The Automatic Saints News Thread

Southampton Football Club
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Sourced from TEAMtalk

Premier League fixtures on Sky Sports: Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City live on bumper 2015/16 opening weekend - Stoke City News, Transfer Talk & Gossip | TEAMtalk

Chelsea will start their Premier League title defence exclusively live on Sky Sports, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City also on a bumper opening-weekend bill.

The Blues’ curtain-raiser against Swansea on Saturday, August 8 is the first of 24 live matches on Sky Sports from the opening seven rounds of the new 2015/16 season, with Arsenal and Liverpool starring in the first Super Sunday clashes, Manchester City featuring in the return of Monday Night Football and Manchester United in front of the cameras in a one-off Friday night game.

Sky Sports will show every team live by the end of September and the schedule features 14 matches involving last season’s top four, as well as mouthwatering head-to-heads including Manchester City v Chelsea, Arsenal v Liverpool and Manchester United v Liverpool.

The live matches are the first of 116 Barclays Premier League fixtures to be shown exclusively live on Sky Sports with unrivalled analysis from Thierry Henry, Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jamie Redknapp and Graeme Souness.

Sky Sports viewers can enjoy another huge season of live football kicking off in August, including 127 matches from the Football League - more than ever before - Capital One Cup, the climax of UEFA Euro 2016 qualification and action from Scotland in the SPFL and Scottish Cup, as well as MLS and Eredivisie.

Sky Sports Managing Director Barney Francis said: "Sky Sports will be live from the home of the champions as another Premier League season kicks off, and with these first seven rounds of games there is much to look forward to.

"In our opening 24 matches we will show every Premier League team, telling the complete story as the season starts to take shape, as well as the big head-to-heads like Man City v Chelsea and Man Utd v Liverpool.

“With 116 games from the Premier League it will be another huge season of live football on Sky Sports, with more Football League games than ever before and the Euro 2016 qualifiers coming to a conclusion with all the Home Nations in with a shot at getting to France next summer.”

Global football icon Thierry Henry said: "I can’t wait for the Premier League season to begin so we can get back into the studio on Sky Sports.

"Starting at Chelsea, everyone will be looking at them to see if they can retain their title, and on that opening weekend we also have Man City and Arsenal from last season’s top three; they will want to show they can put up a challenge.

"It’s also important that we tell the whole story of the Premier League, all 20 clubs in the first two months so we can understand each team, how they start the season will be crucial and Sky Sports will be there to show it.”

From August Sky Sports will be the only place to see the big kick-off with SPFL champions Celtic starting at home against Ross County on Saturday, August 1, and then in the Football League with Brighton welcoming Nottingham Forest on Friday, August 7, a day before Chelsea take on Swansea City in the opening game of the Premier League.

The first Super Sunday of the season will see Liverpool return to Stoke following their defeat on the final day of last season. The following day Monday Night Football returns as West Brom welcome Manchester City, and a week later Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher will cover Bournemouth’s visit to Anfield for the first time as a Premier League club.

Monday Night Football will also see Arsenal face Liverpool in August, as well as Slaven Bilic come up against Steve McClaren when West Ham face Newcastle in September - eight years on from England’s Euro 2008 qualifier at Wembley.

Premier League teams will be looking to make additions to their squad before the big kick-off and Sky Sports News HQ will follow all the transfer news through to deadline day, our dedicated Transfer Centre available at skysports.com/football and via the Sky Sports apps for supporters on the go.

Sky Sports will offer at least four more seasons of the Premier League, with 116 lives games coming this season increasing to 126 each term from the 2016/17 season.

Find all this season’s fixtures at www.skysports.com/football or via the Sky Sports apps.

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Premier League TV fixtures announced for 2015-16 season

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REVEALED: The top 10 costliest Premier League strikers last season, including Balotelli, Falcao, Welbeck and Lukaku

Dani Osvaldo’s spell at Southampton is over, although it has come at a cost of around £25million to the club, according to reports.

Much had been expected of the 29-year-old after he swapped Roma for Saint Mary’s in August 2013, joining in a club-record deal that could have been worth up to £14.6m.

However, just 166 days later Osvaldo was shipped off on loan to Juventus after head-butting captain Jose Fonte, before spending spells at Inter Milan and Boca Juniors last term.

With that in mind, talkSPORT looks back to last season and the costliest strikers per goal in the Premier League.

Clubs spent an eye-watering £220m on strikers during last summers transfer window, with some 31 recognised stars joining top-flight teams.

In total, 16 of the 20 sides in England’s highest tier recruited new firepower, but for every successful big money move such as Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez there is a player yet to fully deliver the goods. But who has been the worst?

Player must have been available for full season.

