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Episode 236: TRANSFER TUESDAY! - 22/07/25
131 Plays19 days ago
Southampton – It's Tuesday and you know what that means! Zak has fone to the deepest nooks and crevices for his research today and we have lots to talk about!
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Transcript
Technical Issues and Re-recording
00:00:08
Zak
Hello and welcome to the Daily Southampton, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. I am your host, Zach Ingo Finch, and I am joined as ever by Mr. Gregory Elliott.
00:00:21
Zak
How are you doing, bud?
00:00:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
um I'm a loving life mate, I'm doing good. I'm excited, you found some stuff Transfer Tuesday.
00:00:26
Zak
Yeah?
00:00:28
Zak
I have found some stuff for Transfer Tuesday. day Greg knows some of this, because as you will... As you will notice from our probably not real reactions listeners, this is our second attempt at recording this today.
Transfer Tuesday vs. Transfer Thursday
00:00:41
Zak
ah Tech issues are just like part parcel of parel podcasting, so sometimes you just go again. um So ah we we did manage to find some information. So you listened to our last episode, we were kind of thinking about pushing it to Transfer Thursdays.
00:00:55
Zak
And I was like, no, I don't think it's going to get better by Thursday.
Player Market Dynamics
00:00:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
but
00:01:00
Zak
So I yeah had a look at all of the usual places I have a look. So shout out to Saints Extra and Just Saints. They obviously had a bit of information. Then I did some manual digging.
00:01:12
Zak
Had a look around online. And I found some stuff out, mate. Like we we got enough for an episode. Put it that way. We know. We had one before. LAUGHTER
00:01:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. but umm I'm excited.
00:01:22
Zak
but
00:01:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know my memory. it's It's all gone in and straight out.
00:01:24
Zak
but it's To be fair, I wouldn't be surprised that you don't know much of what's about.
00:01:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
So it'll be like...
00:01:29
Zak
So are I will start with a statement from our our manager, Will Still.
00:01:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:01:35
Zak
who said on selling the players, it's slow progress because the market people are waiting for bigger things to happen before smaller things. I'm sure by the time we get to Spain or start the competition, we will have a balanced squad and be ready to push on.
Challenges in Player Transfers
00:01:49
Zak
Now I have lot of feelings about that statement, Greg. The main one being by the time we get to Spain or start the competition, those are two different time periods, right? Uh,
00:01:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah Buy one of them.
00:02:03
Zak
yeah like we're like a day away from one of them and we're about three or four weeks away from another so it's a big sort of it's I don't know I think
00:02:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. but it's a It's a difficult one, right? Because it's like buying a house. It's like you're waiting for the chain to move on. You're waiting for clubs to sell their players and need to buy replacements or...
00:02:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know, for one of their targets to go to a different club and then to move to their second choice. Or there's a lot of moving parts, and a lot of moving pieces. And, you know, as much as you want to get it done and the way early, it's just not always as easy as that.
00:02:42
Zak
Yeah, and I think that that's the case with how it's been, right? And I think we are probably going to start to see some movement once we see who's gone to Spain, because there will be big price tags. ah There'll be price tags on players as suddenly they realize they're not part of the plans. They might start trying to get things moving in the background for themselves, and agents might start trying to move them on.
West Ham's Interest in Southampton Players
00:03:08
Zak
so It'll be interesting to see where where we end up, but yeah we know that the squad needs to be trimmed, and we also know that there's a there's a couple of players that probably it's going to be a bit of a struggle to move them on unless they drop down, and some of them aren't going to want to drop down.
00:03:26
Zak
So, yeah, that's kind of where we're at, and that's why it's been a much quieter July than we first anticipated by the looks of things. um But there is still some news, Greg. So where would you like to start?
00:03:37
Zak
Outgoings or incomings?
00:03:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah but Let's start with outgoings and get it it out of the way.
00:03:43
Zak
Perfect. Rightio. So, outgoing number one. So we we have a new Liverpool now, as you've probably noticed, Greg, and that seems to be West Ham for some reason.
Southampton's Pricing Strategy
00:03:53
Zak
ah they Don't quite know when they decided they wanted all of our old players.
