Transcript
DailySaintsPod: Hello! And welcome back to the Daily Saints pod with Zak and Greg. I am your host, Zak. always joined by my wonderful, illustrious co -host. I need some better adjectives. Greg, how you doing, mate? You all right?
Greg: Yeah, well, good one. This is, uh... unfamiliar territory i mean a day of recording that isn't like a match preview or a match review. It feels like it's been a while.
DailySaintsPod: Do we? remember how those go like i've i've forgotten how to do anything other than
Greg: 24 minutes of waffle and everyone loves it.
DailySaintsPod: talk about
Greg: Right, that's that's our shtick.
DailySaintsPod: Oh, it's funny that you think it's only 24 minutes, mate.
Greg: it
DailySaintsPod: That's every single time recently.
Greg: That's the target.
DailySaintsPod: No, that was the target when we were part of a a wider corporation. And I don't think we ever hit it because we went over. So, i you know.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Besides the point, we're here today to talk about some football stuff. We're here to have a look at our transfer window. Episode we said we'd do at the end of the transfer window. which has now been two weeks.
DailySaintsPod: as of time of recording. However...
Greg: m
DailySaintsPod: We just kept having like games and stuff happen. So now we're here.
Greg: Championship football doesn't stop until the international break when... it stops and suddenly instead of having a game of football, what feels like every other day. You have to...
Greg: go I mean, I think I saw it described as feeling like 40 days and 40 nights. I'm not sure it's quite that biblical, but definitely feels lengthy. like
DailySaintsPod: There's just so much football to play constantly and you kind of just like forget. And you're right, it stops for no man. And since then, you know, Kyle Lahren has become an absolute beast, keeps scoring non -stop.
DailySaintsPod: I discovered today that he owns horses and that's apparently his escape due to a little Sky Sports interview. which was fascinating if you've not seen it. uh so like yeah just lots of bits and pieces but we're we're here today to talk about you know the window a little bit more so it' so greg Where do you want to start?
DailySaintsPod: How do you want to do this?
Greg: I don't know, let's start with an overview, mate. How do you think... the the window as a whole. You know, with the benefit now of a couple of weeks.
Greg: to to add in to the observational deck.
DailySaintsPod: Hmm?
Greg: How do you think the window was? what would your like If you were to give it a a grade... What would you, how would you say it went?
DailySaintsPod: I would say like a B. And that's, it'll be a high B, probably a B plus. And I think the reason being is that.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: from a depth perspective. If we get a major injury. I am worried about us seeing it out until January. that's That's the only thing that I have. It's like, if if not, if if it... you know all goes well we'll get to the end of this window and be like that window is an a plus right but the fact that There is a sort of for me, a shadow.
DailySaintsPod: lingering over over the team. with, you know, well for starters the the spygate stuff but on top of that the fact that if we pick up a major injury it's a like Finn is ours.
DailySaintsPod: Or... The OCN, sir. or specifically Cole Aaron. I wonder how we will cope and we might cope really, really well.
Greg: yeah
DailySaintsPod: But I just think that the depth that we have outside our first team squad isn't as strong as people would have liked. However, I think that... it was because there was a need to move on some of the players that have kind of just been here, taking up space for ages.
DailySaintsPod: But even that we didn't quite do as successfully as we wanted.
Greg: o
DailySaintsPod: So, yeah, that's why I'm at B +, mate.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: I don't know about, how about you?
Greg: Yeah, I mean, at the risk of alien alienating all of our younger listeners, because I think all grades are actually numbers now. But I mean, come on. Uh,
DailySaintsPod: I'm in my 30s. What do you want from me? yeah like
Greg: Uh... Yeah. Somewhere in the B plus A minus range for me. You're right. I mean, probably tending towards the B because...
Greg: because Aaron Ramsdale is still here, right? which Which potentially could come in and be an absolute saving grace at a point of the season that could be...
Greg: massively detrimental. or could be seen as... i don't know a massive fall from grace or a massive waste of money to have a fourth choice goalkeeper on that kind of wages.
DailySaintsPod: I think there's apparently a relegation clause.
Greg: I mean...
DailySaintsPod: and I think we've never really discussed that. And that might have been a contributing factor to why it's not as much of a problem.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: But what I think...
Greg: I mean it's... It's still a lot of money.
DailySaintsPod: yeah no 100 but i think that the problem that you've got is that
Greg: Right?
DailySaintsPod: At the time that we signed him, you know, ex -Arsenal goalkeeper. Yeah, he's had relegations under his belt. That was funny. he was going to be you know he was probably the best signing we had of that window
Greg: Mm.
