guy who's done nothing for a few years now and is far more likely to join the list of players that never fulfilled their potential than he is to become the player he looked like he might have been.

[leeiswba]

Think he has scored 12 goals in 3 and a half years or something like that.

[addy]

Think he has scored 12 goals in 3 and a half years or something like that.

Wonder if the Mirror will mention that

[gerry m]

Wonder if the Mirror will mention that

If he'd signed for us it would be front page news

[WBAinDEVON]

After reading most premier league teams message boards it would appear we are one of the favourites for the drop amongst other supporters.

for me its going to be Burnley, Leicester and Swansea

[Hull Baggie]

I think a few sides that did well last season will struggle i.e. Palace and Soton. Please correct me if I'm wrong but neither seems to have strengthened since last season and Soton have lost 3 of their first team with at least another 2 looking to go (Schneiderlin and Loveren)  yet they only seem to want to pursue Fraser Forster from Celtic.

While Palace have only got in a goalkeeper from Blackpool and Fraser Campbell yet let one of their better midfielders (Dikgachoi) go to Cardiff.

I think relegation will be between Burnley, Leicester, Hull, QPR, Palace, Villa, Sunderland and Swansea with Soton, Stoke, West Ham, Newcastle and Us making up the rest of the table from 8th down (in no particular order)

[BobTaylor]

I think a few sides that did well last season will struggle i.e. Palace and Soton. Please correct me if I'm wrong but neither seems to have strengthened since last season and Soton have lost 3 of their first team with at least another 2 looking to go (Schneiderlin and Loveren)  yet they only seem to want to pursue Fraser Forster from Celtic.

While Palace have only got in a goalkeeper from Blackpool and Fraser Campbell yet let one of their better midfielders (Dikgachoi) go to Cardiff.

I think relegation will be between Burnley, Leicester, Hull, QPR, Palace, Villa, Sunderland and Swansea with Soton, Stoke, West Ham, Newcastle and Us making up the rest of the table from 8th down (in no particular order)

palace will never struggle just simply for the fact of who there manager is.

[Albionic]

Burnley, Villa, Hull,
Will in deep do-do IMO.

Shame about Burnley because i think Sean Dyche is quality