00:03:58
Zak
Don't know if Graham Potter has been paying attention. Obviously, Karl Walker-Peters has just signed, and we we talked about that yesterday. um But they are also supposedly interested in Matias Fernandes.
00:04:09
Zak
So Liverpool's Harvey Elliott is West Ham's top midfield target, but the Hammers are being put off by the £40 million price tag, and Southampton's Matias Fernandes is also being considered. And that's according to Jack Rosser on X slash Twitter.
00:04:23
Zak
ah So this is a bit of a weird one, right? Because it's kind of, they're not willing to pay £40 million pounds for Harvey Elliott. Now, to my knowledge, Greg, our price tag for Matias Fernandez is higher.
00:04:35
Zak
Is that, it am I mistaken?
00:04:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, I'm pretty sure that's what at least has been said publicly and outwardly, that $35 million wouldn't buy his hair. It's
00:04:45
Zak
Yeah. Yeah.
00:04:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah it's it's a baffling one. It's such a strange one anyway. ah Would Harvey Elliott go to West Ham even if they did cough up the money? Is that them trying to save face?
00:05:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's a baffling one. ah But look, I mean, we've worked hard to put ourselves in a position where we're not going to be taking cut price bids, right? It's pay up don't.
00:05:13
Zak
Yeah, but and that's the thing, because it's it's not just us, right? Because like Liverpool don't really need to sell. Admittedly, they've spent significantly more money than us this window, um but they're not really trying to pad out their squad like the the people that they've targeted have been specific.
00:05:27
Zak
So they're not a position they have to sell, and their price tags £40 million. pounds We are also in a position where we do not have to sell. And as you pointed out, we've worked hard to get there. And the idea the we're going to sell like a player who... Matias Fernandes is what? One of like three we'd really like to keep hold of.
00:05:46
Zak
Fans would probably like to keep hold of Ramsdale. And then other than that, it's Dibling and Matty, right? And Ramsdale has already been said he's had the green light to go, but they aren't going to take a cut price off it.
00:05:57
Zak
And it's baffling to me that there seems to be sort of like this level of privilege ah have where because we are a relegated side, they just want they just think they can buy our players no matter what with like cut price.
Interest in Harwood-Bellis
00:06:10
Zak
Like I remember seeing someone tweet out and obviously I know that they're not representative of all West Ham fans, but it's like, you'll take 20 million pounds and James will prowl and you'll like it. And it's like, nah, I don't think we will actually.
00:06:21
Zak
I think we'll, we'll stick to however much we want to sell our players for. And if, if you want to meet that, then happy days, you can have the player.
00:06:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:06:28
Zak
If you don't want to meet that, then no, you can leave us alone. And it's like,
00:06:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah ah At the end of the day, he's under contract with us and we're not in a position where we're scrambling to sell him. So, you know, it comes down to what he's worth to us versus what he's worth to them. And if he's worth more to us than he is to them, then he'll stay.
00:06:48
Zak
yeah And it was exactly the same reason that, you know, sort of price tag was put on Dibblinger like that. And we've also discussed like how price tags can affect players in this and the other. But in in the in the role of the transfer market, it's like, hey, this is how valuable they are to us. Do you want to pay this? No.
00:07:04
Zak
Obviously, there's always room for negotiation. But like, that seems to just be an arrogance that if they're struggling to pay 40 million for Harvey Elliott, they're just going to turn around to this relegated side and pick up one of our players for less. a player that we would not want to sell for, you know, that much money. So we'll see how it is.
Potential Departures from Southampton
00:07:20
Zak
But we've got a little bit more to talk about with in regards to West Ham break break.
00:08:02
Zak
Woo! So we are back. So Greg, when we left off, we were talking about West Ham trying to buy one of our players. And we have another West Ham trying to buy another one of our players.
00:08:14
Zak
So West Ham remains strongly interested in Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who would command a fee of upwards of £20 million pounds this summer. And that is according to Team Talk on X slash Twitter. yeah So this is ah this is a bit a strange one, right?
00:08:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm. Yeah. Uh, I'm not sure where my opinion sits on this. Uh, I mean, at the start of the, the, or the end of last season, it was widely reported that he was going to be looking to move on. And I guess we accepted it at that point.
