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Episode 369: TRANSFER TUESDAY!
83 Plays2 days ago
Southampton – It's not the busiest of windows, then again, that's exactly what we were told to prepare for!
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Transcript
Introduction and Transfer Window Overview
00:00:13
DailySaintsPod
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Saints pod. My name is Greg and as always today joined by my good friend, wonderful co-host Zach. And mate, it's Transfer Tuesday, but but what are we could talk about? is there is there anything? It's real quiet, isn't it?
00:00:32
Zak
like I guess it's a meme at this point, but genuinely like trying to do research for today. and and you just like We'll see Derby's to be big, so a lot of it's just flooded with Derby news.
00:00:44
Zak
But like I just think that we're not linked with anyone. I think that the the face value that we did not take the club out where they're like, oh, it's going to be a quiet window. and it feels like they had one bit of business in mind, which was a new goalkeeper.
00:00:57
Zak
That was all they've decided they want to do. And they've decided to wrap everything else up pretty much then. And it raises a lot of questions, which I'm sure we'll get on to.
00:01:07
Zak
And obviously some things have happened.
00:01:08
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:01:10
Zak
But yeah, don't really know
Unexpected Departures and Transfer Strategy
00:01:12
Zak
feel about it all, mate.
00:01:12
DailySaintsPod
is Yeah, well, I mean, some of the some of the things, I don't know, it felt a bit like were maybe like setting a pathway to bring someone in.
00:01:28
DailySaintsPod
Like Ronnie Edwards going like was such an odd one that you kind of got the feeling that that maybe they had something in mind. But just unless they're just playing in their cards incredibly close to their chest, which...
00:01:42
DailySaintsPod
I mean, it's not really the way it tends to be done, right?
00:01:50
DailySaintsPod
It's just an odd one. It's just like radio silence across the board, apart from... ohs Definitely, at least from the incoming front, right? There's just...
00:01:59
Zak
I think, I think they, I think though, like ultimately they said, nothing's going to happen. We were like, yeah, all right. That's what they all say. And I think that, that, they They told us what was going to happen. I think the baffling thing is, is like yeah, like some of the outgoings are just a a bit strange. like Bizzunu made sense considering the the plan was you know to replace him pretty quick.
00:02:18
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:02:21
Zak
They'd already lined that up. There was conversation about it for a while. It took slightly longer than they wanted it to happen. And everything else is sort of outgoing, not necessarily the outgoings we've kind of wanted to see.
00:02:33
Zak
And for me, if it's like there's a big push to get promotion this season, it doesn't feel like there is anymore. I think they've kind of settled with the fact that we're probably going to spend another season in the championship because, you know, know that you don't want to necessarily throw the kitchen sink in at January and you might not have the names lined up and stuff, but it it all feels very, very cautious.
00:02:42
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:02:54
Zak
And I know that's because... Our January windows haven't been good, right?
Squad Planning and Market Approach
00:02:59
Zak
Over like the last couple years, I've made me say what David Brooks has brought in during the championship season, right?
00:03:04
Zak
But other than that, we have Grombeck and the year before that was like the the January window where we got all of the guys that have now gone, where, you know, the Portman, was that Portman Lachou?
00:03:05
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:03:15
Zak
It was January, wasn't if I remember rightly.
00:03:15
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:03:18
DailySaintsPod
Sulemano was a January one, right?
00:03:18
Zak
So, yeah. Yeah, so so I can kind of understand, but it kind of feels like they set up because at the beginning the season, they decided to do all their squad planning and with, you know, Downs and Azaz and Sienzo and this and the other. And they're like, brilliant. this is a This is a team that will boss the championship and potentially win the league. And for a lot of us believe that, right, to be fair. And then obviously the actual last couple of months have played out, which has has not been the case of but at all. So I wonder if it's just like, because they didn't have a plan in place, they don't want to just panic by players. So they're just choosing not to, and instead removing stuff from the wage bill.
