The Transfer Window Opens In Earnest Today

Forget the phoney war of the last month or so, today is the day that the transfer window really opens for business.

Although technically clubs can sign players from almost the minute the season ends from their own association, the reality is that it is only on July 1st that they can sign players from other associations, add to that that most players in contract prefer to hit July 1st when a loyalty bonus is triggered before deserting their current club and it means that the month of June is quiet.

It doesn't seem like that though as the media desperate to write headlines screams on a daily basis that one player or another is within hours of moving.

So it is only on July 1st probably after the players have checked their bank accounts that the business starts for real.

So in the next few weeks we should see some real movement on the transfer front.

From a Saints point of view the difference between this year and last is that we have headed into the window well prepared for who is going to leave and with specific targets in mind, yes of course there may be the odd bid or two that we might not have expected and possibly a departure from St Mary's because of that, but in the main unlike last year we are ready for what we have to do.

That being the case the club will want the Clyne transfer to Liverpool to push through quickly and also a speedy resolution to Morgan Schneiderlin's future so that they can do what they need to do in the midfield.

But we can be confident that in Ronald Koeman we have a shrewd operator and align that with our famed transfer strategy and we should be able to navigate the next month with confidence that by the end of the transfer window we will have a stronger squad than last year.

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