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Daily Southampton: Episode 147: What could have been?!
70 Plays3 days ago
Southampton – As we edge our way ever closer back to the world of league football, Zak takes us on a trip to the past, to see players we were rumoured to be lined up with, and how it might have played out.
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Transcript
Introduction and Co-host Announcement
00:00:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome to the Daily Southampton. It is me and Oscar today. are you doing, bud?
00:00:16
Oscar
yeah not too bad thanks how are you
00:00:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, not too bad, not too bad. Alas, Greg is tied up with all of those real-world things that sometimes we get tied up with. Not so much me, I'm always about, because I spend the vast majority of my time on my computer.
00:00:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Unlike my illustrious counterparts who actually, you know, do stuff. and But there we are. So with all of this me being at home malarkey, I'm spending a lot of time on my computer.
Career Reflections and Podcast Purpose
00:00:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Long-time listeners will know that I have a history degree and basically the only time ever get to use it is for this podcast, because that is how a vast majority of degrees go.
00:00:48
Oscar
Thank you.
00:00:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
But it does mean we get to do little retrospectives like today.
Transfer Rumors and Speculations (2020-2022)
00:00:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
So what I thought we'd discuss today, while we're still on in in a bit of a wildcard limbo, is some of the almost saints.
00:01:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
And by almost saints, I mean probably not complete rumors that were out of the woodwork. And specifically from the 2020 to 2020, or 20 to 2021 season and 2021 to 2022 season, which you'll notice is it's just about before Sports Republic and the whole malarkey has taken over now.
00:01:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I know that sometimes we work our transfer business and it's not been great.
00:01:29
Oscar
Thank you.
00:01:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
But as me and Oscar have had a kind of discussion before we started recording today and alluded to, we, we have actually been linked with some big names. So I think I'd start off with the one that is the biggest, which was obviously Cody, Cody Gakpo, right?
00:01:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like that's for the one that Oscar was like, well, weren't we linked with Cody Gakpo? It's like we were, and apparently he let it to up to be up to fate to decide whether he joined us. And alas, he scored three goals in a game instead of one.
00:01:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
so, you know, we have been linked with some Austria's company, but this is just some of the names that we've been linked with over those two seasons.
Information Sources and Acknowledgments
00:02:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
and We've been linked. Yeah, luck all this research is is thanks to the Saints Marching website. they They've greatly an outlet there.
00:02:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
They have a massive page called Transfer Rumours. So I just went through, I milled through all the different articles. I would have loved to have spent time going through all of the wonderful, not terrible tabloids and put stuff together. But alas, I have only one man with a nine to five as well as a podcast. So so so I will i will put i'll put my sources or the I'll put the website in the description.
00:02:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
of the podcast so you guys can go check out if you want to but you know it's one of the one of the good fan voices so how are you feeling Oscar excited
00:02:40
Oscar
Yeah, should be interesting.
00:02:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
I did share some of this with Greg with in his absence. And he was like, wow, we've really been linked with some bad average players over the years.
00:02:47
Oscar
Yeah.
Goalkeeper Situation and Marco Silvestri Discussion
00:02:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
And one of which, who was a big link a couple of years before we even started, who is on this list, actually plays for us now.
00:02:52
Oscar
Yeah.
00:02:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'll keep you waiting for that. So let's start in the 2020 to 2021 season. So we were linked with a goalkeeper known as Marco Silvestri, who currently plays for Impoli.
00:03:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
And the information I could find on that transfer was not a lot. Apparently we were just keeping track and I don't really think anything has happened with him much since then. Are you aware of this talent, Oscar?
00:03:24
Oscar
I like to think I've got a fairly good internal database of football. not one that's Not one that's ever crossed my eye. It'd be interesting around then because that would have been before we got Bozzuno, wouldn't it?
00:03:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yes.
00:03:37
Oscar
At the top of my head. Yeah.
00:03:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
So I think we were just looking about at the time. And obviously, we were if you remember rightly, obviously, we had some ups and downs for Forster. And then at one point, I can't remember who the guy was who was one of Koeman's favourites that went on Stecklenburg.
00:03:46
Oscar
Yeah.
00:03:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
He obviously went over to Everton.
00:03:50
Oscar
yeah
00:03:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
So I think we were still like trying to figure out to have a bit of a bit of depth in goalkeeping.
Right-back Crisis and Defensive Issues
00:03:56
Oscar
Yeah.
00:03:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
so So, yeah. But one of the things you'll notice in the... this specific season and the rumours that I've got of of Saints that never were, is that the rest of the list is just defenders.
00:04:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I think I alluded to our our sort of right-back crisis we had that people forgot about when we had James Moore Prowse playing right-back.