00:03:58
Zak
But like also, is it just that they've not highlighted a candidate that they think fits? I think with the Ronnie Edwards thing, we've talked about this before, my opinion on the Ronnie Edwards thing has not changed. i but like you know A lot of people thought, oh, okay, they're bringing somebody in because they're letting him go.
00:04:14
Zak
i genuinely think that he was not a buy when the Spores was in charge. And... Because of that, you know, he he went out loan for development last season.
00:04:25
Zak
He's gone, i want to go back to QPR because I'm not getting the game time here. They've put in a bid of, you know, a little bit more profit because he's not in like the big long-term plans or not being built into the squad in a way that is sufficient for him. They they aren't really bothered about letting him go. and I will also say point out that, you know, at that point, regardless of whether or not we consider him to be like a first choice centre-back, Kaya Sander came back off of loan, who, you know, was a little bit involved in pre-season. I don't expect to see him involved much, but honestly, since Will Stills gone, we haven't really seen Rodney Edwards involved much.
00:05:03
Zak
And also now we've got...
00:05:03
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, I guess it's just another option, right, of presumably the same implied.
00:05:06
Zak
Yeah. Yeah.
00:05:10
DailySaintsPod
I i don't know. is It's such a strange one. I mean, to me, obviously, Ronnie Edwards go in, you might think they had a replacement lined up.
00:05:20
DailySaintsPod
But for me, the the gaping hole in our squad is someone who can play like Ross Stewart when Ross Stewart can't.
00:05:29
DailySaintsPod
like I'm not saying that that's the option you necessarily need every single game, but but having that different profile of striker, like we talked before about the fact that at the start of the season, the perhaps that's exactly what they thought they were getting with Damian Downs.
00:05:29
Zak
Yeah, I get that.
00:05:48
DailySaintsPod
And that just wasn't really the case. But that's... I mean, are they just... They're just expecting him to stay fit because historically that that doesn't play in our favour.
00:06:00
DailySaintsPod
So I... That's the the one part to me that just feels...
00:06:06
Zak
the goal if the goal isn't promotion,
00:06:07
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
Long-term Strategy and Financial Prudence
00:06:10
Zak
right, why would you rush that now?
00:06:10
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:06:14
Zak
And that's that's what it says to me more than anything else, right? It makes me feel that the goal isn't actually promotion, you can afford to kind of wait a little bit, see who's going to be here at the end of the season, rebuild people, rebuild, look to find different profiles player and bring them back in for another go next year.
00:06:18
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:06:35
Zak
Also, you know, we're going to be in a slightly financially stronger position than a couple of the other clubs. Leicester have just sacked their manager and we've still heard nothing about their charges. So maybe we can just compete, consistently overspend all we want, right? Like, or points deduction whatever it was.
00:06:51
Zak
so So, yeah, like i I agree with what you say, but if you are trying to think of it as a long-term strategy, they are not going to just randomly have found a player by now that they think fits that profile that they're going to chuck money at.
00:06:51
DailySaintsPod
Mm-hmm.
00:07:05
Zak
Maybe the actual long-term goal, Greg, is to send Damien Downs off, and if they don't activate his clause, he comes back, right? There's also potential lone returnees we've got to think about as well.
00:07:11
DailySaintsPod
yeah Yeah. He played 63 minutes the other day for for the team he's out on loan to in Germany, which which I forget their name, but is it Hoffenheim?
00:07:21
Zak
to Hamburg, right?
00:07:22
DailySaintsPod
Hamburg? know, it became a H, we're getting there. that he he played 63 minutes and didn't have a shot. So it's not great form, is it?
00:07:32
Zak
Yeah. so So maybe not, but like that, that screams to me that unless he kind of starts getting into form, they're probably not going to activate his claws, which means he's going to come back.
00:07:34
DailySaintsPod
It's...
