Matthew Le Tissier has been speaking about the difficulties Saints will face in this transfer window and that selling might actually be harder than buying for the club.
I have said in previous articles that with a squad packed with much of a muchness and filled with players on contracts far higher than their abilities, that although the club would be prepared to listen to offers on at least a dozen players, actually getting rid of them and freeing up space both in terms of personnel and wages will be difficult.
It seems that Matt Le Tissier agrees with me:
"I think the important thing in the window for me is that there are several players who are out on loan who don’t appear to have too much of a future at the club and are on a lot of money.
"It will be about freeing those wages up for the budget which is the biggest key for the manager if he can get rid of those players that he doesn’t feel will be involved with his squads.
"That will free up some money and maybe he can get three or four in as well.”
"But that’s the hardest job they have got. They might have to take a bit of a hit on their transfer fee just to get them off the wage bill.
"That’s where the manager will need support from above in terms of signing off on players who they are writing a few million quid off.
"It’s never an easy thing to do but sometimes you have to take a bit of short-term pain for a bit of long-term gain.
"And because of the size of the squad we have got, which is pretty sizeable, he needs to get players out first.
"He can’t risk bringing in another three or four players and having an even bigger squad for next season because that’s not going to work and that’s not how he wants to work.”
Of course this is not rocket science from either TUI or Le God, but it highlights just where Saints have gone wrong in the past few years, not just in poor signings, but also in giving some of our home grown players high wages that means they don't want to give up those salaries until the absolutely have to.
Like most Saints supporters Le Tissier knows just where the problem has lain, but he is also worried about a position most would have assumed we are strong in :
"I think we need another forward. I think we need one or two centre-backs and probably I’d expect another left-back,”
"I think in the last couple of seasons Ryan hasn’t been as dynamic as he was in the first seasons he was here.
"I think Matt [Targett] has struggled a little bit if I’m honest in that position. I am not sure whether he is a long-term replacement for Ryan in that left-back role.
"That might be a bit harsh on him because he might kick-on again because he is still young and still has improvement in him.”
Personally I think the Saints legend is a bit harsh on both left backs, certainly in the first half of the season Ryan Bertrand seemed to be lacking motivation after being axed from the World Cup and then got a long term injury, but since his return from that he has looked better than in a long while and may find his second wind under Hasenhuttl.
Matt Targett has not let anyone down when playing and has the ability to use the ball well both in crossing it and playing it into the channels.
But for most including perhaps our greatest ever player, the task in front of Saints in the summer is clear although the path is gong to be tricky.