00:04:09
Oscar
Yeah.
00:04:14
Oscar
yeah
00:04:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
And obviously what the result was at the beginning of this, you know, was Kyle Walker-Peters came in, right? that That was the end result. But these are all the other players we potentially linked to. So... Right, let's try let's try with the next name. I have tried to go through pronunciation guides on all of them, but it's quite difficult. So, Deovasio Zifouk, who is right back for Hertha BSC.
00:04:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
And obviously, they're a Bundesliga 2 team now. And they weren't at the time. They were in the Bundesliga. And he was very much linked with us, but decided to stay in Germany.
00:04:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that didn't really work out great for him because the the next season he ended up going on loan to Blackburn for that season anyway. So less than ideal.
00:05:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then there's not really been much sort of about him either. But again, it's it's one of those ones where we are we've always been linked as Southampton with sort of random unknowns, right? And we'll get to somebody on here this of this list that isn't a random unknown.
00:05:14
Oscar
yeah
00:05:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
But it's somebody there I'm like, Maybe I bought him on a Football Manager accidentally. Do you know anything about him? He's a Dutch right-back in the Bundesliga.
00:05:24
Oscar
No, again, yeah the surname rings a bell, but not someone that the i of a that I've ever particularly come across. As i say, it doesn't seem like he's particularly torn up trees since.
00:05:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:05:36
Oscar
So maybe not the end of the world that we didn't pursue that one a bit harder.
00:05:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Exactly. i think I think sometimes we forget that. and we We always seem to think that we you know there are some talents we've definitely missed out on. But there are also some transfers that we've not gone through with that, you know, probably right. I think of Safir Taddea, right? Who ended up playing nothing for us and got thrown out due to attitude problems for it even playing for the club.
00:05:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, you
00:05:57
Oscar
I
00:05:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Omar Albert Delory, who is a right back, who plays now for FK Bodo Glimt, which I can't remember where they are. I want to say either Norwegian League or Swiss League.
00:06:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
But he looks to be retired.
00:06:11
Oscar
think there's no way.
00:06:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that makes that makes some more sense.
00:06:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
But he looks to be retired and he ended up, instead of going to us, going to Galatasaray. So, yeah, I think, you know, it makes more more sense if you've got sort of a, that of heritage and you would like to go to Turkey. That makes a bit more sense. I don't think it was a stringent link to us anyway.
00:06:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, yeah, it is what it is, but it's not somebody that, again, like, it's not somebody that lit up the league. It's not somebody whose name I've heard of. It's not somebody I'm too upset missing out on.
00:06:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
However, the next one, who is somebody we were linked with and and ties into our always having sort of one Japanese player about, is Takahiro Tobiasu, who obviously plays for Arsenal now.
00:06:43
Oscar
not
00:06:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
So we were linked with him at the time when he was, during his tenure at Bologna, And yeah, he ended up just obviously deciding to stay there, which I guess worked out for him because he got a big sort of money move to Arsenal.
00:07:02
Oscar
I
00:07:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
But that's probably one of the more well-known names that we've been linked with from this season, which we unfortunately never got over the line. But I don't really know if it ended up being anything sort of more exciting.
00:07:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
But that's that's somebody obviously we have heard of. And, you know, I think he would plot into a similar sort of right back position that we already have.
00:07:24
Oscar
Yeah, I think naturally I've always been of the opinion that like that Japanese players do translate really well into the Premier League. And you know what you're going to get.
00:07:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:07:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:07:39
Oscar
So that's one i wouldn't have I wouldn't have said no to. Look, he's not exactly torn up trees at Arsenal. Is he that level of a player? I'm not sure in terms of a top Premier League player. But I think he certainly would have would have had an impact and impact for us.
00:07:52
Oscar
And again, that would have been the season. Could that have been Kuko Martina maybe we signed that season? or
00:07:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
it was It was just after we'd signed Carl Walker-Peters.
00:08:00
Oscar
I'm not...
00:08:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
So that's what happened instead.
00:08:03
Oscar
Oh, okay.
00:08:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
because obviously And then obviously we went into the whole COVID ball, which is an entirely different kettle of fish anyway.
00:08:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
But yeah, it would have I think, again, it was because we were struggling to we be strugglingv to fill that position because we had all of a sudden, like, you know, that was the one season we had Kuka Martina and we had Cedric and we had other players that could play it right back.
00:08:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then all of them sort of left overnight.
00:08:22
Oscar
Yeah.