00:07:42
Zak
Ben Bereton Diaz might. We still haven't really heard much about him. One of the bits of news that I did forget, even to talk to you about pre-show, was Sugawara might come back because they have They're going to try and negotiate a lower fee. Yeah.
00:07:58
DailySaintsPod
Right.
00:07:58
Zak
I don't know if we'll go for that because like the whole point of setting out someone loaded and growing a fear at that point is that it's done and dusted. Right.
00:08:04
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:08:05
Zak
That doesn't mean he's necessarily coming back. Someone else might come in for him, but there's a good chance at some point that, you know, and unless Jalert goes back and Sigoura comes back here, we might end up with like four right backs, which is insane.
00:08:16
DailySaintsPod
That's crazy. When you think about sort of some of the positions we've been in this season with sort of lack of full-backs to a sudden nephil, it's really strange. and is it Is it just too... Right.
00:08:30
DailySaintsPod
I don't necessarily disagree with what you're saying, but it just... We're only seven points. I know we're 15. We're only seven points off playoffs. As a club, bearing in mind actual financial ramifications of staying down rather than going up, can we afford to write the season off at this point?
00:08:49
Zak
why it's not, it's not writing the season off, but it's like why at this point you'd expect them to start doing something about it.
00:08:49
DailySaintsPod
Seven points seems like one three-game week.
00:08:56
Zak
You'd start to expect them to throw the kitchen sink a little bit. And yeah. Okay. Not panic transfer people in. And you know, again, it might be that we were doing the old classic saints thing of like leaving it to the last day to bring anybody in.
00:09:10
Zak
But the other thing that, It just, it just, we would have seen something by now. I feel we'd have seen a link. We'd have seen anything, right? All of the links to, to incomings players,
00:09:24
Zak
have been really tenuous at
Player Departures and Management Sentiment
00:09:25
Zak
best. they've been a lot of them have been youth prospects more than anything else. And while we have been sort of linked to a player, it's been like we apparently went in for Perrault at some point and he turned us down. And there was also talk that we went in for him. So like they are looking at those kind of things clearly, but like I think they're not willing to just pull the trigger on something that doesn't suit.
00:09:46
Zak
And they've said that multiple times.
00:09:46
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:09:47
Zak
And I think that's the problem, is that if they don't sign somebody and it's it's not because they're not a good fit... What would you rather? Like, they spent like a couple of million pounds on someone you've never heard of who comes in and does poorly where they're going to get chastised for it.
00:10:02
Zak
Or we don't spend that couple of million pounds. We have the squad we've got now, which, you know, you always say is only like a whisper away from being like a really good team. And we don't really know what that piece is that's missing.
00:10:12
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:10:15
Zak
But, yeah, I just don't think it's going to be...
00:10:16
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, but I don't expect us as people who watch the club and really focus on the club a lot and think about it to know the answer, but i do hope that the people running the club and who are there at the training ground every day Yeah.
00:10:33
DailySaintsPod
like
00:10:33
Zak
Yeah, but so then but that's the thing. So then you'd expect that then, you know, if they come out and tell us there's going to be no movement in January, the manager has basically said nothing about it. You're not seeing a lot of movement. You're not seeing even any links into the press. You're not even seeing agents say much.
00:10:49
Zak
Then you've got to go based off the evidence in front of you. And the evidence at the front of us at the moment, and I'm happy to eat my words in a week, like, you know, a couple of days' time if we end up getting somebody in is that they are not really intending to bring anybody in.
00:11:02
Zak
And that's the reality of the situation, right? Like, and that really is frustrating.
00:11:05
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:11:07
Zak
And I feel like a lot of people, think a lot of people are annoyed about it. You know, ourselves included, I also kind of get it from perspective of, well,
00:11:12
DailySaintsPod
Hmm.
00:11:18
Zak
you know, they they probably put all of their eggs in the basket of the summer transfer window. They probably planned a little bit. The big thing they've done is replace the goalkeeper. They've realised that maybe it's not as big as, you know, it's not just the goalkeeper.