DailySaintsPod: we were very very happy with it we thought it was a real if i remember rightly we saw it as a statement signing a marquee signing to to kick off that Premier League season. And obviously that Premier League season was an absolute disaster.
DailySaintsPod: And he is one of those people that obviously, you know. got an opportunity in the Premier League straight away. and grasps that. with both hands and immediately left us to flounder under you know a succession of rotating duo of Bazunu and McCarthy until all of a sudden we weren't and he went to Newcastle and he didn't impress in the way that he wanted to
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: He, you know, he had some OK games, but ultimately, like, you know, shipped seven goals over two legs to Barcelona. That's probably one of the things he'll be remembered for. He was in a lot of their media. It's great that he was, you know, meeting up with the the grannies at Teesside to have a cup of tea and talk about what Newcastle means to them. But ultimately, they decided to not sign him.
DailySaintsPod: So then he comes back and what you are left with from... Tonda and, you know... Spors is that a really tumultuous time that he wasn't involved in because he was still technically on loan during all the Spygate stuff. You've got a player that's come back that there is an expectation that when we signed him, there would just be offers left, right and centre.
DailySaintsPod: he's come back and gone, well, actually, I want to stake my claim here. Maybe, you know, I actually need regular first team of football, which is funny because obviously that's what... He wanted when he said he...
DailySaintsPod: when he joined us, right? And that's what he would have gotten in the championship as well the first season.
Greg: yeah
DailySaintsPod: And obviously though there hasn't been those offers in for him. And then we've struggled to sell him and they are dealing with a leap piece of legacy business done under Russell Martin. Mowbray's brother.
DailySaintsPod: you know who was the nearest we had to anyone in charge of scouting at that time during a completely disastrous window where all he did really was stop the amount of goals that went in.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And now we're in a situation where, yeah, he's probably realistically. going to be number two. But I also understand where Tonda's coming from, where he signed this player, promised him a specific set of circumstances to play.
DailySaintsPod: That player's agreed to it. And then the idea is that we ship out all promises to him. because we've got a guy on more money that has come back and basically we're unable to ship because...
Greg: Mm.
DailySaintsPod: Has he said to some supporters, like, oh, he wants to stay, he wants to play, he wants to, like, fight for his place? And if it means he's a good influence in the goalkeeping... area still an expensive area to have a good influence, right? It's like me last season when I said about as much as it was lovely to have Romeu back.
DailySaintsPod: became sort of like a non -tenant signing, right? And... Obviously, with Ramsdale, him not... going realistically is probably the reason we didn't get that extra player at the end of the end of the year right it's that reason that we've ended up with a loan for a defender
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: and not an extra attacking option it's probably the reason that those even get to move on or I'm chatting absolute bare rubbish and, you know, there's a big... wider explanation that we are unaware of, which is also you know completely reasonable. We're going off of what we can see.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: And I don't want to disrespect and say, oh, that there's a load of angry stuff going on behind the scenes. But... it just That seems to be the circumstances that have now led us to having a...
DailySaintsPod: incredibly expensive fourth choice goalkeeper. who seemingly has either stayed on his own volition or...
Greg: yeah
DailySaintsPod: we've been unwilling to take. such a loss on him. which is on us. But again, it's like when Tonda said it was a bunch of stuff that happened.
Greg: Meh.
DailySaintsPod: before he even was at the club, and is having to try and deal with.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And.
Greg: it's It's a really fascinating one. and look Maybe one that we'll never really know the answer to, and maybe we... Maybe we're grateful for it. at some point you know we've seen goalkeeper injuries hamper our seasons before And you've got to think that if...
Greg: uh the worst is to happen to press that maybe we would expect that we see Ramsdale come back in but yeah I don't know. it's It's a really strange one.
DailySaintsPod: It's just a horrible set of circumstances for the club and the player, to be perfectly honest.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: But if if he you know if he'd accepted the relegation clause and didn't go immediately on loan and and didn't go to Newcastle and stayed, I don't think we'd even be in this situation because I don't think we'd have ever had to have got Peretz in.
DailySaintsPod: And now he'd be playing regular first team football. But again, like everybody, you take a risk and a gamble when you go out on loan or you take a transfer, right? You've seen it with James Ward -Prowse. He's come back into the team like he never left. But you kind of forget that he's had like a couple of years.
DailySaintsPod: bouncing around various different clubs. not really be able to make an impact. And it probably, in hindsight, would have been better off for him to stay. but It is what it is, isn't it? you know And I guess we just have to deal with the situation.
DailySaintsPod: But because they you weren't able to sort that out, whether it be player, whether it be offers, whether it be negotiations or whatever, it left us slightly lighter than we should have been.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: in other areas, which is why As far as I'm concerned, it's a B because if we do pick up an injury, you know, you've got some players in the background there that are going to really need to step up and you worry if they can make that step.