Click the yellow arrow above, right, to see which players had the highest cost per goal ratio in the Premier League last season…

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PHOTOS: Shane Long plays football with kids to mark opening of new sports facility

SAINTS striker Shane Long maybe almost back in pre-season training, but that didn’t stop him enjoying a kick-a-about with some new friends.

The Republic of Ireland international joined in with kids at Lakeside in Chandler’s Ford to help open their new sports hall.

The forward even tried his hand at some plate spinning - in between signing shirts and posing for photos with the youngsters.

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Chelsea boost in race for Newcastle, Southampton and Aston Villa target Charlie Austin

The striker - recently called into the England squad - is keen to stay in the Premier League despite relegation with QPR .

And the Foxes, fresh from sacking Nigel Pearson, are looking to bring him to the KP.

Chelsea, Newcastle, Southampton and Aston Villa are also considering moves for Austin.

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Man United transfer rumours: Bids in for midfielder pair? Defender swap on the agenda and more!

It’s only day three of the summer transfer window – but Manchester United are gearing up for a busy time.

Could Sergio Ramos really leave Real Madrid for Old Trafford? Will the Red Devils finally complete a move for Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin.

Louis van Gaal has been linked with a host of stars as the club look to strengthen all over the park.

But who will the Dutchman sign? And who is deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford?

Click the yellow arrow above, right, to see all of the latest Manchester United transfer rumours…

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Sourced from Mirror.co.uk

Brendan Rodgers gets trolled by Francis Benali over Clyne signing

We know this because four players have left St Mary’s in the last year to move north to Liverpool.

And after Nathaniel Clyne became that fourth player following his £12.5m move to Anfield from the south coast former Saints cult hero Francis Benali decided to troll Rodgers.

Benali played 389 games for the Saints in a 14-year career at the club, and now spends his time making wise cracks on Twitter and generally being a bit of a legend.

And now he’s absolutely trolled Rodgers to the highest degree.

Posting a picure of a garden chair on Twitter, he added: “Struggled to sell this chair for weeks online, but just put this on it and Brendan Rodgers has bid £8M!!”

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Southampton join race for in demand winger | First4LCFC

Southampton are the latest club to be linked with former Leicester City and Leeds United winger Max Gradal. Recently promoted Watford and Bournemouth are also said to be keen.

The Daily Mirror are reporting that Southampton and Bouremouth are both very interested in bringing the former Leicester City and Leeds United man back to England. According to reports in France, Watford had made an offer, however this has been rejected.

Bournemouth are also understood to have made an offer for Gradal, however it was not close enough to Saint-Etienne’s valuation of their wide man.

The Cherries were believed to have bid around £5 million for the winger, whilst Watford, according to Le 10 Sport, offered £3.5 million up front and £1.5 million in add ons.

Saint-Etienne are believed to value Gradal at £7 million, so should any of Southampton, Watford or Bournemouth wish to get their man they will have to up their bid. The Ligue 1 outfit are understood to be in no hurry to sell.

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Arsenal Remain Interested After Man Utd £20m Bid Rejected

Manchester United have seen their £20 million bid rejected by Southampton for Morgan Schneiderlin with their fellow Premier League side holding out for nearer £25 million, according to the Telegraph.

The French international has been one of the most sought-after players over the past two summer transfer windows following another another fine season at St Mary’s in 2014-15.

Schneiderlin’s impressive performances in the middle of the pitch helped Ronald Koeman’s side to a surprise 7th-placed finish after the club blocked the 25-year-old’s departure last summer.

He is expected to secure a big money move away from the south coast this summer.

Arsenal had emerged as the early front-runners for his signing with the Independent reporting towards the end of last month that bookmakers cut their odds on the 25-year-old joining the Gunners, down to just 1/2.

The Mirror then claimed last week that Manchester United officials had met and agreed personal terms with the holding midfielder following a meeting with his agent in Paris.

However, a fee has yet to be agreed with Southampton and now the Telegraph are reporting that the Red Devils have seen an opening £20 million offer rejected last week as Southampton are demanding a fee closer to £25 million for their star.

United are yet to improve their original offer and now with the newspaper suggesting that Arsenal remain interested, they are keeping a close eye on developments. However, there is no suggestion that Wenger is about to enter a bidding war for the player.

Both Arsenal and Manchester United are on the look-out for a player in this position – Louis van Gaal wants to ease the load on 33-year-old Michael Carrick, who was sorely missed when absent last season. And Wenger could do with another holding midfielder to compete with Francis Coquelin. Schneiderlin could be the perfect fit for either side.

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Sourced from Metro.co.uk

Villa facing battle for coveted African midfielder from Saints

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[GOSSIP: Southampton launch £10m bid for midfielder](http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/13369080.GOSSIP Southampton_launch_ 10m_bid_for_midfielder/)

The Daily Echo brings you a round-up of the Saints-related transfer news appearing in the media today…

Saints have made a bid of £10m for Lille midfielder Idrissa Gueye, according to Daily Mail.