00:08:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then we were left with not really a lot but choice of choice at right back. and we We went through those periods of time where playing James Ward-Prowse quite a lot, just just because that's where the only player, you know, we needed someone to fill that position, which I think you you'll remember rightly is is how the weird rivalry between him and Zaha happened.
00:08:29
Oscar
Yeah.
00:08:34
Oscar
yeah
00:08:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
because it was the whole him being in James Earl Prower's back pocket. But
Defensive Transfers and Performance Review
00:08:42
Oscar
Thank you.
00:08:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
alas, we move on to another, we've got another couple of names.
00:08:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
I've definitely gone over the ad time. Greg's going to be mad at me, but it's what it is. Rob Dickey, who is a defender still lining up for Bristol City. And he was considered really hot prospect at the time.
00:08:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
He went to QPR instead of us in the end, had a couple of seasons there and has moved to Bristol City, I think just by the sounds of it. A relatively straightforward first team defender in the Championship.
00:09:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
As I said, not heard anything massive from him, but that is what it is.
00:09:11
Oscar
not
00:09:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
So Jean-Claire Tadibo, who is a centre-back, who is currently contracted to Nice. He was a Barca player at the time and he was doing on lots going on lots of known going lots of loans. And we were very, very heavily linked with him.
00:09:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
But he's currently on loan at West Ham. So he's been at Nice for quite a long time. Obviously, he was missing out on some some sort of first-team football. So he's currently at West Ham, which is good for him.
00:09:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
so you know somebody that we could have always done with slightly better center back options over the years anyway but at the same time i'm not really too upset uh this is an interesting one who who i thought so axel d'arcy who obviously plays for chelsea and was it instead of going to us he ended up going to monaco chelsea bought him as sort of a prospect for 38 million
00:09:58
Oscar
Yeah.
00:10:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
in 2023 and like with many of the sort of Chelsea players I guess you could put Uduguguchuk in this bracket right he's currently out on loan he's on a loan of Villa but he seems to be doing all right but that's one of those weird ones where it's like yeah have taken that and I imagine we probably would have got him for like five million as opposed to 38 but that's a an unfortunate over like it's like an unfortunate symptom of if you are a club where you've spent a billion pounds you kind of add zeros to the price tag right
00:10:16
Oscar
yeah
00:10:30
Oscar
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's it's one of those. yeah I think think clubs are trying to, it's almost like which comes first, the chicken or the egg sort of thing, because clubs now are trying to look at, well, what was previously Southampton and is now a Bournemouth, maybe a Brighton and a Brentford trying to undercut before they get these players to,
00:10:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Amen.
00:10:51
Oscar
and find these hidden gems and then whack on an extra couple of zeros for them so these other clubs are now trying to jump in but they don't realize because they are who they are that these are these that these clubs aren't stupid and they're not going to sell their you know their top talents for for next to nothing to these big clubs because they know there's a reason they're coming in for them so yes uh again another one that clearly has Premier League pedigree. It hasn't necessarily worked out for him at Chelsea.
00:11:21
Oscar
But, you know, again, maybe just a symptom of how they've done things this year. But it's interesting because they're still still struggling at centre-back, really.
00:11:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:11:28
Oscar
I mean, that was one area.
00:11:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Huffling, really, considering.
00:11:30
Oscar
Yeah. Yeah.
00:11:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like, sort of after losing Thiago, Silva tiago is over in that lot, you know, it's it's one of the things that constantly gets brought up in not only just our, like, whenever we do crossovers with the Chelsea lads or or conversations just around them, it's always a thing that they're always concerned about.
00:11:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then you look at the amount of players they've got loan, it's kind of mad, but yeah you're right.
00:11:50
Oscar
But also the amount of centre-halves they've tried to get.
00:11:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:11:52
Oscar
It's almost like they're just buying one track him in. Does he work? No, let's get the next one. You know, who have they got at the moment?
00:11:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
it?
00:11:56
Oscar
They've got Badia Shield. They've got Colwell. They've got Wesley Fofana. They've got Axel D'Arcy. They've got, you know, Alfie Gilchrist coming through. And that seems to have gone very quiet because he was quite highly rated from what I knew.
00:12:08
Oscar
They've just got so many centre-backs. Yeah.
00:12:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
mad didn it
00:12:12
Oscar
yeah
00:12:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Absolutely mad. I think the last person on my list that we we were we were linked to this year was Omar Kohli, who ended up staying at Sampdori at the time, moved to Besokitas in 2022, and has recently moved to PAOK. I'm not going to try and pronounce the Greek name in Greece.
00:12:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
but So again, like somebody I don't really know much of, but I think just the...
00:12:30
Oscar
Thank you.