Greg: Huh. That's fair. Finking... specifically then about the The outgoing transfers that... That we did.
Greg: Get. through the line. What did you, I don't know, what did you make of our business? lots of loan deals outright.
DailySaintsPod: The loan deals kind of make sense because it's it's players that if they're not going to take a... If they're not going to... Play. then yeah, it'd be lovely to have some depth option, but also to take some money and and give people the option to move on when they did.
DailySaintsPod: Again, Sugawara is a perfect example. Came back, you know, had a couple of minutes pre -season, you know, got to be pally -pally with Matski for a little bit and then obviously went off on loan to Italy. where I imagine, because he just he was just a non -factor, I think that that's because there seems to be some sort of conversation around...
DailySaintsPod: rorislev and getting him rehabilitated and him being a player that was picked under this new order. So you'll you'll see a lot of...
Greg: I was going to say another signing that predates.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Greg: Spools.
DailySaintsPod: You're you're seeing all of the the sort of predated signings finally getting out one way or another. So whilst it would have been lovely to see Ben Brereton Diaz go on a permanent... He hasn't. And that's kind of not surprising because of the finances involved in the clubs that wanted to take him.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: So instead, now he's gone back to Sheffield United and will probably never play in a Saints shirt again. and, you know, got his pre -season in with us. and Yeah, it seems like a lot of sort of the outgoing, especially those sort of loan deals, I'm not really bothered about because what would...
DailySaintsPod: having them sit on the bench do right you wouldn't have had as many ins as we'd had i think personally
Greg: Yeah.
Greg: I agree. is It was all about freeing up some of that wage bill for for most of the players and for some like... Jay Robinson, it'll be about minutes in. in the top league where, he's you know, he's not going to...
Greg: realistically get that here at the moment. but that experience could mean that he'll come back and... Be better for it.
DailySaintsPod: but we get a big We get a load of money for for quite a good player. who's an academy lad that you know goes on to fund some other big transfers like look what we've done with the tyler dippling money right Whereas poor, poor Dibbling is barely getting a...
Greg: Yeah.
Greg: Yeah. Mm. Absolutely.
DailySaintsPod: looking in at Everton. You've now got, you know, you've got our entire front line built off of about half of... what we sold him for.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: so
Greg: Richie.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, so with loans, it it is what it is. every every Everybody would prefer full transfer, but it's just not the way the business has done seemingly in the last so a couple of years.
Greg: Yeah. an interesting one As well being Damien Downs out to back to the MLS.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Greg: i don't I didn't see the report on that as whether there was like an option to buy on that one, or are we do we think we're just... hoping that That's the case of a young player. back on kind of home turf able to Kick on and get some confidence back and maybe come back and make good
DailySaintsPod: We'll just have to see. And i like home turf, like Germany was more of home turf, to be honest. And, you know, I think that he had that weight of expectation as to step in to quite a big role in our team.
DailySaintsPod: massively struggled with it. He also had the weight of you know potentially going to the World Cup. Pochettino probably was a big factor in that transfer because obviously he knows Saints and I think he even encouraged him to like make the move because he knows and knows what the club's like and obviously it's just ended up as a bit of a disaster for him so him going to you know dropping down a level, dropping into an area where...
DailySaintsPod: you know people don't really know a huge amount about what's gone down I don't think that that many and MLS fans are paying much attention to us. Admittedly, you know, we were once the home of Bradley Wright Phillips, but other than that...
DailySaintsPod: you know, that we're not exactly the massive feeder for, I think Angus Gunn's there now. But he he got a i think a couple of minutes the other day. He came on as a sub quite late. That was the last.
DailySaintsPod: so let me sort of fixture that I looked at. But, yeah, I just don't really know. Obviously, we pay quite a large amount of money for him, and it's just not... quite worked out.
DailySaintsPod: And I think that... I wasn't even really expecting him to be able to get a loan because it's like after everything that happened when he went out. in last season on top of it. It's just a bit of a struggle, right?
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: so I wish him the best of luck. I hope he has a really good season. I will be interested to see if he ends up back in a Saints shirt or if he does really well, they might just put an offer in and we might just accept.
Greg: Yeah. And like you say. potentially the ability to reinvest is is kind of still a win -win. obviously from an outbound perspective.
Greg: I mean a much more trim... selling list than some years gone prior. right we we held on to Some of the players we were concerned about going, right? There was a lot of noise at the start of the window about Yanda and about... leo
Greg: And we we managed to keep hold of them. But... Two big departures and one... i guess expected departure but still a a sale just for an undisclosed fee so I mean, Buzunu makes moving on make sense in the the same context of...
