On my return to The Ugly Inside last week, I felt it important that, three games into the new season, I offered a balanced perspective on the first few weeks of the campaign.

In addition to drawing on the indifferent start to last season, which saw two wins, two defeats and three draws in the opening seven games, I reviewed the club's dealings in the transfer market.

The signing of Sofiane Boufal has injected much-needed excitement and, although not yet proven in English football, the talent the player possesses and his long list of admirers gives hope that it won't take long to see what he will bring to the Premier League.

Added to the quality of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and the ever-developing Nathan Redmond who, at 22, has ample time to meet his potential, we have a trio of exciting additions who are sure to play a significant part in the season.

However, I stipulated that, due to the lack of a strong, powerful, goalscoring replacement for Graziano Pelle, it would be a must to bring in a player who fitted the bill to complement these excellent recruits.

Looking at the current striking options of Shane Long, Charlie Austin and Jay Rodriguez, I was certainly of the opinion the club would bring a striker in before the deadline to fill what is a very obvious void.

Over the course of last season, top scorer Sadio Mane returned 15 goals in all competitions, Pelle 14 and Long 13. Austin managed one from two starts and five substitute appearances, while Rodriguez bagged three from six starts and 10 substitute appearances.

Not only do these statistics highlight the important roles played by Mane and Pelle, both of whom departed early in the summer, they also show the worryingly low number of appearances made by both Austin and Rodriguez.

Despite rumours of interest in FC Utrecht's Seb Haller, a France under-21 international who has scored 22 goals in 41 appearances for the Dutch side, nothing materialised and the 6ft 2in forward remained at the Stadion Galgenwaard.

Meanwhile, another striker heavily linked with a move to St Mary's, Italian international Simone Zaza, made a £5 million loan switch from Juventus to West Ham United.

The 6ft 1in forward returned 20 goals in 64 games for Sassuolo between 2013 and 2015 and five in 19 for The Old Lady in Serie A last term.

Although never openly linked with Saints, Manchester City's Wilfried Bony made a deadline day switch to Stoke City in what was possibly the deal of the day and I feel it necessary to include him.

While the Ivorian may have only notched six times in 36 appearances for City, he bagged 26 in 54 games for Swansea and, prior to that, 46 in 65 for Vitesse. He was, to me, an obvious choice — even if just for a single season.

The Potters also pulled off another excellent piece of business by recruiting Porto's Dutch international central defender Bruno Martins Indi — a player Saints had been linked with during Ronald Koeman's time in charge of the club.

As things stand, the club's options in the centre of defence remain limited, with Maya Yoshida the main senior candidate to replace Virgil Van Dijk or Jose Fonte in the event of injury or suspension. Is that good enough? I have my doubts.

Saints find themselves facing a gruelling period of six Europa League games on top of a demanding Premier League schedule and have failed to replace Pelle. At the same time, two clubs of a similar size and stature have scored major attacking coups with their transfer activity.

And that's without European football to contend with.

Will the club come to rue its decisions? I hope not.

In an ideal world, Austin will come good, Rodriguez will provide a fit and sharp alternative to the former QPR man, Long will continue in his rich form of last season and Boufal will burst onto the scene with a bang.

If Austin or Rodriguez suffer injuries however, or if Boufal's return to fitness fails to go to plan, Saints boss Claude Puel faces a dilemma.

With loan deals now made only within transfer windows, that leaves Saints in a difficult spot. Oh well, there's always club-less Emmanuel Adebayor to turn to should we fall on hard times!

Photo: Action Images

halftimeorange added 11:09 - Sep 7 You are restating the view expressed by the majority of contributors to TUI. The Saints squad looks to be too fragile to cope with the demands it has to meet in the run-up to Christmas. We simply cannot afford injuries to key players and that may well have started with Shane Long limping off in the ROI’s game against Serbia. Serious bolstering might well be necessary in the next transfer window. By then we’ll be submerged by thousands of Private Frasers.