00:11:31
Zak
Well, what else are we going to do now? We've got 30 days. Well, let's not panic buy. Let's just rebuild in the summer. And that that's what it feels like.
00:11:37
DailySaintsPod
Mm-hmm.
00:11:38
Zak
And I know that you'd love to be like, oh, well, you know, the goal is still promotion. I'm like, yeah, I think it probably still is little bit.
00:11:42
DailySaintsPod
just i just feel so feel so pessimistic when, like like I say, like one successful three-game week, which I know is not something that we've really experienced yet this season, should be enough to turn it around.
00:11:59
DailySaintsPod
You're right, though. It's just like so close and yet so far every single time. it's it's It's so frustrating at the moment.
00:12:09
DailySaintsPod
But
00:12:10
Zak
Yeah, I think it's it's an indictment of the wider wider sentiment against Sports Republic. But one of the other things about it is that if they said there wasn't going to be any movement and we've riled ourselves up and think there is going to be, is it is it more on us at that point?
00:12:27
Zak
You know?
00:12:28
DailySaintsPod
Maybe. Maybe our hopes were just too high. Well, let's talk about some of the rumours and some of the actual stuff that has been confirmed exits, right? So I guess... Ryan Fraser now gone from the club.
00:12:44
Zak
Yeah.
00:12:46
DailySaintsPod
It was the last six months of his contract, right? So he's just gone presumably on a free, or for an undisclosed amount at least, to is it Western Sydney, where he went and scored a winner of the weekend.
00:12:59
Zak
yeah I don't think it's going to be a lot, if even if it was if there was a fee involved. But yeah, he he went, he he scored a winner.
00:13:08
Zak
He sent out a little a little video, like a video thing, but like a pi picture on Instagram of of him holding up the playoff trophy and and talked about that he had a good time here.
00:13:18
Zak
And like, he doesn't leave with, I think the the level of animosity and hostility that he's left other clubs at, right?
00:13:23
DailySaintsPod
Not at all.
00:13:24
Zak
Like, I think in in the comments of what of that picture, I saw somebody like a Bournemouth fan be like, yeah, whatever you snake.
00:13:25
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:13:31
Zak
It's just like, man, it's like three clubs ago.
00:13:31
DailySaintsPod
and
00:13:33
Zak
He's fine.
00:13:34
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:13:35
Zak
So, yeah, I'm kind of like, you know, as as I said to you yesterday, might have been useful to bring him on in place of Siense yesterday. And maybe you could have got a winner last minute. But, like, it is what it is. You you made the the accurate, you know, the accurate...
00:13:51
Zak
Summary of the fact that he's got six months left, it makes sense for him to get off the wages now, especially where it was probably higher wages than we would have liked.
00:13:59
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, reports are that he was like the second highest earner or something stupid.
00:13:59
Zak
seems be enjoying out there. seems to be Yeah, correct. So...
00:14:06
DailySaintsPod
So, you know, is that compared to his like position in the squad, it doesn't match, right? There's a mismatch.
00:14:16
Zak
yeah right so Yeah, I guess all the best to him. He said he wanted something different. He wanted a challenge. He wanted to move away. It's completely different from where he's been beforehand. it gives him and you know It gives him that option.
00:14:28
Zak
And it's just kind of, we seem to be, you know, I don't know if he was necessarily one that I would call that one of the deadwoods. Like some people are kind of saying that he is, but I think he would have been a useful utility player to the end of the season at least.
00:14:41
DailySaintsPod
i think that yeah long I think that when he came on for us you know he always gave it good go and and did some reasonably good stuff
00:14:48
Zak
Earlier in the season, he played better, I think.
