The media in Scotland seem determined to bring Fraser Forster back to Celtic, though they don't seem to bothered about twisting the truth to try and stir up the emotions North of the border.
Laster reports from Scotland have claimed that Fraser Forster has turned down a contract extension that would have seen his wages reduced to a paltry £70k a week from what the Scots press claim is anywhere between £100-130k a week.
They state that the big keeper refused to accept a deal that would have seen him earn less than the other Saints keeper Alex McCarthy.
Now this all sounds a little strange, firstly it's generally accepted that Forster is the highest earner at the club, but only on around £80k a week, secondly Alex McCarthy who himself has yet to sign an extension to his contract would be on nowhere near that, perhaps around half given that during his now five year tenure at the club he has never established himself as the number one keeper and in the summer of 2018 when he signed his last deal, Saints had just signed Angus Gunn.
So given Saints wage structure there is no way that they would offer Fraser Forster £70k a week as he enters the twilight of his career, to be blunt his performances don't merit it, there has been no one more pleased than me to see him return to a Saints shirt last season and put in a series of good displays that harked back to his glory year of 2014-17, but it just isn't on.
To say that Alex McCarthy would be on more than £70k is just as preposterous, I'm not sure what the Scots think Saints pay players, but there is no way they would make two keeper's both in their 30's in the top 5 highest earners at the club, even if they were both rated number 1 & 2 for England, we just couldn't afford it.
So why has the Scottish media suddenly started to bandy about these ridiculous claims ?
There can be only one reason, the Celtic side of the press up there want him back at the club, after seeing Rangers overtake them as the top club in Scotland, they do not want to see that repeated.
Their are two issues to overcome if Fraser Forster was to return to Celtic, the first is the financial matter, it will cost them to sign him permanently and to be blunt it's money that they haven't got, the reason that Forster is still at St Mary's is money, I am not criticising him here but like several others including fellow loanee to the Scots club Mohammed Elyounousi, he is on just too much to take a pay cut.
Secondly there is the issue in Celtic fans eyes of the fact they see that he snubbed the club last summer to stay at Saints, they wanted him back, but he preferred to stay and fight for his place at St Mary's.
So the Celtic biased side of the media up there are trying to make out he is now snubbing Saints and a massive salary in order to go back to Celtic on a pittance.
That can be the only reason, it is the big media up there making these claims, surely they are not so ignorant and naïve of English football and Southampton FC in particular that they think we actually pay goalkeepers or indeed any player at the moment over £100k a week.
From a Saints perspective they will possibly want to see one of the keepers leave, Forster would perhaps be the preference as his wages are far higher than McCarthy's, to get £80k a week off the books frees up not only the wages to pay a new signing, but takes a few million out of the salary budget and into the transfer kitty.
There are plenty of Premier League experienced keepers who we could get in alongside either keeper who could do a job and on a lot less money in the short term whilst we source a genuine first choice keeper and in the last 4 years we have not had one keeper who has made himself the undisputed number one, the last time was 2016/17 when Forster played every Premier League Game and Alex McCarthy was his deputy although in fairness he was injured and unavailable in the second half of the season.
So from a Saints perspective it has been 5 years since we have started a season with an undisputed number 1 keeper, that situation has to change, but can't change whilst we have both Forster & McCarthy on the books and with both being adequate as it stands, we are going to have to bite the bullet and put that problem on the back burner till next summer.
Celtic want Fraser Forster and I would think that Saints would not be adverse to the deal, but how much would they be able to pay him a week ? For a goalkeeper who will turn 34 in the second half of the season I would say no more than £25 k, so that is asking Forster to wave goodbye to around £3 million in wages just for the coming season.
Is he willing to do that ? I would say probably not, if he was going to leave he could find a Premier League club who would pay him far more than that to sit on their bench and he can do that at St Mary's.
If Celtic are looking for a keeper from Saints why not try Alex McCarthy he is available far cheaper !