00:08:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, he's been out injured and said the right thing since, and it made us think maybe not, but we've got lot of center backs kind of make like sense.
00:08:53
Zak
We've got so many centre-backs. And, like, he's not been involved in pre-season yet, and I'm aware that that's due to to injury, right?
00:08:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
Um,
00:09:01
Zak
But it's it's one of those things that, like, we talked about him in the show before being potentially future captain material. You know, he came, he's he's had his sort of cap and he wants to wants to get back into the England set up.
00:09:14
Zak
And there seems to be people sort of, some of the reporting around it is that, like, oh, well, he he deserves Premier League football. And I'm like, arguably, you're part of like, one of the leakiest defences ever in Premier League history.
00:09:27
Zak
I feel like Storrid is saying that you deserve anything is a bit is a bit rich. And and like obviously, but they might be admirers of him. They might want to bring him in. And I'm kind of of the opinion that I'd love it if he stays. I'd love to see him grow with the club. I think he's got a lot of potential.
00:09:40
Zak
um If he goes, he goes. I'm kind of not... I don't really have more of an opinion than that. And I think that ah I would have, if you'd if you said, like, you know, middle of last season, I probably would have fought.
00:09:53
Zak
more for it. But now I'm kind of in the stage of like, oh, that's that's okay if the worst comes to the worst.
Udinese's Interest in Southampton Players
00:10:00
Zak
We've not even seen him pre-season so far and we've already seen that some of our centre-backs are doing a better job.
00:10:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm. Hmm.
00:10:05
Zak
If you'd asked me who we should have given a three-year contract to, him or Stephens, probably would have been him in my opinion. I'm aware there's lots of stuff going on with Stephens behind the background. We're not footballers. we don't know what We don't know how important he is to the dressing room and how important he is to the team.
00:10:21
Zak
But You know, ah i just, I'm i'm not happy to be proven wrong, but if he ends up going for sort of 20 to 30 million, I'm also not going to be devastated.
00:10:33
Zak
I think you're kind of in the same boat now, right?
00:10:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah Yeah, look, it I mean, we signed him for 20 million, so ah it'd be interesting for him to go for like effectively breaking even. ah I don't know.
00:10:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
like There's so much promise in there, and if he can live up to that promise, i think we've talked and before about like the potential of a future Saints captain in there and a leader, but you know if if his head's elsewhere and he wants to move on, I guess so be it.
00:11:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, i I don't know.
00:11:03
Zak
Yeah, i don't know if I don't know if that's necessarily the case, right? Because you said he's saying all the right things, but it just seems to be he's an attractive prospect and I feel like the idea of playing Premier League football is going to be more exciting. And it's, for me, one of the only things that I would be a bit baffled by is after going out on loan and then back and forth and back and forth. Same, similar to like Flynn Downs, right?
00:11:24
Zak
that you
Ex-Southampton Player Moves
00:11:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:11:25
Zak
yeah eventually, surely you would like a home, right?
00:11:28
Zak
You'd like to be, you'd like to have a place that you that you play in, you know, even if it's a not forever, but you'd like to have an established club that you have played for. ah who did he play for? Not, oh yeah, he was the guy, for example, like most Chelsea players, like he was at Chelsea for 20 years and played 20 different seasons with different clubs, right? That's like, that's that's where I'm at, that, you know, he has a chance to, I guess,
00:11:52
Zak
have something more substantial here. But also if somebody puts in a large enough bid and he's also happy to make the move, then he's happy to make a move. There's not lot we can do about it.
00:12:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:12:03
Zak
But at last, again, West Ham, our new Liverpool, picking up all of our old players. The other thing I want to mention, which was according to... I actually have the source this time around, insidefootball.com.
00:12:16
Zak
Udinese have identified Southampton's Armo Bellacoccia as an option, as they are looking to replace Jaka Bijol, who has joined Leeds United. But they want to do a deal on their terms.
00:12:28
Zak
How do we feel about this one, Greg?