00:12:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
The theme of we just desperately tried to sign defenders and right backs, and that will change the next season with sort of the departure of Ings and us kind of realizing that our attack was a bit of a problem.
00:12:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
So we will talk about that, the 2021 to 2022 season and all the rumors after a word from our partners at Bionique.
00:13:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we're back. So excited to look into the 2021 to 2022 season.
00:13:39
Oscar
Yeah.
00:13:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
you
00:13:42
Oscar
Again, going through that that list, there's not that many players that
00:13:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
nothing there's nothing glaring that we've missed out on is where I'm at. Obviously, this was probably before we had the the money in the... I wouldn't even say pool. We had more of a pool back then, but obviously we just didn't have a lot of the finances. and and it It kind of shows that it's not overnight that our scouting network's kind of fallen apart.
00:14:04
Oscar
this is it. And I think, you know, considering the, the you know, the famed black box and all this, that, and the other, we went through phases, know, and this was before Hassan Hütel as well, where obviously i think the managers took more of a front foot on who they were signing. And that ended up with players like Guido Carrillo and, you know, ones that I think have maybe the clubs have justified why they don't let the managers just go and get their favorites. And okay. They maybe reneged on a little bit of Russell Martin, but,
00:14:32
Oscar
Yeah, it's it's it's just, yeah, I hadn't really noticed it before you pointed it out, like how the level of players we were linked with tumbled in those few years.
00:14:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
and
00:14:45
Oscar
And, you know, again, not to not to say that every player they've they've highlighted has been good, but starting, I think, to look back in the right direction with Sports Republic and maybe just a thought of how...
00:14:59
Oscar
what the situation was with Ralph and Gao in particular and what the sort of, what with the things we were looking at and that maybe fans won't have realised quite what the situation was.
00:15:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I agree wholeheartedly. It's like the whole thing. I still remember that interview when they were talking about when Sparky was in charge and they were talking about bringing, when they brought in Elianusi to replace Tadic because the owner liked him.
00:15:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
A guy who like was not involved in the day-to-day football whatsoever. And so, yeah, it's I think it's, it's been difficult. It's, you know, they've, They've kind of experimented with letting the managers take control, which has ended up being, you know, what we've got now.
00:15:33
Oscar
yeah yeah yeah
00:15:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
We've got a bunch of players for a system we're no longer playing. you've You've experimented with kind of sort of just apparently winging it and playing it like it's a game of football manager when you're 15 and you bring in sort of everybody to any club. I still don't remember bringing in David Beckham to Chelsea, like but think it was pro-evo manager and like whatever that was many, many years back.
00:15:54
Oscar
well that's there's a it's it's an interesting one as well with because in that same interview about mark huesdale we're speaking about vestergaard and and
00:16:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Wow.
00:16:00
Oscar
I know I'm not saying this is a factor in it but there I when I was sort of just come out of union i was looking maybe to get a bit of work experience at various clubs and I actually spoke to a friend of mine or a family friend that worked in agency and and had connections with Nigel Adkins and
00:16:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
one
00:16:22
Oscar
And I was tasked with producing a report. It was two reports. was one about strikers for Reading. And it was another one about centre-backs for Southampton. And more because I was a Southampton fan and the idea being, you know, the to to sort of get a bit of both.
00:16:38
Oscar
And I know for a fact that it was put in front of Nigel Adkins.
00:16:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's so cool.
00:16:42
Oscar
And Vestergaard was a player that was on the list. And look at the time, i was yeah i probably got a lot of my research, I don't know, probably from watching clips and the various things, but some from FIFA and things like that.
00:16:54
Oscar
i was quite young at the time. So it was still a teenager at least.
00:16:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Be forgiven, mate. Don't worry.
00:17:00
Oscar
that's But, you know, I think these these players do sometimes just sort of get thrown into a database and then someone, probably what happened was it was running really well originally. And this is all just, you know,
00:17:10
Oscar
thoughts and ideas and not necessarily anything factual, but I suspect they were all chucked into a database. And then it got to a point maybe when Les Reid went or when things were starting to go downhill where he's just scrolling through and going, oh, yeah, he looks all right and and things like that. And and without much fact behind it.
00:17:28
Oscar
And I thought that, yeah.
00:17:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it does feel like that. does feel like that.
00:17:30
Oscar
And that thing with Vestergaard, you know, and they were saying that essentially they showed Vestergaard to Mark Hughes and and his assistants. and they both said no, not interested in the slightest moves like truck and this, that the other. And then they went off on holiday and came back and they'd been signed.
00:17:47
Oscar
So it just shows there's just not been that much you know cooperation, I think, between between the recruitment, whatever, or and managers at the time.