00:14:50
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, and start of the season, he took an he came in at the start of the season in like ridiculously good shape, right? And looked like just back to a Ryan Fraser we'd not seen for a long time. And then took a knock and was out for a bit, right? And that was just kind of... Never really battled his way back into the team from that at all. So,
00:15:13
DailySaintsPod
yeah i mean I mean, when you're talking about players that could have been, you know, viable options, it's... I don't think he's the first name that that jumps to mind that we could be have been put into better use, so it makes complete sense to me to move him on. Seems like a good move for him.
00:15:36
DailySaintsPod
amazing Nice move to Australia, fair fair enough.
00:15:39
Zak
Yeah, it's, you know, it will be what it will be. But it's not like we're... The other thing to point out is of the ex-Premier League teams, we are we are not isolated in the fact that, you know, Ipswich have brought in Mometi, right? I think Leicester have brought in nobody.
00:15:56
Zak
We've brought in Peretz. We're actually on par with where those teams were at as well. And that's after, you know, the financial ramifications of last year. Coventry brought in a couple of players. Middlesbrough, I think, have brought a couple of players. So, you know, they are definitely trying to solidify their place at the top of the table.
00:16:13
Zak
Yeah, I just...
00:16:13
DailySaintsPod
Mm-hmm.
00:16:15
Zak
did I don't know. The more I think about it, the more it just it just feels like you're... It's not pessimistic. i think it's I think it's realistic, right? It's just frustrating because...
00:16:26
Zak
also feeds into the narrative of we do not invest properly or we only invest what we've made and stuff. Right. And it's like, Oh, we invest tons and tons into the club. And you're like, yeah, but we'd have liked you to have a plan B if plan but A didn't work out. And like plan B for if plan A didn't work out seems to be the actually just speeding up plan A, right. Which was to put Tonda in charge.
00:16:49
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:16:50
Zak
And, and that means when it comes to the transfers, I think that they genuinely thought they nailed it so well in, in, They didn't think they need to be scurrying around like they are at the moment. and
Focus on Youth and Academy Players
00:16:59
DailySaintsPod
hmm
00:17:00
Zak
And Ryan Frazier's departure is, yeah, it's just kind of like, of all the players, probably one of the better utility players, but completely understandable why he goes.
00:17:07
Zak
It's just that every single thing we hear from the club moment is like, this person's gone, this person's gone. But also, some of the players that are going are ones that we wouldn't expect to go or would want to go. Mm-hmm.
00:17:16
DailySaintsPod
Well, yeah, because there are still other players who are not in the picture at all that are rumoured or not rumoured, right?
00:17:27
DailySaintsPod
So, I mean, let's start with with the rumours. So, Sami Adozi has been... I've seen some news that he's been linked with several European clubs, but I've not seen any names anywhere.
00:17:39
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:40
Zak
No, lots of apparently the rumour Mill says that it's he would be allowed to go to a European club, he wouldn't be allowed to go elsewhere in the Championship. You wouldn't want to sell him to a rival, right, is basically I was seeing.
00:17:53
Zak
But still, even even then, like, and what was the other rumor?
00:17:53
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:17:57
Zak
That apparently he's been available to play the entirety of the year and they've just not chosen to play him. Which, again, this feels very, the whole thing feels just a bit weird.
00:18:03
DailySaintsPod
Which.
00:18:06
Zak
And again, like, no one's come out actually, I don't know if any of the sources are actually solid on that.
00:18:10
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, I mean, that's an interesting one, right? Because obviously we're not on the training ground to see see what happens sort of week in, week out, to know if that is you know the right option or not. But you would think that, especially at this level, there's something different that he could bring to the team. you know, he he was, when he played for us, was always a player that was quite happy to pick up the ball and drive.
00:18:35
DailySaintsPod
And so, like, immediately in my head, it's like, well, that's like a logical, even if it's just as like rotation or, a you know, a power sub player to, feels like a better option to bring on for Sienza than Jay Robinson, who, you know, he's been doing all right, but that's not really his game, right?