00:12:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah Yeah, I mean, on the contrary to what we were just saying about ah being in a position to hold our own and, you know, go for the price we want, I'm pretty sure that a huge percentage of the Saints fan base at this point, having seen, you know, under so many managers, it not working here for Bella Kotjap for whatever reason, would be willing to offer lifts or accept, you know, in a Twix for...
00:12:43
Zak
right.
00:13:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
for him. that Yeah, look, he it's very clear that his future is going to be best served elsewhere. So, yeah. Yeah.
00:13:09
Zak
This is the thing, right? Like, he's played under what? Hassan Hootl, Jones, Sellis, Juric, Martin. Don't think he got a look in under rust, right?
00:13:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:13:21
Zak
And it's not worked out. And he needs to, in my opinion, restart his career elsewhere. And it might be that the promise of what we saw that first season has been lost somewhere along the way. We don't know why. There could be multiple reasons on the field and off the field.
00:13:34
Zak
um Yeah, I think he needs to go and restart his career elsewhere. and He's also linked to to Hamburg, Werder Bremen as well. private the department as well so So there's a couple of places um that he could go to.
00:13:48
Zak
And also he will be in, I think he's in the last year of his contract now. I just can't imagine him wanting to spend another year just running it down, not doing anything.
00:13:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:13:57
Zak
Um, because, you know, I feel like that would speak a lot about character if he ends up doing that just to kind of, cause then he's left completely without a club. So we'll see how it turns out. But, um, that was, uh,
00:14:10
Zak
I think but the first more like some of the concrete interest I've seen for him outside of Germany, and hopefully that means we'll actually not see in the back of it, I don't want to put it like that, but hopefully he will get a move and we will get a space-freeed-up approach.
00:14:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:14:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, look, it hasn't worked out here.
Squad Trimming and Player Fit
00:14:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
is what is Hopefully he goes on to do good things elsewhere, but it's ah evidently clear it's not going to be here.
00:14:35
Zak
not working yet.
00:14:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
So...
00:14:37
Zak
Right, so who the other ones, there's not particularly Saints related. By that I mean it is ex-Saints players. So, Lianco has been linked to a move to Everton, which would mean that he would join Charlie Alcaraz as one of that year's cohorts that have gone off returns to either domestic leagues, which I think, you know, because Lianco's been back in Brazil, and then somehow returned to the Premier League via Everton.
00:15:04
Zak
bit of a weird one. I don't know whether there's how much the hu cabinet how much legs there are to that story, but I saw it across my travels and thought it was interesting. interesting You know?
00:15:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's a really strange one, isn't it? ah But look, I mean, they're clearly building a profile and that profile is Red Mist, right?
00:15:19
Zak
Between you see
00:15:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Players who are not afraid to get stuck in maybe too much. Yeah.
00:15:24
Zak
looking forward to sort of breaking the legs of Liverpool players is kind of how it feels, right? Between him and our crowds, like as much as we love Charlie, you know, he was also prone to bit of a red streak and at the anchor is passionate.
00:15:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:15:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, if anything, that was one of the main things we loved about Charlie because he showed that level of fight where not a lot of the rest of the team did. So, yeah.
00:15:43
Zak
but There you go. Rightios!
00:15:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's a fire that you need.
00:15:46
Zak
is That is so all I've got for outgoings, mate. So now we can talk about some more exciting things. After, a word from our partners at Zencastr.
00:15:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform and Zencaster came out the clear winner. With 4K video recording from your phone and AI editing that automatically removes all those ums and ahs, it's super easy to start a podcast that sounds great and is delivered efficiently.
00:16:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description and learn more about Zencaster.
00:16:18
Zak
And we are back. So, Greg, I'm going to start us off with some links to players that have either... are not going to come through to fruition, but have been transfer rumours.
00:16:30
Zak
The first of which is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. At the moment, a return to Southampton does not seem like a team on the cards, but a now free agent, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and that's from TalkSport.
00:16:42
Zak
Can I get a hallelujah? Because I'm so dumb.
00:16:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah Yeah.
00:16:45
Zak
LAUGHTER
00:16:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Great.
Player Decisions and Motivations
00:16:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah Look, there's there's a world where we have a you know a trimmed squad and a player of his experience and knowledge of the club and of other leagues and clubs ah comes and serves us well.