4

SanMarco added 12:39 - Sep 7 A few hundred Corporal Joneses too halftimeorange !! I don't think we are doomed, nor am I panicking yet but: The article says "In an ideal world...." and every team of course has that hope that no one gets injured and players 'come good'. The problem is that 'ideal worlds' don't happen - that's why they are called 'ideal'. We are a couple of injuries/drastic losses of form or attitude (that's you Fonte) from a very difficult few months. Are the new boys going to swing games at places like Stoke and Chelsea? They are going to need to beacuse Pelle and Mane wont be.

3

bstokesaint added 13:39 - Sep 7 I think this pretty much sums up what others have stated. We are decen in the centre of defence, but fragile in termsof cover and our options upfront depend on player fitness. I don't think this season will be record-breaking or disastrous. It will probably err somewhere in the middle of the two scenarios depending on the fitness of said strikers and how quickly Redmond adapts. If Boufal turns out to be Payet-esque then that will swing things favourably for sure, but that's a huge if.

1

pintsizedsaint added 14:27 - Sep 7 Can I just add a slightly alternative view here? Whilst I am not worried about the replacements we have got for Mane and Wanyama, I do worry about squad size overall – and the issue of a goalscoring CF is a valid one. However, there are potential factors that we need to bear in mind here: 1. Actual vs possible concerns: I don’t think anybody can argue we have potential for goals in abundance. Austin and JayRod have an established eye for goal and EPL experience too. The key concern here is their injury record. Yet is that an actual concern, or one that is a possibility (which is naturally amplified in the mind of a fan)? The concerns over Austin is not based on fact, but on rumour and speculation (unfounded as Austin has rightly sought to point out). JayRod has never been injury prone, although his injury was severe – but nothing suggests that he’s not going to be able to get back to form. Again – this has all come from fans speculation. Personally I trust SFC’s medical team. I really don’t think we would have taken Austin unless our staff gave him a clean bill of health. Likewise with JayRod. They are in the best possible hands. Austin has been (touch wood) fighting fit since pre-season and so has JayRod, so if we move away from ‘possible’ concerns then we see that we 2 very experienced goalscorers on our books. And when would a potential injury actually never be a concern?! Players get injured all the time, regardless of past form or not. Pied’s injury is the most recent example of that. 2. The problem with addition: it’s all well and good us fans saying “buy more players” but it’s just not that simple and straightforward. Adding more people to the squad means more competition for places. This has obvious positive and negative effects: not everybody can play every week. So, first, you have to identify the right player. Second, you have to be confident that that player will be OK with potentially not getting 1st team action – many of the ‘top players’ SFC will be bracketed with will probably demand they get such action as part of the negotiation. Additionally, you have to factor in what impact it will have on other squad members (JayRod’s willingness to go out on loan a classic example). Third, players don’t come cheap (fee plus wages) so you have to factor in whether you will get the right value. Overall, SFC will want to ensure they buy the right player at the right time – and at the right price: no panic buying here! You also have to wonder about development – can this player just ‘come in’ to the 1st team and perform? I think the Juanmi scenario illustrates that to the core. Simply put: adding more players to your squad is a blessing and a curse all in one. You have to get the right balance. 3. SFC’s Youth: Every player SFC buys in means it becomes slightly harder for an academy player to advance. That goes contrary to SFC’s vision. It also has the potential to ruin the morale of our youth players. Koeman’s view on this was clear – and was perhaps one of the chief reasons SFC were happy to see him go. It is also one of the common ‘scourges’ of the EPL at the moment: most teams buy foreign imports and make it harder for academy players (particularly English) to get game time and experience at the very top. Puel was bought in with a clear mandate to achieve on this front. Now, I’m not saying that we will always fill spaces with academy players in all games, but I suspect that Puel has one eye on ‘blooding’ players throughout the season when he can. Koeman (and many fans) was obviously very scared of that in the context of a very competitive EPL – after all ‘you can’t win anything with kids’…! However, Puel has vast experience of finding the right times to bring on young talent. I suspect this may have been a factor. Whilst this is just pure speculation, I do think these factors have played a key part in why we did what we did this summer.