00:17:58
Oscar
And, you know, yeah, just highlighted probably by your list.
00:18:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
like Yeah.
00:18:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
So we'll go into, you I think this this season was a slightly better list of people we were linked with.
Striker Options and Transfer Links
00:18:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
However, the elephant in the room I'll out of the way was this was also the first season that we were linked with Ben Burriton-Diaz because he was at Blackburn at the time.
00:18:17
Oscar
Yeah.
00:18:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it was because we we had Armour as basically one of our sole striker options. They thought, well, he partnered one of them at Blackburn.
00:18:22
Oscar
Yeah.
00:18:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Maybe we should bring him over. And I think that must have been the logic for the time. And, you know, it's it's funny because he is the only one on this list other than Maitland-Niles who ended up playing for the club.
00:18:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
So Maitland-Lyles was also linked with us this season that he ended up going to Roma on loan. But obviously we ended up picking up the next season. So they they have also, we're just talking about the black box, like the rumours that have started some of the seasons previously.
00:18:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like we were putting players out of that list, those lists a couple of years down the line.
00:18:49
Oscar
yeah
00:18:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's not anything sort of surprising. This was also the same season we were linked with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who instead obviously went on loan to Fulham.
00:19:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then ended up as a Chelsea starter for a bit, which is why we didn't end up getting him because they needed him. And then obviously has now got his move to AC Milan. Castagni was another one that we were linked with, who chose Leicester over us, but obviously left after their relegation and signed with Fulham, who would have and been another nice sort of choice.
00:19:17
Oscar
yeah
00:19:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Jed Spence was another one that I thought was quite interesting because he ended up going to Nottingham Forest from Middlesbrough rather than us and obviously helped him get promotion and then got his move to Spurs, which everyone said would probably result in a little bit of him getting put out loan quite a lot, which was true.
00:19:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
But now he seems to be back in the side a bit more. He scored his first goal and stuff. So...
00:19:40
Oscar
yeah good player but I I'm not sure I know there's a lot of a lot of talk around his attitude and personality and and you know
00:19:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. And we've also been really bad for doing that in the past, right? See, Lamina, see...
00:19:56
Oscar
Well, I mean, there's a few on here, you Maitland-Nars, not that his attitude was necessarily poor, but I seem to recall him coming in off the bat and saying, you know, pretty much trying to dictate what position he plays.
00:20:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:20:07
Oscar
But, yeah.
00:20:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
and then ended up getting torn out by Leon Ultras on his first season, if I remember rightly.
00:20:11
Oscar
Yeah.
00:20:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, interesting.
00:20:13
Oscar
Yeah.
00:20:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Still there, though, with Gelato Karr, another one that we signed that wanted to get out the door straight away.
00:20:19
Oscar
Yeah.
00:20:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, other weird sort of links that we've had on this this time as well. a goalkeeper called Josh Griffiths, who plays for West Brom, but he's been on loan constantly. I think we were just thinking of bringing him in as a back back-up.
00:20:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
But obviously he's been, he's ended up, he's currently at Bristol Rovers, but he's journeyed across to Pompey, Cheltenham, Lincoln City, is' sort of the lower leagues.
00:20:32
Oscar
I
00:20:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
But yeah, he was one that was linked at the time.
00:20:41
Oscar
i thought he was at Portsmouth this season for at least some period of it or maybe maybe last season.
00:20:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, so so I think he might have been recalled and sent out again because, you know, that happens quite a lot with sort of senior players that end up not quite making it into the team. And then you've you've got, so we have a couple of Brentford players.
00:20:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Lewis Potter was at Hull at the time.
00:20:59
Oscar
Thank you.
00:21:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Instead, he went to Brentford and ended up obviously a staple in their team. And obviously the other big one, which was was a big one that we were linked through at time, was Fabio Carvalho, who we didn't think would sort of... We we thought we would be like, oh, well, yeah, he'd love to come to us, right?
00:21:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because he ended up going, flying at Fulham, obviously poached by Liverpool, went on loan to Germany, it wasn't that great. But i still remember a lot of a lot of hype around him because we were going to get him for the championship, right?
00:21:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then he went to the Hull. everyone and the The whole fan base erupted in absolute anger. And obviously now he's fired his trade at Brentford. Another winger who we were linked with, Ryan Christie, who obviously played for Celtic at the time and instead went to our rival slash not rivals, Bournemouth.
00:21:41
Oscar
ye
00:21:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
And, you know, these these are some players that probably could get into our team nowadays, if I'm totally honest.
00:21:52
Oscar
For sure, Ryan Christie's been doing really well this season, hasn't he?
00:21:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Nice.