00:17:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
But this is not the place all the time. We are actively trying to reduce our squad numbers to to trim the fat and That just isn't what I don't see the benefit he would bring to us is where I'm at.
00:17:17
Zak
Yeah, ah i I wholeheartedly agree. And like it's one of those things as well that even even what you said there about him knowing the club, I'm like, clubs change a lot, ah apart from Manchester United that's fallen apart at the seams.
00:17:29
Zak
Most clubs change a lot over sort of a 10-year period. If we have gone from, in that period of time, Europa League, we've dropped down, we've come back up, we've dropped down again, You know, we've we've spent time under about two or three different owners, probably the last time he even kicked the ball at St Mary's.
00:17:46
Zak
And that includes when he was playing for Arsenal. So, and Liverpool. So it's one of those things where like, I get it, sure. Whenever a Southampton player, ah especially a Southampton player that was a good prospect that came out of our academy, is released from a club or potentially on the move, we're always linked with him.
00:18:03
Zak
It's like Danny Ings. We're going to be linked with him. Danny Ings is going to be 45 and retired, and there's still going to be an article somewhere that says that he's going to come back and play for us. whatever but it's nice to have this one kind of nipped in the bud early so we don't sit there about you know so people aren't already getting oxlade chamberlain printed on their back of their shirts you know even if it's the same price uh it's not price per letter is it but yeah it's leasts one of those things that i'm kind of glad that we're not linked to it and yes experience is lovely greg but we've also seen how that works out with players that we've got experience that play about 10 games
00:18:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. but Look, there's, like say, there's a ah a world where this is a logical sign of saints. It's just not this one, right? Like, Maybe the last championship season, that experience would have been what we needed. But this at the moment, we're such a bloated squad.
00:18:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's just not what we're looking for.
00:18:53
Zak
Indeed. Right. So, another one that we were linked to, but it seems to have fallen through,
00:19:08
Zak
Has rejected Southampton at LAFC to extend his contract and become one of the best-paid young players in the UAE pro league. And that is according to Sasha... Tavo... Nieri...
00:19:23
Zak
I've got there in the end, Greg. You've got everything that else. It's fine.
Southampton's Player Acquisition Interests
00:19:27
Zak
My word. You'd think on two times of recording, i didn't overthink that.
00:19:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
but like it was, it was a good effort. ah
00:19:34
Zak
I've feel awful for this young lad because the tidbit in the Saints history that we will remember is me mispronouncing his name about seven times in a row. He has decided to not join us. He has decided to stay in the UAE.
00:19:49
Zak
ah I've seen stories, sort of click-bait-y articles a little bit, talking about how, ah, loads of midfielders are rejecting Southampton and this, any other. This doesn't feel like he specifically rejected us.
00:20:01
Zak
This feels like he took a massive pay increase because, again, Footballers have a job. If a job has a larger pay at one place than another, ah vast majority of the time, if people are happy at that place, why would they leave?
00:20:14
Zak
And it kind of feels like that.
00:20:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, exactly that, right? Like, not just a big pay rise, a big pay rise, a place that he has clearly already settled. So, ah look yeah fair play to him.
00:20:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah
00:20:26
Zak
Yep.
00:20:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Go make the money.
00:20:28
Zak
It's kind of where I'm at.
00:20:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:20:36
Zak
I can only apologise to my compatriot who now has to go through and cut about 17 different attempts before finally landed on the right one.
00:20:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:20:44
Zak
If you want to know which one it is mate, one where you barely laughed at me for actually managing to get it right.
00:20:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:20:50
Zak
so moving on so these these rooms Greg actual like confounded rumors of potential incomings these are people that go to leave these are people that we have been linked to this is the stuff that you couldn't find because in between all of the different Coldplay memes there was the information and you just had to search it out right uh
00:21:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's No, it's just been exclusively Coldplay memes, mate.
00:21:13
Zak
I don't know why at this point they just don't start putting, like, replacing the pictures of the people with the pictures of the footballers we're supposedly trying to get.
00:21:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
There's no room for anything else.
00:21:21
Zak
I think it would probably work out quite well.
00:21:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
That would resonate for me.