Greg: of moving on to this sort of new order All right.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. 100%. And again, like one of the Man City cohort.
Greg: Buh
Greg: Mm.
DailySaintsPod: I'm pretty sure what, it's like a Edozie left now. Yeah, like that's it.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: like have smoothed on over the summer as well So got to be just a dozy, right?
Greg: Hmm.
Greg: Yeah. So Shea Charles... Fulham I mean, we just couldn't say no to that money, could we, realistically? That's such good value, despite the...
DailySaintsPod: Well, that was...
Greg: the player that he is.
DailySaintsPod: That was negotiation. obviously we need to saved the money that we've got because of relegation and parachute payments and whatever
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: Hey. 31. the move to the Premier League, you know, he spent the season, bear in mind, like, Before... He came back to us. when we were in the Premier League, you know, he spent a season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday. for a bit right And, you know, then there was talk of him potentially going...
Greg: And it pressed there.
DailySaintsPod: Sorry?
Greg: and it And impressed there and became...
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Greg: a key part of that team too.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, became became a bit of a fan favourite and then to the point where he went back to watch some games sometimes and then obviously came back into our squad and then scored some absolutely incredibly... worthwhile goals like you know the fee alone and was was worth that. but Yeah, you've got a Premier League sign.
DailySaintsPod: that's come knocking. He's in the championship. he's played some really really key moments It's a significantly large amount of money. You know, probably not.
DailySaintsPod: for some of what you know bear in mind we've we've had some ridiculous sales over the last couple of years of like dibbling and this any other Probably what we all think. Yep. our players are worth more than they probably are. That's just the reality of supporting a club, right?
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: But... Ultimately, for for a young guy that's still developing, that hasn't really had the first team level of exposure or like at least Premier League exposure yet. makes kind of sense and Yeah, like it's it's not completely devastated the midfield. And if we'd kept him, I don't think we'd have gone in for James Ward -Prowse. And I don't think we'd you know we'd be in the position we're in now. And I don't think that's like... to that's That's more just putting like a band -aid on it for me, right?
DailySaintsPod: Because it it was sad to see him go.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And he scored so many so many good goals. But I wish him no, he will.
Greg: No.
DailySaintsPod: and you know, I know that
Greg: one of those things where it it it makes sense and it is, it could it can be sad and still be okay. But realistically, like you say, that money that we got for him, i mean that has more than covered our expenses for this year.
Greg: to massively oversimplify it. in the terms of the obviously the squad cap ratio rules. and If you have questions about that, we did a whole episode on it.
DailySaintsPod: Mm hmm.
Greg: Go back and check that one out.
DailySaintsPod: By we, I mean... Greg explained it to me.
Greg: but Obviously, the other big outgoing... And of course, Shea Charles as well. Seems to be doing pretty well at Fulham, straight into the starting line -up.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Greg: Couple of appearances for them. loving life in the Premier League four Four appearances, 214 minutes.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, some people are saying. two to three years you know keep an eye on him he might end up as one of the big biggest clubs you know and i wouldn't put it past him like again we we signed him from cities academy remember that so you know and even his brother's gone back there now i think
Greg: Yeah.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: So... Yeah. it's It will be he you know it was is what it is. It would be lovely to to have kept him. But when when a Premier League side comes in... and you're in the championship. the circumstances of which we're still in the championship and the money that was offered, it kind of made sense for him to move on.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: Power to him.
Greg: And the other big move of course. Taylor Harwood Bellis. I mean... another one that i mean on paper it made a lot of sense right champions league club come call in
Greg: And it. It's an attractive prospect and, you know, they're paid. Good money for him. From our point of view... Maybe... with the benefit of hindsight from what it seems to be at the moment, left out of the Champions League named squad.
Greg: Not even on the team sheet for the two most recent games. It's maybe... Maybe less of an obvious one. if It's a bit of a... Bit of a strange one.
DailySaintsPod: Better have picked up an injury now. so we'll have to have a look to see if he steps back into that lineup right
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: Bye. I think that if we'd recorded this episode at the day of closing, it would be really, really sad. And we think he'll go on to absolutely smash it. And. I think that if you'd said...
DailySaintsPod: on deadline day. Like, oh, by the way, it's like Hobbit versus Gordon. And. By the way, he's not going to appear for Villa for at least the next two weeks. I'd be a bit baffled.
Greg: Mm.
DailySaintsPod: Because it just kind of seems like, and and like you've discussed it. we've We've had a conversation about it before, potentially some... to be clear, the rumour mill. is that this is some sort of signing that was done by board and not manager.