00:18:56
DailySaintsPod
Like,
00:18:57
Zak
No, i I think that's the other thing. So so so on on thatpi on that specific point, is it more that they're trying to push people through from the academy, which is always also a long-term goal. So rather than putting their eggs in the basket of admittedly a youth prospect when we bought him, but that was a couple of years ago at this point,
00:19:15
Zak
You know, he doesn't really, we don't know whether he wants to play or move on. Apparently he's saying he's always ready. Like, you know, the Instagram posts he puts up are just like, him he's ready to play. and You know, is it is it just the fact that they're like, well, we're just going to move you on.
00:19:25
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:19:28
Zak
We'd rather try and focus on the academy because from a long-term perspective, if if they know that we're not going up this year, and again, like this isn't to be pessimistic, it's just to be realistic about how this season's gone.
00:19:39
Zak
Yeah. are they starting to think about the fact that they're utilise the academy more if we're not able to buy players that are, you know, a couple of million pound a pop, right? So maybe, yeah, maybe they're just thinking, well, we can make some money off of him.
00:19:52
Zak
He gets to kind of get some move that he wants. But the whole thing is just a bit weird and I'm kind of with you and I don't think we'll ever really get the answers. It was very much like the Flynn Downs-Ipswich situation, right? That never really got, we never really got answers about it, but we came into this season and and now Flynn Downs is very much a Saints player again.
00:20:10
Zak
So, yeah, i don't know. I kind of agree with you. I think it probably would be a slightly better option. and But also, the guy's not played for for six months. So, you but people always people always say that.
00:20:18
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, so then you end up in a similar situation, right?
00:20:20
Zak
like This is well thiss is like when Balakotcha had all that time out and everyone was like, oh, he's going to save our central defence. Then he came in and and like he had like half a game where he was right.
00:20:32
Zak
But it it wasn't quite like the levels that people were expecting. And the level of expectation was so high because of how good he was this first season here. And I think that that's probably going to be the same with Adozi either way.
00:20:44
Zak
wouldn't be opposed to him coming back into the squad. And also, maybe they maybe it is actually a fitness thing and they are trying to work him up to fitness and maybe he will act as a new option so they don't need to bring in a winger to you know replace Jay Robinson or you know to have to have that extra option.
00:20:55
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:20:59
Zak
We just haven't seen it deployed yet, right?
00:21:00
DailySaintsPod
Maybe.
00:21:01
Zak
Either way, it' the whole thing just just a bit weird, isn't it?
00:21:02
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:21:05
Zak
It smells a bit fishy.
00:21:05
DailySaintsPod
It is, yeah, really strange. and And, you know, speaking of deafening silence and no rumours, the other player that maybe we'd have expected to see go this window, Aribo, right?
00:21:22
DailySaintsPod
I guess just kind of sees the rest of his contract out with a whimper. Like, although I don't see him coming into the mix.
00:21:29
Zak
Spit absolutely no links at all.
00:21:34
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:21:34
Zak
Not heard a single thing.
00:21:36
DailySaintsPod
I don't see any universe where he you know makes his way back into the team. So so I don't know what means for him, really. it's It's a bit of a sad way to end his his tenure with us, really, because, you know, ever popular figure, it's just...
00:21:54
Zak
the The only link that I've seen is from a website, which I think is a local news website, called Daily Record, which is potentially links him to Rangers because he's still quite a fan favourite.
Rumors and Managerial Changes Impact
00:22:06
Zak
And that is a position they are looking to fill, like attacking sort of midfield striker position. But again, that that is like the same link that we're, that we you know, the same link from for Adam Armstrong to, yeah, well, Ward-Piles going back probably has slightly more legs because I imagine there's quite a push for him to come back and a lot of commentary will look it and go, oh, it's no-brainer.
00:22:17
DailySaintsPod
It's like Warprow's coming back.