5

BaselSaint added 14:51 - Sep 7 Agreed the squad is small for the coming challenges but I am equally or perhaps more concerned about the tactics and when and if they will bring positive results.
4

amsterdamsaint added 16:32 - Sep 7 Bruno Martins Indi is a poor mans Yoshida. Lucky escape I think
-2

DPeps added 17:59 - Sep 7 Pintsized - you make some good points in your post but I have one issue with it: like you, I trust the SFC medical staff but the problem is the severity of Jay's ACL injury and the uncertainities that creates. Some players recover totally, but many don't and the last year hasn't suggested to me that Jay will return to his top form. Also the medical staff declared him fit last season and Jay suffered a foot injury, probably a knock-on from the ACL. I'm not having a dig at the medical staff, but at times they deal in uncertainities as much as the rest of us My opinion is that the best option was to send Jay out on loan and get in Bony, but seeing as that didn't happen I've got everything crossed for Jay!

1

pintsizedsaint added 19:01 - Sep 7 DPeps - that's a very valid point. I guess we just don't know what the outcome would be for Jay. What I have read gives me cause for optimism though. As I understand it, it was Jay that wanted to go out on loan as he was getting frustrated. I also read that SFC still rate Jay extremely highly, but understand his frustration at not being given game time - which indicates that it's not a problem with injury but more to do with the huge gap in action he's had and the resulting loss of form/confidence. If there was an issue with his injury then I think the story would be different and Jay would either be on loan or sold by now. The final bit for me is that he didn't go on loan. Clearly SFC and Jay have had a chat and both sides believe he can offer value by staying here. Who knows what was said and agreed: perhaps he has been given assurances. But the key thing is that SFC didn't make any serious bid for a CF and were happy to stick with him. It's all a gamble really, who knows what will happen? Yet I think it's a calculated gamble and it's less based on Jay's injury and more on him regaining the form and confidence in what is a very competitive league and squad.

0

Chesham_Saint added 19:19 - Sep 7 Some nice observations there, Pintsized and I'm pleased to see no gratuitous attacks on you for having a slightly different take.
2

harry67 added 21:03 - Sep 7 on a slightly different note,i have a spare adult ticket for the arsenal match this Saturday any takers?
-1

SonicBoom added 09:00 - Sep 8 The problem Jay has is the perennial one. He can't prove his fitness and form unless he gets to play - and I mean 90 minutes not the odd ten. He is too good and valuable to risk in the U23's and currently he is not getting to start. I'm prepared to bet that he's been told he will certainly get ore game time in the coming weeks with the Europa etc and if he plays well he could well get back in the side. Let's be honest at his best he's a real threat and it would be great to have him back in the side.

1

Horndeansaint added 10:30 - Sep 8 Sonic, your point is a very valid one. I have experience closer than I would have wanted to ACL ruptures as my son suffered just such an injury which curtailed his basketball for a complete season while he recovered physically. What none of us realised was the extent to which his playing ability had been affected as well. When he eventually got back to full physical and mental fitness, he too found it difficult to get back into his first team. He plays at national level so the parallels are there and, coincidentally, he had the same surgeon as JayRod. Interestingly, my son took the "out on loan" route by playing at a much higher age level which was excellent for the physicality but a lower ability level which resulted in him dominating games and hey presto, confidence, strength and ability all returned in a fairly short time period. The way I see it with JayRod is that he can take one of two routes which should lead to the same result. Route 1 is a loan period of maybe 2 or 3 months with a decent Championship team, the parallels to my son's recovery are obvious. Route 2, given the number of games that we have coming up is he stays with us and gets decent game time. Route 2 is the one for me, he is way too good a player for another team to benefit from.

1

vanmans added 23:23 - Sep 8 Are you kidding. Saints squad is weaker than last year but this year we have more games to play. We have a record signing who cant play for a month by which time we will be deep in Relegation Trouble. I think we needed at least 2 more if not 3. Sorry but the 2 home games I have seen this season lead me to think we are a Relegation side.
1

Horndeansaint added 10:40 - Sep 9 Vanmans, you must have been at 2 different games to the ones I saw. Both Watford and Sunderland were battered for large parts of those games and on any other day, both would have been 3 - 1 home wins. Yes I agree we need to start hitting the net rather than shooting at it and this will come in good time but writing us off after 3 games is so modern day, must win everything by October, Johnny come lately thinking.

0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Southampton Polls