00:21:23
Zak
something like but yeah It seems like something our ad would do at this point as well.
00:21:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:21:27
Zak
like So...
00:21:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Retro. That meme from three days ago.
00:21:35
Zak
It's already outdated. Salah did are among the sides to have inquired about Espanol right-back Ruben Sanchez, and that a call due to Matei Moreto. Apparently, I can pronounce that with no issue.
00:21:46
Zak
He is a player for Espanol, and he is a right-back, but also a right-winger. He's pretty much spent about the last season at Granada and the season before that, he spent the first half on loan and the second half, he helped Espanyol, when they dropped down to the second Spanish league, fight back up and get promoted. And his reward for promotion was to immediately get sent back on loan to g Granada.
00:22:14
Zak
So, obviously, we know that we we but we keep being linked to right backs. um We've got Sagwara, who has come out publicly multiple times, it seems, recently.
00:22:25
Zak
stating that he wants to stay, wants to fight for his place, wants to make amends for last year. Again, saying all the right things, we've got Stone Cold James Bree, ever since he shaved head, becoming an absolute baller.
00:22:36
Zak
But obviously, that's only two right backs, right? We don't have, you know, the the luxury of a Karl Walker-Peters that can play left right-hand side. I know that I think that we've i've seen that him he's deployed a couple of the centre-backs in sort of the cover right when needed, but also he he has is an option as a right winger.
00:22:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:22:52
Zak
That's much it. There's not much else to it. There's no weird, tenuous links to Saints that I can see. The only thing of note that I wrote down that's interesting is he's played for Catalonia once. I'm not getting into the Spain-Catalonia, like, what what that is. You can leave it. If you want to know about that, you can look up yourself. Pep Guardiola once got in trouble for having Catalonia independence. I remember one time when they tried to declare themselves free from Spain.
00:23:20
Zak
Nothing to do anything. I just thought it was quite interesting that he has an international cap for a country that isn't recognised as a country.
00:23:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:23:27
Zak
That's me.
00:23:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah Look, he seems to match a profile that we're going for, right?
00:23:31
Zak
Yeah.
00:23:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're clearly going for versatility, physicality, athleticism.
00:23:36
Zak
ah attacking attacking players that can play both wingers and right back.
00:23:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
and Yeah. And I mean, look, we ah we didn't score goals last season, so... Attacking players down the wings, it seems like from what I've been hearing from these behind-closed-doors friendlies that a lot of our play is going to come down to getting up on that wing and dragging it back into a promising position. So, good. Yeah.
00:24:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Great. Promising stuff.
00:24:04
Zak
Yeah.
00:24:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Exciting.
00:24:05
Zak
Happy days. Right. So the other one we have been linked to is that this is one that sources dubious at best. It's from a place called Africafoot underscore com. And it's like the website is Africafootball.com. So I had a look into it.
00:24:20
Zak
And this could be one of those sort of, ah, if I've had them looking for a player of my exact profile, I'm going to put out to the media that they've been speaking to me. And maybe, you know, Maybe it goes somewhere.
00:24:31
Zak
um But Southampton have reportedly made an offer for free agent, Guinean midfielder, Morley, Silla, 26, most recently of Portuguese side, Oroca. So, yeah, apparently that's a thing that's happened. So he has 37 caps for Guinea.
00:24:49
Zak
He is an attacking midfielder and who can play on both the left and the right. He is currently without a club. He was released, not sure why. He's played 97 times for his previous club, scoring nine goals and assisting 11 times.
00:25:01
Zak
And according to a source that's close to the player, we've tabled a bid and they have ah but have apparently countered that. And one of the big motivating factors is the idea of the Premier League and the project that we're building.
00:25:16
Zak
So it's a bit of strange one because like, obviously it fits a profile of what we're looking for. It fits that creative midfielder, but it seems to just sort of be, there is this free agent and apparently we're talking to him, but the sources are a guy close to him, which theoretically could be him or his agent.
00:25:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, look, I'm not... I'm not entirely surprised that any of our dealings go pretty quiet. I mean, half the time, we don't know about them until they are done and dusted.
00:25:45
Zak
This is true.