00:21:55
Oscar
And I'm fairly sure he scored against us, didn't he? And i had quite a good game. So... Yeah.
00:22:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, although Daniel Jefferson is another one who is at Bournemouth, who was at Sheffield United at the time, ended up going to Burton Albion because I think he just wanted minutes. and he signed for Bournemouth in the 2024 season, currently out on loan. I don't think he's scored in a long, long time because he's not scored for Watford in 13 appearances.
00:22:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
So again, that would be another one of our, we bought a side-roaker because I think it was also around the same time we sold Obafemi. So that's why we were trying to like sort of shore up our attacking options just, just in the background, just in case.
00:22:24
Oscar
yeah
00:22:28
Oscar
Mm-hmm.
00:22:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Speaking of which, Kyogo Farahashi, that's the worst pronunciation of a Japanese name I've ever had. Kyogo Farahashi, who obviously used to play for Celtic, was a staple striker for them.
00:22:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
In the season that we wanted him, he ended up scoring 12 goals in 27. And afterwards, he ended up scoring 27 27. Thing is, though, is obviously a Scottish league, so take him a pinch salt.
00:22:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's also got a Celtic team around him in the league. But again, it was it was showing you that our sort of desperation for sort of a striker at the time. Obviously, we also were looking at Eduard, who obviously ended up at Palace over us.
00:23:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
And now now is another one of those ones who's out on loan. So he's out on loan at Leicester. for you know Four appearances with them and yet to score. And you know one of the last ones on my list is Jacob Murphy, of all people.
00:23:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
who, you know, who we have a weird relationship with him ever since we fell out of him in that one game.
00:23:18
Oscar
Thank
00:23:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
And now he kind of tries to buck us off at the time because he wasn't getting the game time. And there wass a lot of, you know, rumor mill. These are some of the players. So, yeah, that's pretty much list, mate.
00:23:35
Oscar
Yeah. I mean, again, you're right. It's just, there's, there's no one there that leaps off the pages. There's no one that leaps off the page either way in a, oh my God, we've missed the boat and they are now unbelievable.
00:23:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:23:46
Oscar
Um, there's no one that you look at and think, oh, that was a bit of a bullet that we avoided. I mean, again, maybe Austin Edward, but you know, maybe if he'd have played more and been the main man, who knows? again, Timothy Castagna, not, not exactly torn up trees, but know, I could be wrong with that. I don't, I don't know a huge amount.
00:24:03
Oscar
Lewis Potter would have been one I would have quite liked. I think think that was one that would have made sense at the time. I don't know how much he's been involved at Brentford. Probably more of a fringe.
00:24:15
Oscar
not it
00:24:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think he's turned a bit more into a staple where they've had sort of injury crises and bits and pieces.
00:24:16
Oscar
from
00:24:18
Oscar
More recently, yeah.
00:24:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah far more recently.
00:24:20
Oscar
Okay, yeah, yeah.
00:24:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:24:21
Oscar
Obviously, they've had very good attacking options as well. So, you know, I think with a lot of these players, you know, they would they would there be players that you turn around and, you know, be household names that everyone's going crazy about? Probably not. But I think, you know, there's a good amount of them that you would take now.
00:24:37
Oscar
Probably not all of them. And again, even Brereton Diaz, to be fair at the time, you know, if that was a main mainstream sort rumour that was out there, I think, I don't think a lot of people would have been too against it. I mean, he scored a lot of goals in the Championship.
00:24:51
Oscar
He was quite a hot commodity at the time. And it's
Reflecting on Failed Transfers and Scouting Efforts
00:24:54
Oscar
just, you know, the beauty of hindsight and maybe just more indicative of how far the Premier League's advanced since then, because...
00:24:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:25:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
I agree. At the beginning the season, i remember there was a lot of... a lot of I remember people calling calling out Football Martin because he was like, oh, you said it would be a great signing and then you changed your mind. was like, well, yeah, played for us for a while. We changed our mind because he didn't light us up. But maybe it's because he was playing at our position.
00:25:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
But at the time, even me and Greg thought, well, this actually might be some shrewd business. Scored some goals last season in a team that I ended up going down. You know, we we watched him in open training. He looked like he was quite hot and good. And then, obviously, he started the like how first couple of games, just did nothing.
00:25:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
But also, he played a little bit out position.
00:25:30
Oscar
Yeah.
00:25:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Confidence drops. Two relegations and in a row in two seasons. It's pretty hard to deal with, right? Like, you've never won...
00:25:37
Oscar
Yeah, I thought the same. I thought that was going to be a clever bit of business. Yes, he didn't do very well with Sheffield, but he did well enough in terms of what was around him that I thought it would be good. And I'll put my hands up to say, I thought that the Liam De Lapp situation, I thought, yeah, fair play. Let him go to Ipswich.