DailySaintsPod: And Emery is just, you know, and I couldn't help but think of the the Harvey Elliott stuff, right? With him. having just the amount of appearances to not trigger a permanent clause.
DailySaintsPod: to be transferred and then kind of completely screwing over his career. I'm really worried that's going to happen to Taylor because it seems just it seems baffling that you you'd spend that much. and But I guess that that's the...
DailySaintsPod: the cost of business you know for some of those clubs right like they're going to happily pay 25 30 million quid for a player that they barely play because that's how much money they seem to have
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Which, you know, it's just... iss just When we talk about the levels and the differences, you know that that's what it is, right? Look at Tottenham have now spent what? but half a billion pound or something ridiculous to have a team that... Cattle score a goal.
DailySaintsPod: at all like it's just completely different different ball game. But yeah, i think I think it's one that... You wonder what will happen in six months' time.
DailySaintsPod: it could be I could be in my word, he could be a proper prime centre -back.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: He could really impress in like the next couple of weeks where he he gets a bit of an opportunity. I really hope he does. I think he deserves a chance. We always said that he you know had captain material unless he was going to get picked up by a bigger championship.
DailySaintsPod: Champions League side, sorry. And ultimately ultimately, you know, regardless of what people's feelings are on Villa.
Greg: move
DailySaintsPod: They have. proven over the last couple of seasons they are at that level uh they're struggling now because also they have been picked apart with a lot of the transfers from them right morgan rogers ollie watkins that's less than ideal but we'll just have to
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: see how it pans out. But from a business perspective,
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: Uh, Schlott, I'm actually looking real good.
Greg: well that's it right so this is as we move towards the end of this the part where it all seems to
DailySaintsPod: That's all I'm saying.
Greg: I think I remember the quote from last year, Zach, being... Squad building is an art where you don't get to see the outcome of the picture until the end of the season. Is that right?
Greg: Sir. something that I think Spors himself came out with but actually when we look at our inbound spends We gotta be...
Greg: pretty happy with them. Right? Like you say, Schlotterbeck has... taken that position. As you'd expect him to as an experienced Bundesliga player. and I don't see anybody dislodging him, do you?
DailySaintsPod: No, and obviously he wasn't even the original. uh original pick for that role right there were a couple of others that that were
Greg: yeah
DailySaintsPod: we tried to get. but went elsewhere, one of which ironically is, is you know, did go to Fulham. So it's ended up being really. Real good. You talked about yesterday whether or not... Cyle Larin is the cheapest and best transfer we've ever had.
DailySaintsPod: or the you know the best transfer for the least amount of money, which seemed to spark quite the debate.
Greg: yeah
DailySaintsPod: uh especially
Greg: Well, yeah, I mean the The debate was reasonable and fair enough because actually... The other ridiculous piece of business of buying James Ward Prowse back for £800 ,000.
Greg: Less than a million pounds. like three years after we sold him to for $30 million. I mean... That is...
DailySaintsPod: It kind of feels like we've had it kind of feels like you had someone's pants down there, doesn't it?
Greg: It's unbelievable, isn't it? Right?
DailySaintsPod: like yeah
Greg: Yeah, because because even, I mean, obviously, and it's proved to pay off because he's come in and hasn't missed a beat. But even... With the doubts that I had about signing him... And, you know, the... potential condition and physical position he was going to be in.
Greg: That's still a steal. You'd take that every day of the week, right? like it's just Steven. to come in and... You know... Play the Romeo. style. Uh... play half a game and be that motivator in the dressing room.
Greg: you'd pay that fee for. And he's... you know, providing so much more than that is already, like... like we say, stepped into that role and... It's like he never left.
Greg: Yes. It's so weird
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, no, yeah I agree with that, but it's one of those... You know he him Him and Laren cost less than like four million quid
Greg: Mad.
DailySaintsPod: And we spent more, you know, and and considering what we paid for Dobbin. That raises another question as to whether or not we overpaid. because he is, at the moment, obviously there's a big season, there's a lot of time, but he has been very, very limited to cameo roles at this point.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, you know. The £3 million guy is literally the top scorer of the championship. The £800k guy is slotted back in like he never left and looks to be the Premier League player we remember him to be.
Greg: Hmm.
Greg: What we...
DailySaintsPod: Obviously, that's a lot of pressure on the guy, though, right?
Greg: What we have... Now, what we have paid for with Dobbin is not... what we have paid for. with Lauren and... And we'll browse because what we have.
Greg: Paid. the extra cost for with Dobbin. is the potential. right Because he is a young... Player. who, if he has a fantastic season with us, which there is still plenty of time for him to go on and do.
Greg: you know he could solidify himself as that key part of our team. or... go on and be the next. 30 to 40 million pound player that pays for the next batch of six players who carry us, right?