The paper reports that the Senegal midfielder was set to join Aston Villa after a £9m bid was accepted, but they say Saints and Marseille have now moved ahead of Villa in the race for the midfielder with them both reportedly putting in offers of £10m for him.

Gueye is said to have arrived on Thursday at Villa’s training ground, set to have his medical, but the Mail says they now face significant competition for him.

Elsewhere, Villa are mounting their own battle with Saints for another midfielder, 21-year-old Dennis Praet, according to The Guardian.

The Belgian star, who plays for Anderlecht, is also said to be attracting interest from Premier League rivals Everton.

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Luiz Adriano joins AC Milan from Shakhtar Donetsk

Striker Luiz Adriano is the latest high profile player to join AC Milan in a deal worth €8 million from Shakhtar Donetsk.

The player has agreed a contract until 2020 with the Serie A giants with the 28-year-old’s contract set to expire at the end of the year.

Luiz Adriano will join Carlos Bacca at the San Siro after the Colombian star penned a deal with the Italian club from Sevilla, subject to a medical, earlier on Thursday.

Brazil international Luiz Adriano bagged nine goals in the Champions League last season with eight of those goals coming in two matches against BATE Borisov.

He is now expected to link up with the squad in the next few days and Shakhtar wished the striker well ahead of his move.

“FC Shakhtar thanks Luiz for the years he has spent in the team, for the goals scored and records set,” read the statement on the club’s official website. “We wish Luiz good luck in his new club and beautiful victories!”

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Yevhen Konoplyanka set for Sevilla medical after agreeing terms

Sevilla have announced an agreement with Yevhen Konoplyanka to sign the Ukraine winger from Dnipro, subject to a medical.

But the club have also stated they have not yet reached a full settlement with his former club.

The 25-year-old enjoyed a superb season for Ukraine Premier League’s third-place finishers, starring in their journey to the Europa League final, where they were beaten by Sevilla.

La Liga’s fifth-placed finishers announced last week that they had pulled out of discussions to sign Konoplyanka after the player missed the deadline by which to agree to a deal.

But on Friday, a new statement on the Spanish club’s website confirmed: “Sevilla FC have reached an agreement with the Ukrainian international Yevhen Konoplyanka, at the expense of passing the medical examination and that the final agreement with the Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk is closed.”

Konoplyanka was out of contract, but due to the nature of his agreement with Dnipro, the club have been due compensation for his transfer.

Konoplyanka has been the subject of interest from a number of clubs in the Premier League in recent seasons. He almost joined Liverpool in January 2014, while West Ham tried unsuccessfully to sign him last summer, with a £12million bid rejected.

Tottenham’s technical director Franco Baldini is also a big fan of the forward and attempted to bring him to Spurs last year, only for discussions with Dnipro to break down.

Spurs were not interested in Konoplyanka this summer and several English newspapers also reported the player could be destined for Stoke.

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DEFAULTAdam Lallana reveals just how good he thinks Nathaniel Clyne could be…

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Liverpools Adam Lallana applauds Nathaniel Clyne signing

Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana believes the club have pulled off a “great signing” after securing the signature of his former Southampton teammate Nathaniel Clyne.

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The England right-back became the Reds’ sixth signing of the summer when he completed the move from Southampton.

“We’ll look to improve on last year – it was obviously disappointing but we’ll look forward to get going again.”

Clyne made his England debut last November and is expected to be the replacement for Glen Johnson at both club and international level.

The 24-year-old said he was focused on winning silverware while at Anfield and Lallana believes the signing has been a “coup” for Liverpool.

“To manage to persuade him to sign for Liverpool - as I’m sure there would have been other top clubs, and even European clubs interested in him - is a great coup for us,” Lallana told liverpoolfc.com.

"He’s as solid as they come for a right-back and getting forward, he’s got goals in his locker.

“In one versus one situations defensively, he’s the kind of full-back you just don’t want to come up against.”

The Liverpool midfielder is also impressed by the moves the club have already made in readiness for the start of pre-season next week.

“The signings so far have been tremendous,” he said.

"There’s (Roberto) Firmino, (James) Milner, (Danny) Ings and now Clyne, as well as (Adam) Bogdan and (Joe) Gomez.

“It’s a great variety and added to what we’ve already got, hopefully it can be a good combination for success.”

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Francis Benali makes fun of Brendan Rodgers in hilarious Twitter post

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Spurs Alderweireld pursuit to mask move for real target

Yesterday saw Tottenham officially make an approach for in-demand Atletico Madrid defender Toby Alderweireld.

Southampton, who had the Belgium international centre-back on loan last term, are believed to be keen on having him back at St Mary’s on a permanent basis, though these intentions have been hampered by Spurs’ intervention.

