Ex Southampton manager Gordon Strachan has been speaking out on football matters and he feels Saints are better placed to bounce straight back up to the Premier League than either Leicester City of Leeds United.
Reading social media you would think that some Saints supporters would be more inclined to put money on Southampton being relegated from the Championship in the coming season, than being promoted from it.
However the man who spent over 2 years at the club as manager, taking them to 8th in the League and an FA Cup Final in Cardiff in 2003 would not agree with them.
Speaking to Genting Casino Strachan feels that Saints are in a far better position to make a swift return to the Premier League, than the two clubs who made the drop with them.
"I think it all depends on what happens over the next six weeks of the transfer window, especially with Leeds. If there are players in the club that don’t have the drive or enthusiasm to win games in the Championship every week, then they need to move them out. There will be a lot of players there on big, big wages. I don’t think many of them will be getting a better weekly wage when they move onto their next club, so that creates problems too. "
"It's very hard to get rid of players, who didn’t perform brilliantly last season and are on big wages. There have been so many examples of teams that have been relegated from the Premier League who haven’t been able to move players on. "
"Some clubs can manage that process better than others. For example, if you look at the likes of Burnley, they have had the foresight to plan for relegation and are ready to bounce back when it does happen. I don’t think anybody at Leeds saw this coming despite the club staying up by the skin of their teeth last season. It’s poor planning. "
"I think at Southampton, things will be more settled. I don’t think there will be players there on huge wages and they look like they may have a better chance to come straight back up. "
It is good to hear a Saints manager feel the club has a chance of going straight back up next season, he is inferring that Saints will have a better chance because we will be able to move players on, and as we know there is plenty of interest in many of our squad.
Whereas Leeds could find themselves in the situation we did a few years ago, with too many players on big wages and unable to be sold, that creates issues in that loan transfers out do not generate much in cash for transfers.
With most of the players that are looking to move on fairly low wages for the Premier League. we should have no big issues in selling them, rather than loaning and thus generating a decent transfer pot.