Greg: Like it's...
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, he but I bear in mind he's had three seasons on loan. the the last three, like three years, right? and It's quite a big amount of money.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: but my My point is, is we can't we can't act like we're the best of business because also. We signed Damien Downs for a significantly large amount of money.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Like, there there can be hits and misses, is my point. I'm not saying that this is definitely a miss yet.
Greg: But that's the game.
DailySaintsPod: It's just that...
Greg: That's the game that we play and the the game that we accept that we play. We're not willing to go out and risk. 40, 50 million on a player.
Greg: Because it it's too big of a gamble and the pressure's high. But when you're paying 11 million, especially in the... kind of context of the the amount others pay.
Greg: The... the risk is less and... you know The opportunity to come on and have impact. say He's still such a young player, even if it's not this season where he breaks out.
Greg: Like there's so much time for him to become. a really quality player And that's that's what the what we've paid the the premium for, for those potential years of...
Greg: of that because he's what 23 so
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, but I'd like to also point out that Sam Edozie is 23 and the way that we talk about him is like he's old and washed up.
Greg: Peace.
DailySaintsPod: So maybe we need to re -contextualise.
Greg: Which is... Absolutely baffling to me. Yeah, i don't I don't think that at all. He is also a youngster who's... you know, trying to... break his way into the team and have that same impact and do the same thing to kick -start his career. And I think in a lot of ways, you could maybe look at Lewis Dobbin.
Greg: as as in a very similar position to Edozie, right? like you Like you say, he was out on loan three times before coming to us. And Odozi, of course, was out on loan in Belgium. And then...
Greg: Didn't manage to go out on loan, but also didn't really manage to make a huge impact here last season for... reasons that have never become particularly apparent. But. you know, Like you say, there's so much football to play in a season that these...
Greg: These squad players are going to get... more than cameo appearances at some point in Crucial Games. And... You know.
Greg: They're going to get opportunities and some some of them are going to come good and some of them might not come good. But... But when you're paying out... less than one of your outward transfers for the entire transfer window.
Greg: i mean it It really shows how shrewd the business was. last season. Right? Because... You look at the key players and you think that...
Greg: That loan deal, I mean... I think back to... the the close of the January transfer window where we came on air and you had a tin on your head. because we were saying, what, tin pot?
Greg: January window it was to sign some washed up Canadian who hasn't played proper football for three months and
DailySaintsPod: what It was. We signed... we signed
Greg: Uh, goalkeeper who looked like he was some kind of Bayern Munich reject and what it turns out is Like. Unbelievable players. uh it made such an impact to the team
DailySaintsPod: It's... Just trust the process, right? But I think, as I said, like my...
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: I'm not too bothered about the signings we've made or the signings that have gone or whatever.
Greg: a
DailySaintsPod: As I said, it's it's more that I'm just slightly... concerned about that.
Greg: Mm.
DailySaintsPod: And I'm slightly concerned about that because I think we weren't able to move on everybody. We weren't able to move on everybody that we wanted to. because a lot of these decisions and a lot of these things that were made were done with people who are no longer at the club. and you know those decisions have continued to cost us later on down the line
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: and that's no And to be clear, I don't even really think that's a fault on like Russell Martin or the scouting team at the time. They basically had to like make up who they were, you know. who was coming into the Premier League with them.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: maxwell corne you know other situations like that they didn't get actually get
Greg: Ainsley Maitland -Niles, remember him?
DailySaintsPod: Well, yeah I mean, yeah, he scored a cracker for Everton the other day. But like... We just had, you know, also that was before his time.
Greg: Yeah. That was the same season as Maxwell Cornett, mate.
DailySaintsPod: yeah
DailySaintsPod: It was not, because he he left with Ćaleta Carr. And that was the season we were relegated from the Premier League the first time round. You'll get your relegations confused.
Greg: Well...
DailySaintsPod: Because they both went to Olympique Lyon
Greg: Maybe.
DailySaintsPod: So, yeah, I know what I'm talking about. But by but that that but to be fair, mate, that actually just backs up my point, is you struggle to who who remembered. like to remember who even joined us that season.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: Right. was Was that the same season as Mason Holgate? Who knows? like
Greg: Maybe that's the player I'm thinking of.
DailySaintsPod: that probably is it's the guy that every time I bring him up you're like Wait, he played Frost? And I go, yeah.
Greg: No, I think it is.
Greg: yeah I think that was...
DailySaintsPod: Now you're right.
Greg: Or the other ambiguous lone fullback that didn't quite work out that I was thinking of. You're right.