However, Saints worries have since been tempered by a fringe theory hatched amongst Lilywhites supporters borne off the back of reports emanating from Spain.

They concern Alderweireld’s Atletico colleague Mario Suarez, a holding-midfielder whose ability to break up opposition attacks is complimented by exemplary nous in possession.

Such traits can also be found in Morgan Schneiderlin, a long-term target of the north Londoners who now, unfortunately for them, looks unattainable.

The Frenchman’s £25m price tag and desire to play Champions League football has rendered a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino at White Hart Lane off the menu, with a move to Manchester United looking far more likely at this stage.

This means Spurs are still short in the anchorman department, yet instead of chasing up alternative targets, they’re investing resources in a centre-back they don’t need.

Kevin Wimmer’s arrival from FC Koln swelled the stocks even further; alongside Jan Vertonghen, Federico Fazio and Eric Dier, he’s vying for one of two spots in the starting XI, as are unwanted assets who are yet to be auctioned off such as Vlad Chiriches and Younes Kaboul.

Adding more bodies to this densely populated department would only exacerbate the situation, while simultaneously decreasing the possibility of improving a weaker area of the team.

This being the case, could it be Spurs’ alleged Alderweireld move is merely a ruse to covertly discuss a deal for Suarez?

He’s a brand of player plenty of their Premier League rivals are in the market for and, at his budget-friendly price, their clandestine approach to negotiations could be a means of minimising the competition for his services.

Having had Willian whipped out from under their noses by Chelsea two summers ago, Spurs appear more likely than most to adopt such a stance.

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Southampton to hijack Aston Villa’s £9 million deal for talented midfielder?

Fortunately there has been no fighting amongst the punters today here in the Football Transfer Tavern, but it does look like two top teams may be willing to go to war, as the summer transfer window continues to pit clubs against each other.

According to the Daily Mail, Southampton are about to pull off a cheeky little move for a pacy Senegal midfielder. Idrissa Gueye arrived in Birmingham recently ready to hold talks with Tim Sherwood’s Aston Villa, and Sherwood is hoping that Gueye, 25, can make a good replacement for Tom Cleverley whose successful year-long loan deal expired.

Southampton, like Villa, have been impressed with the athletic, box-to-box Lille midfielder and so with both Premier League teams big admirers of the player, the French club are hoping to see a lucrative bidding war begin.

With the Saints sure to lose star midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin to Manchester United this summer then the Senegal international is likely to be a prime target for the club who are hoping to break into the top six next season.

Here at the Transfer Tavern we’ve been discussing who should win his coveted signature and considering that Southampton have high ambitions, while Villa narrowly escaped relegation it looks like Gueye would be better off moving to the coastal club.

Southampton and Aston Villa fans…… What do you make of this news? Would you like to see Gueye at your club? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!

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Transfer talk: Crystal Palace linked with shock swoop for Italian international

FORMER Southampton striker Dani Osvaldo has emerged as a surprise transfer target for Crystal Palace, according to reports.

The Italian international’s contract with the south coast club was terminated earlier this week, after his loan spell with Boca Juniors in Argentina came to an end.

Osvaldo was Southampton’s club record signing when he signed in 2013, but scored just three goals in 13 appearances in his debut season in England, including one against Crystal Palace.

He was then loaned out to Juventus, Inter Milan and Boca Juniors over the next 18 months following a training ground incident with team-mate Jose Fonte at Southampton, and the Saints opted to terminate Osvaldo’s contract earlier this week.

But www.shoot.co.uk are reporting that the Italian striker could yet stay in England, with the Eagles understood to be interested in signing him.

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Arsenal’s long-term midfield target spotted in London

Our long-standing pursuit of Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is well documented, as we have been linked with him for years (via the Express).

Rumours of a move have been heating up recently though, and speculation is rife after the French international was spotted in London (via the Express).

SEE MORE:

Arsenal rumours

Seven transfer linked Arsenal stars and what should happen, with £21m Real Madrid target

Schneiderlin was in the capital for Wimbledon to watch the tennis, and was cheering on his compatriot Joe Wilfried Tsonga.

It’s not impossible to think that he might have been killing two birds with one stone though, and hopefully he was in London to further a potential transfer to Arsenal.

We are severely lacking in defensive midfielders, with Francis Coquelin currently our only viable option. Schneiderlin would go a long way towards remedying that, but Manchester United are also chasing his signature (via the Express).

The 25-year-old has made it clear that he’s looking for a move away from St Mary’s, with the Express insisting his heart is set on Champions League football. We can offer him that, but unfortunately so can Man United.

It would be great to see him at the Emirates, but after United saw a £20m bid rebuffed (via the Express) we will have to up the ante.