The first month or so of the summer transfer window is frustrating for fans, but they need to relax and wait for July to arrive so the real deals can be done. Here we reveal just how few deals have been done so far.
Every year I see football supporters on social media moaning that it is the end of June and that their club has yet to sign a player and use it as a stick to beat their club's board with citing a lack of ambition etc.
The truth is few deals are actually done before July 1st purely because most players want to hang on to that date so that their loyalty bonus's kick in and once in the bank they will make a mockery of the title by making a move to another club often the worst kept secret for the past six weeks.
Of the 17 clubs still in the Premier League from last season, there have been a total of 12 signings so far, of the promoted sides, Vila have made 4 signings, Norwich 2 and Sheffield United are still to do any incoming business so that makes a grand total of 18 signings so far in the 20 clubs.
Not all of them are truthfully actual signings this total includes our own Moussa Djenepo, who as we know hasn't actually signed for us merely signed a contract to say he will do so after July 1st as well as Raul Jimenez at Wolves who after a season on loan last year has signed to say he will sign a permanent contract in July.
Then there are the minor signings Wolves have also signed Hong Wan from Yeovil and Spurs Kion Etete from Notts County, these are just two of several who are essentially academy players going to a big club.
So how many of these 18 signings are actually making the supporters of their clubs salivate. the answer is if we discard those players like Jiminez who were on loan at the club last season, then we are down to three if we include our own Djenepo.
Pablo Fornals whom West Ham have paid £24 million for from Malaga, Wesley Moraes whom Aston Villa have signed from Club Brugge for £22 million and our own Djenepo.
So that makes a total of only three actual new signings of any proven top flight quality so far this summer, the rest are either back up or speculative from the lower divisions although Lloyd Kelly who signed from Bournemouth from Bristol City for £13 million was expensive, he is with only 33 first team league starts to his name speculative albeit an expensive one.
So when the fans of all clubs or indeed Saints are screaming that their club is innactive in the transfer market and citing it as poor planning they need to look at the reasons why and what that this pattern is across the whole Premier League and not isolated to just their club.
Indeed exactly half the Premier League clubs have not made a signing at all so far, and of the 10 who have, 4 of them have only signed academy players from the lower leagues.
So the message is stay patient, the Phoney Transfer Window is about to end, but it won't do so before June is over and July has started when the Professional footballers of the World have banked their bonus's and will be looking to top up their bank accounts with a big fat juicy signing on fee.
This is football in the modern age !