DailySaintsPod: Well, the fact that you've got Kevin Danso who just got to Sunderland, he was playing for us apparently. But yeah, there's a lot of... that I think that. that That whole thing was a disaster by not bringing in a spores like figure and now that we have spores in and we were worried and we didn't know what was going to happen and we've we we you know were harsh harshly critical
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: I think that he is owed. enough time. which is why as much as I'm skeptical.
Greg: Definitely.
DailySaintsPod: all of these transfers might turn out really good. So.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, mate.
Greg: I mean, you make a signee or a series of signings for less than the sale of one Tyler Dibling that is the combination of Leo Scienza, and Casper Jander
Greg: Uh... And... Who else did we bring in? I can't even remember.
DailySaintsPod: Finn Azaz came in during that window.
Greg: in his as That is the player, right?
DailySaintsPod: That window was crazy.
Greg: Uh...
DailySaintsPod: There were a couple that didn't quite turn out well all right, right? Like Jellert you know, well is what it was, but...
Greg: But... But those three are... Yeah, I mean, those three now such... core elements of our team. Yeah, I mean... Like say...
Greg: I think they've earned the right to trust the process, despite it feeling maybe not as deep up the front as we like, but also with that interesting interesting position of, obviously, we've brought in Abbott and...
Greg: Is our strength at the back now such that is he even going to get on the pitch? Right?
DailySaintsPod: Wife. Again, if he was if he was brought in as a Quarshie -replacement, no. I don't know if he was. I feel it's kind of wild, considering they said he'd be travelling with the squad and going in.
DailySaintsPod: we just have to We just have to see how that one pans out, but so it's been like two weeks.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: But equal equally...
Greg: Again, plenty of football to play, right? So plenty of minutes in the legs.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, equally, it's it's not like he's not been registered with our squad. Right? So it's there's there's some different arguments there.
Greg: Yes.
DailySaintsPod: it's more It's more just there isn't a place to play yet. Wood is doing enough currently to keep himself in the team. So you're not really going to want to swap him out.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: you're not really going to want to change all of the you know the the winning team constantly. As we've seen, the changes have been very, very minimal.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: But long season, there probably will be injuries along the way. I just hope that it's not one injury too many and we're exposed for not doing enough business. But again, they've earned that trust for the for the time being.
DailySaintsPod: for the time being. So...
Greg: As we head towards conclusion, mate, I want to i want to ask a silly question.
DailySaintsPod: Oh, good.
Greg: to wrap up on.
DailySaintsPod: Perfect.
Greg: Yeah. Obviously you alluded to that name squad, and there is one space in that squad for a... uh a free agent now the obvious sensible answer is that we are saving that spot. For... if something goes horribly wrong and we need to bring him back up. But my silly question for you is...
Greg: To me, that spot represents The, Oh, we're gonna bring back a player. that used to play for us that we have no right bringing back.
Greg: and slotting into that Ori or Romeo role. So if if it was going to be anyone... who would you bring back and why?
DailySaintsPod: Oh, let's just bring Big Vic back. Why not? he's retired now he's retired like solidly right he was in a couple of charity matches why not
Greg: Yeah. Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: but to bring We want to bring back, you know, we want to bring back somebody that that... played pivotal role in that position multiple times during his career sure or you know what's Toby Alderweireld up to nowadays
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: There you go. That's that's a defender that you know we've not heard of for years. Dejan Lovren. You know? Who who wrote it?
Greg: I don't know if some of the some of these names are feeling more positive about than others, to be honest, mate.
DailySaintsPod: Armando Broja, he seems to be having a fantastic time at Burnley, beefing with fans.
Greg: Yeah. Okay.
DailySaintsPod: you know That would be the striker backup.
Greg: Wesley Hoedt
DailySaintsPod: Mate, at this point, he is he's more of like a Watford legend than any Southampton player.
Greg: Hehehe!
DailySaintsPod: i don't I don't know. I feel like have we not tapped out our extended quota of bringing up for back former Saints players? We brought back Lallana. We brought back James Ward -Prowse.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: We brought back Theo Walcott
Greg: Yep. Alright, we're ready.
DailySaintsPod: We brought back Romelu, who's now you know having the like ever the time of his life in Japan. who Who's left to bring back? Ryan Bertrand?
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Vestergaard all players that you know Vestergaard recently relegated with Leicester.
Greg: My Yoshida.
DailySaintsPod: like
Greg: I'm pretty sure Maya Yoshida scored an absolutely banging back heel the other day in whatever league he is playing in these days.
DailySaintsPod: he's he said He's still in MLS and he's still playing for LA Galaxy and loves it there.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: i feel like trying to get him to convince he likes to fly back and occasionally watch us mate
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: But I very much doubt you could have really struggled. to get the man to come from LA. to spend like you know a whole nother year in Southampton.