00:22:28
Zak
Obviously, you're seeing him now linked to Burnley, which makes more sense for, you know, set pieces and stuff. But e but i was I was thinking more of like the the Adam Armstrong to Wrexham because somebody somewhere said that they're spending 19 million quid on some like French league player.
00:22:45
Zak
they're like, why just buy Adam Armstrong, go score in the league? And that now is enough to generate a story. It's the same thing where we we're talking about how I started reading through a story about Ross Barkley supposedly coming to Saints and it turned out to just be...
00:22:51
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:22:58
Zak
Fugle Martin and having the conversation being like, yeah, someone I'd like to see here. And that now is being generated into news stories. Like it would be weird that we could just make something up now and someone might take it and print it as news.
00:23:06
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:23:08
Zak
So that's really, that's difficult as it is. So it's very much.
00:23:10
DailySaintsPod
That's crazy. You know, I've heard the i've heard that Messi wants to come and link up and have like a South American dream duo with a couple of Leos and play alongside Siena.
00:23:21
Zak
yeah Yeah. You just need to, you just,
00:23:22
DailySaintsPod
Just wrap up his career at a proper club. So if we could just get the ball rolling on that,
00:23:26
Zak
Greg, this isn't FIFA, right?
00:23:28
DailySaintsPod
and
00:23:28
Zak
You can't even make that sign on an FM. It'll never join.
00:23:31
DailySaintsPod
but
00:23:31
Zak
but but like you Come on now. Come on now. But but in all seriousness, like beat it means that, yeah, like if if what we are getting, if the level of scraping the barrel is so bad, then getting transfer rumours from like content creators like ourselves and stuff,
00:23:49
Zak
You know, you know it this is why I'm kind of more convinced there's just nothing going on. Or somehow they've managed to keep everything quiet. And it'll be something we've never heard of. He'll have ridiculous amount of pressure on him, no matter what.
00:24:05
Zak
But you're right, when it comes to sort of the outgoings that we'd expect, like Joe Aribo, there isn't any links. even when Even over the summer, the links were... Turkey, not any specific club in Turkey, and that he wasn't really feeling it.
00:24:19
Zak
So, yeah unless like unless he's going to go for resurgence. But personally, with six months to go, I just don't see it.
00:24:26
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, that's it. I've got a question for you, Zach, that might i might genuinely reveal that I live too much in a bubble. and is is Is it just us, though?
00:24:34
Zak
Shorts.
00:24:36
DailySaintsPod
Because like the whole window as a whole feels... like real quiet, real dead, like not just Saints transfers, just just transfers and news and rumours in general. I'm just not, I'm not picking up a huge amount of it on my sort of travels in the world of social media.
00:24:56
Zak
on I think that it it really depends, right? There have been a couple of clubs that have been a bit more active, but this this window has not been the huge window you'd expect it to. like It seems that they're now waiting for... The the January and winter window always kind of felt like it's a panic buy window, right? And over the last couple of years, like clubs can't afford to keep doing that.
00:25:21
Zak
And you're seeing that. It's only clubs with spending power that are doing the the bits, right? So you even like in the Premier League, like Man City have brought Semenyo and Gahey in.
00:25:32
Zak
But like a lot of the rest of the Premier League has been pretty quiet, like maybe a transfer here or there. And the Championship's been similar. There are some teams that have brought in a lot more like on loan and stuff like that, teams that are struggling with injuries. and And that's kind of, I guess, originally what it was for, right? It was to deal with anyone that picks up injuries. It's not meant to be replacing your entire squad.
00:25:52
Zak
But it does feel quieter. And again, I don't know if that is our just just our bubble. I don't know if it's because we focus so much on what's going on Saints is that, you know, we all the stuff we follow kind of ignores other transfers. But yeah, if anything, it's it's been more manager movement, in my opinion, than the player movement, right?
00:26:11
Zak
And that might result in in team movement. But i think that because of how...
00:26:15
DailySaintsPod
It itself might be a contributing factor, right? You've probably...