00:25:58
Oscar
On that sort of money, we'll try and be a bit cleverer, box smarter, which is probably what the club did as well, and go for someone that's maybe a bit more proven. for you know a third of the price and obviously you know it ended up how it ended up and sometimes you know you take risks and and I do think our recruitment team or whatever it is or the black box or whatever it is at the moment do take a bit of hit and you know Ross Stewart being another one like
00:26:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's
00:26:28
Oscar
I understand it obviously has not worked in the slightest. And it it was a roll of the dice.
00:26:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
a roll of a dice, isn't it?
00:26:33
Oscar
But to be fair, that roll of the dice with Danny Ings, it was the same roll of the dice. we We took a punt on him. Yes, okay, it was a loan at first. But there was no guarantee he'd just come back from a big injury and was really struggling with injury problems.
00:26:45
Oscar
Probably one of our best signings in in recent times, right?
00:26:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:26:49
Oscar
And... you know Yes, it hasn't worked Ross Stewart and I personally don't think it probably ever will, but you know you never know. Maybe next season's his season that he gets to play three games in a row at least.
00:27:01
Oscar
But...
00:27:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know when his contract's up.
00:27:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Me and Greg were discussing that the other day.
00:27:04
Oscar
Yeah. I mean, you would have liked to think they would have put some sort of injury clause in there if they thought it was going to be a real concern.
00:27:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
True.
00:27:12
Oscar
But, you know, again, at the time, a lot of people thought it was it was going to be shrewd business, but just it just seems to need someone and...
00:27:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Very good.
00:27:19
Oscar
when they've had someone competent in charge, it's it's been okay. It's more when it's been sort left where there's not really a structure behind it, where the recruitment's gone a bit to pot.
00:27:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:32
Oscar
but Again, I know Sports Republic, there was a a gentleman, i won't name names because I used to sort of work with them, at a previous club in Hampshire, and they were working in the recruitment department
Recruitment Challenges and Innovative Tools
00:27:44
Oscar
there. And safe say at the time the fans weren't particularly happy with the quality of players coming in he ended up leaving to go to a multi-club group that was just starting up having not you know at least not set the world alight at this other club and is now at Southampton well at Sports Republic and is part of the recruitment team so you know it's one of those if you don't recruit
00:28:12
Oscar
the the top recruitment. If you don't recruit good recruitment staff, how are you going
00:28:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, and then you're right, it might end up being some sort of, some guys played a couple games of Football Manager. But I will point out one point, I think Everton were literally saying that they were using the Football Manager database as a way to scout.
00:28:29
Oscar
Yeah.
00:28:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
And the story of Ben Burrits and Diaz playing for Chile is also caused by that.
00:28:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, yes, that I think it's indicative.
00:28:34
Oscar
Yeah. 100%. Well, I mean, Football Manager essentially is loosely based on statistics in some capacity.
00:28:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:28:42
Oscar
Brentford's whole scouting system is based on statistical analysis. and I'm not saying it's necessarily the right way to go. You have to have other things around it. But, you know, it it works for them.
00:28:52
Oscar
And...
00:28:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's better than sometimes it just being vibes, right? Because that's how you end up with an Ali Dyer that starts in the middle of the game, related to somebody you know, and then turns out he's not and plays 15 minutes of the last film we've ever seen.
00:28:57
Oscar
Yeah. And...
00:29:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, I
00:29:03
Oscar
Well, exactly. And Guido Carrillo. Is he still our record transfer? Or maybe Suleiman has popped that.
00:29:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
think Suleiman overtook that, luckily.
00:29:09
Oscar
but
00:29:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because, yeah, you're right. He was not very, very, and again, was a desperate bid last minute.
00:29:17
Oscar
And I've never never heard of him since. I don't know.
00:29:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right. Not even slightly. Right. Well, we'll listen to a word from our partners at Zencaster and then we'll wrap up because I'll definitely be in trouble for letting that go on for a bit too long.
00:29:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
But quite frankly, mate, I really enjoyed the conversation. I didn't want to cut it off. so
00:29:33
Oscar
Thank you.
00:29:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
So...
00:29:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
The Global Sport Podcast Network is changing the face of Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spend a lot of time selecting our delivery platform.
00:29:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:29:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description to learn more about Zencastr. And we are back. So I guess my closing thoughts and the only thing i really wanted to ask ask is there is there any rumor that you'd heard that you kind of really wish that we'd we'd actually got over the line other than Gakpo?