Greg: Why not, mate?
DailySaintsPod: at like the age of 40.
Greg: Southampton's lovely.
DailySaintsPod: Isn't Yose fun?
Greg: Cool. Mayflower Park.
DailySaintsPod: Isn't Jose Fonte now on the staff of Sheffield United? Is that a thing that... I remember...
Greg: Yeah, that sounds right.
DailySaintsPod: briefly reading the beginning of the season.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: But yeah. I just think that maybe if the players of sort of of that generation are now retired and gone and off to... you know better brighter things or alternatively are no longer playing. Like Graziano Pellè right?
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: He's been retired now for... forever, considering at one point he was the second best played paid player in the world.
Greg: All right. Right.
DailySaintsPod: So, i don't I don't know, man. That's why I said Big Vic.
Greg: We've heard all of these rumours from the club about like the outside the stadium expansion.
DailySaintsPod: just
Greg: Do you think the real reason they're keeping it quiet is it's actually a golf course and we're bringing back Gareth Bale?
DailySaintsPod: Right, so that's where that's why you're going for all of this, right?
Greg: it
DailySaintsPod: you you you I even remember be you a couple of weeks ago you talking about bringing back Gareth Bale.
Greg: it
DailySaintsPod: No. they did that They did that with what? didn didnt Did he go back to Spurs in like the last year of his career? and everyone It's like the Cristiano Ronaldo effect.
Greg: He did, yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Often it doesn't work out. I think that the reason it's worked out with Prowse is Prowsey is not like 38. Prowse's 30.
Greg: Yeah. Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: He's not 34, 35. He's not on his way out yet. Everybody else came to us for a retirement year. Lallana came for a retirement and a job.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Theo Walcott came for retirement. Like... you know the only other player that V -
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: to it to who plays football still, who people kept... begging to come back for whatever reason was Oxlade -Chamberlain who again, like played like a couple games for us, like a year or so or whatever, before disappearing off to Arsenal and never being heard from again.
DailySaintsPod: at least on the south coast so
Greg: Yeah. I just, I thought I'd... bring it anyway on a funny note i thought that was a nice silly question obviously We filled our ex -Saints quota this year, so we'll just have to see what the next round of window brings next summer.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, itll be we'll have to see. what i said We've got a free agent slot. We could bring Romero back again, to be perfectly honest. I couldn't i could see that happening. that would Why not?
DailySaintsPod: But that that that is also... I know that obviously we're we're running towards the end of the episode now. Remember, this is supposed to be a 24 -minute episode. you're now all We're all out almost at 40, and this is why...
Greg: Standard.
DailySaintsPod: this is why greg never yetlet used that This is why Greg never used to let me have the controls.
DailySaintsPod: Well...
DailySaintsPod: Any clues and thoughts, mate? on our transfer window.
Greg: No, I just think... All in all. Feeling positive from it. Uh... I think that you're right. It could have been. i I don't know. I don't know if it could have been better, right, is is the thing. We're never going to be out there signing. proven talent that's just not what we do but it feels positive and i guess that's much easier to say off of the back of the results we've had since
DailySaintsPod: For sure and also, you know but My last point to make realistically is that... you know You say it as a joke that that we've got that free agent slot, but what we do actually have is a free agent slot, which does give us a slight amount of maneuverability if anything goes horrifically wrong.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And with the fact that we've got four goalkeepers, that means that it's probably not going to be at that position.
Greg: Night.
DailySaintsPod: Uh, we'll have to see But yeah.
Greg: maybe Maybe bringing back Graziano Pella goes from being a joke to...
Greg: A real goal -scoring threat, you never know.
DailySaintsPod: Oh, okay.
Greg: but but
DailySaintsPod: I think that's about all we've got time for today. We'll be back tomorrow. we might do We might do some rounding up of the championship. We, uh... might have some more conversations about transfers, considering we're supposed to go through initially initially every individual.
DailySaintsPod: and have a cool discussion about that. but we seem to have sort of covered the broader spectrum in today's episode than we expected. But as, as we said, what, so a B a fight, fight or scores B plus from me.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: B plus, maybe A minus from you.
Greg: I'll say B+. plus B+. plus Virgin on A -.
DailySaintsPod: So B pluses.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: B plus transfer window. Perfect. Right. So as such, we'll be back tomorrow with with something. Uh, We are obviously on all the social videos. We're on Facebook. Twitter. YouTube.
DailySaintsPod: Instagram. Blue sky. TikTok. all of the ones that have the videos and clips of our faces. uh Thank you all for listening. Have a wonderful morning.
DailySaintsPod: A wonderful afternoon. or a wonderful evening and we will see you in the next one