00:25:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Of of all of the teams, some of our stuff really comes out of left field. um But that said, like the the obvious red flag to a lot of people is that he's a free agent. But then that said...
00:25:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Carl Walker-Peters was a free agent this summer and he was um you know one of our best players for the last couple of years. so it's Look, I'm not going to claim to have watched any of his caps for Guinea any of his time playing in the Portuguese League.
00:26:05
Zak
Yeah.
00:26:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
so
00:26:14
Zak
Yeah, it's difficult.
00:26:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
if if the people who are making the decisions think that he'll be an additional benefit to the squad, great, I hope he is. like
00:26:23
Zak
I feel like that's the thing, right? Lack of transfer fee would be would be handy. it's It's been hard to find any information about him. Like even sort of your like your transfer markets and your Wikipedias. Like Wikipedia is just saying he plays as a midfielder, he played for this club and he originally played for Guinea or like he plays for Guinea sometimes as as an international player.
00:26:43
Zak
And other than that, there's just nothing about this guy whatsoever. um So, you know, it potentially is one of those things that we don't really know a lot. Maybe something is happening. The only thing that sets off alarm bells is 2026 is a bit older than what the profile we've been sort of going for. But also, if it's a free agent, it might be that that's kind of tempting over the line.
00:27:01
Zak
Or this is a complete nothing story and it goes away and we hear nothing else. But, you know, we've been linked to us some attacking midfielders, some transfers that have fallen through. so maybe we've... we, you know, maybe he was slightly down the peg in order, or maybe we have given him an offer. So either the way, it's something that's slightly more tangible than we think maybe someone, we we think maybe we're going to buy a player.
00:27:21
Zak
like Because if not, that's what a lot of this episode would have been. Right. So we've got one last one, which we've kind of already spoken about before. So, um, Xavier from the Amber, uh,
00:27:35
Zak
He is the one were talking about last week, centre-back position. we kind of thought it was a bit strange. And according to Fabrizio Romano, who obviously is the here-we-go guy, Dutch side, Volendam are willing to let report to Southampton target leave this summer for €500,000. So cheap, €430,000.
00:27:57
Zak
I think we kind of may have already mentioned this. I can't remember if i have, but I know that it's come up within... the days since we last recorded. So it might just be that it's become a bit more true.
00:28:10
Zak
It seems real cheap for the guy that's being described as like the new Van Dyke, right?
00:28:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, look, if the value is right and, I mean, it's, does another centre-back fit into our squad currently? I don't know, but if the value is right and the position is right, maybe maybe it's the punt we take.
00:28:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Just going to have to wait and see.
Podcast Dedication and Future Episodes
00:28:30
Zak
So yeah, that's pretty much it, Greg. Originally, we thought we wouldn't have enough for a transfer episode. We thought wouldd have to push it to Thursday. I was convinced there wasn't going to be an enough for Thursday.
00:28:41
Zak
We recorded it once. We've recorded it again.
00:28:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
There we go.
00:28:46
Zak
Don't ever say that we are not dedicated because it turns out when you do a daily podcast, re-records, takes up a bit of time. But as always, I just want to thank everyone for for listening and tuning in. We hope that you you've learned a bit or we hope, you know, we've never really claimed to be anything than armchair experts.
00:29:02
Zak
ah Greg at least goes to the games. so But either way, you can tell we're passionate about Saints. We wouldn't talk about every single day if not. But this podcast would be nothing without you guys. So we appreciate you all greatly.
00:29:15
Zak
will we well We don't know what we're doing tomorrow. I'm hoping to maybe get another player profile done. So we'll have a look. Maybe some of it may Wellington is what I'm thinking. If something else completely different comes out, you know I apologize.
00:29:29
Zak
Other than that, we're all the social medias. We're on Facebook. We're on X slash Twitter. we We're on Blue Sky. We're on YouTube. We're on Instagram. We're on TikTok. Give us a like. Give us a follow.
00:29:40
Zak
Let us know how you're doing. ah So yeah, that's pretty much it for the episode. i wish you all merry and happy Tuesday if you're listening on a Tuesday. And we will see you in the next one.
00:29:51
Zak
Thanks, Greg.