00:30:10
Oscar
I mean, there's a few. you have but The lad that's at PSG now, but Goncalo Ramos.
00:30:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
a
00:30:17
Oscar
and
00:30:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh yeah, yeah i forgot about that. We've been linked with him.
00:30:19
Oscar
Yeah. I know some pretty some yeah pretty interesting stuff came out about him as well.
00:30:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
oh
00:30:24
Oscar
Yeah.
00:30:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Listen, he had some really good yeah a really good european um had a really good international couple of games, right? So after that, it kind of killed any hope that we'd get him.
00:30:29
Oscar
Yeah, yeah
00:30:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Alas, if only they didn't do that great.
00:30:32
Oscar
exactly. Yeah. Yeah, I know. And there's a few goalkeepers. I think there was the lad at Fiorentina. I don't know if he's still there. Polish lad. Is it Jogowski, Bartolome Jogowski or something?
00:30:45
Oscar
You know, this this I won't, over the last few years, criticise too many players that, oh or in the sense that there weren't a lot of unbelievable players, or sorry, terrible players that we...
00:30:59
Oscar
that we ended up missing out on. But, you know, obviously it hasn't worked out quite the way that that everyone had hoped. And, you know, I think they have spotted some gems in the rough and, you know, Alcaraz, Fernandez, and but for every one of those recently, it just seems there's four or five that that haven't worked for one reason or another.
00:31:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:31:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:31:17
Oscar
So...
00:31:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Just this the ratio is far more the other way than it used to be. Right. Like us. And that's the problem. And as I think I alluded to you, i think the only one that I think is interesting, we missed that one, which is got it dodged.
00:31:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I've mentioned it a couple of times before as Quincy proms, because that that guy is now on his way to prison after breaking multiple laws in multiple countries.
00:31:30
Oscar
Yeah.
00:31:37
Oscar
Yeah, those and that's interesting because a lot looking at a few of these names, some for me, if I was, if if ever I'm you know involved in recruitment, things I always look at characters, one of the first things.
00:31:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
But like,
00:31:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
massively important.
00:31:50
Oscar
And it doesn't look like that that is something that's been into consideration over recent history.
00:31:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right.
00:31:56
Oscar
And maybe that is part of the problem as to where we are now. And we've got a few players even now who I think character could be considered questionable, even if talent is high.
00:32:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, no.
00:32:07
Oscar
I'm not going to go and name names, but, you know, I think you can use your imagination to
00:32:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, no, it's it's it's huge hugely important, mate. And like I said, like it was like how excited everybody was for Osvaldo to come in. And yeah, he probably scored the goal of that season. But also, you know, the bust-ups that happened on the training ground, the whole drinking Coca-Cola out of a water bottle and having a cigarette while she's in the toilet...
00:32:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
They knew all about that before they
Osvaldo's Controversial Past
00:32:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
got him. He had that. There was a compilation of red cards he got when he was at Roma, and yet we still brought him in knowing that. And then, you know, before you know it, bust up with Josef Font, punched our captain in the face, never played again.
00:32:36
Oscar
yeah
00:32:40
Oscar
To be fair, it was a wild time.
00:32:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's
00:32:41
Oscar
And for some reason, and I have no idea why, one of very few people that have blocked me on Twitter. And I do not understand why. i can't recall giving him any grief. Maybe it's just because blocked every Southampton fan.
00:32:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
insane!
00:32:54
Oscar
But yeah, it's an interesting, bizarre one.
00:32:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's insane! I'm going have to talk you that at some point. But we have very much gone over our quote-unquote limit.
00:32:59
Oscar
Yeah, i have no idea why.
00:33:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
and But it just means you get a bit of a bumper episode today, everyone.
Conclusion and Upcoming Content Preview
00:33:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, Oscar, thank you for joining me through memory lane of weird transfer rumours that I was able to get that didn't that wasn't like dragging them out of the pits of tabloid hell.
00:33:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thanks to the saints marching for all of the research that I've i've used today.
00:33:21
Oscar
Thank you.
00:33:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
I appreciate them. Uh, and I appreciate the fact that we have so many big fans zones that, act as a resource, you know, and obviously echo and miss any other, thank you to you, the listener for listening to us. we'll go out with some probably I would say, you would quote unquote, more normal content, uh, going forward. We're going to have obviously a crossover with Liverpool, which would be really exciting.
00:33:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then a preview for the Liverpool game, which I'm sure that my optimism will drop off face of a cliff. Greg's will rise and Oscar will probably sit with me, but manage to act a little bit better than I do.
00:33:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then it will be plain sailing from there. so thanks for run. Check out the social media and we will see you in the next one. Goodbye.