00:26:17
Zak
Yeah, but if you look at how volatile, how many how many managers in the Championship been replaced this year?
00:26:19
DailySaintsPod
Yes, sir. i
00:26:23
Zak
Like Norwich, West Brom, us. if I'm thinking there are more.
00:26:27
DailySaintsPod
that love
00:26:28
Zak
Leicester, Middlesbrough, not through their own choice, you know.
00:26:29
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah. United. Yeah.
00:26:33
Zak
So, yeah, like, you think, so all of those things that have happened, you know, that means that they don't want to kind of rush. They want to wait until we get to the summer and then potentially plan rebuilds or whatever you want to do with it, right? But, yeah, it does genuinely feel, but it's just kind of...
00:26:50
Zak
I don't you just kind of want that boost of positivity. And arguably, we can say that although technically not in the window, because it was a free transfer, Romelu would have also, to you know, was a was a transfer in for us.
00:27:04
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:27:04
Zak
But again, in a position that, in my opinion, we didn't really need. it For me, it felt like it was coverage.
00:27:07
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Another strange one, right? Yeah.
00:27:09
Zak
It was coverage for Shea Charles that he played two games and disappeared off the face of the earth. And I don't know if that's just fitness or what, but like, it's just a bit just a bit weird.
00:27:13
DailySaintsPod
Hmm. It's just also like a slightly weird position now, right? Where because of how quiet it's been, if we went out and bought a striker for cheap from Germany or something, because that's where we seem to you know have our best scouting network or whatever, and it's like a prospect, like another youngster who...
00:27:40
DailySaintsPod
might do well but is a thought for the future you know he could end up in another position where like just the pressure of being that signing that by some will immediately be perceived as well this is the answer to our goal scoring problem is you know you don't want to incorrectly put that pressure on someone when that's not the point of bringing them in for that right it's a tricky situation
00:28:04
Zak
Yeah, and but I think that's sort that's always that's always the case. And I think i think that's just a problem with the the way that we digest transfers as like a culture more than a specific club thing. And like, you know, not to get too philosophical and esoteric or whatever.
00:28:18
Zak
But there is a lot of sort of, you know, we will bring in a young player for the future that goes into the development squad, we'll announce the sign-in, and then everybody well, that's not the striker that we need. And, you know, the 25-plus goals a year, golden unicorn doesn't exist.
00:28:34
Zak
If the rumours are to be confirmed, we have looked for Perrault and he's decided not to come here or come back to the championship at all. So they're they're just not willing to risk it. I think but partially due to the reasons that you point out, which is they don't have to deal with everyone being mad about it, right?
00:28:53
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:28:54
Zak
that's kind of where i'm at might just be you know it's just my opinion on it but i genuinely feel like this window we should have just believed what they said
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:29:04
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. no They very clearly laid out for us in December and we chose to take it away. Well, look, let's hope.
00:29:06
Zak
and i hate and i guess so again or we're going to look absolutely foolish by next transfer tuesday state
00:29:16
DailySaintsPod
Let's hope either way, I guess. But look, that that's it. That's all we've got time for today. Zach, thank you so much for joining me. Thank you, everyone, for listening. Let us know.
00:29:29
DailySaintsPod
do you think will come first? United... Broke cutting his hair.
00:29:33
Zak
United Strand.
00:29:34
DailySaintsPod
United Strand, thank you. Getting a haircut or us signing a striker. Let us know in the comments, on the socials. When's it going to happen? We are Daily Saints Pod everywhere on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, Blue Sky, everywhere. Hit us up.
00:29:55
DailySaintsPod
Let us know how you're feeling, what you're thinking. We love hearing from you. Drop us a like, drop us a subscribe. Those things go a long way to helping us out now that we are a newly independent podcast. We will be back tomorrow to talk more football goodness. But until then, everyone, hope you have a wonderful day. and We'll see you then.