Are Southampton the new Portsmouth?
Saints fans will not welcome any comparisons with their South Coast neighbours, but the resignation of Nicola Cortese as chairman and rumours that the Liebherr family want to sell the club do not make it a happy news day for Matt Le Tissier et al.
Inevitably, the words MASS and EXODUS are bandied around, with the club’s top players linked with all and sundry.
Rickie Lambert to West Ham looks like a genuine possibility, with Messrs Gold and Sullivan set to offer £7m to Southampton and double the player’s wages in the process. Lambert, incidentally, is 32 next month.
Luke Shaw turned down Chelsea in the summer but ìs wanted by the Blues again, as well as both Manchester clubs and Liverpool.
Brendan Rodgers’ side, meanwhile, are being linked with Jay Rodriguez by The Star.
Away from the s**tstorm at St. Mary’s, The Daily Mirror claim that Tottenham won’t sell Lewis Holtby back to Schalke because that could result in the German side flogging Julian Draxler to Arsenal (which will probably happen anyway, but don’t you just love the pettiness?)
Marek Hamsik is exactly what Manchester United need in terms of midfield flair, seeing as their previous experiment with a member of the big hair brigade didn’t exactly come off, but whether Rafael Benitez will let go of one of Napoli’s star men is another question entirely.
United also like the look of Lucas Moura, just like they did in 2012, but they’re unlikely to get Brazilian, just like they didn’t in 2012. Or something.
Finally, Shane Long is discussing personal terms with Hull City on a three-year deal, with West Brom having finally accepted an undisclosed offer from Steve Bruce and co.
This would have been higher up this article if the news hadn’t broken so late, and we weren’t just a little bit sick of the whole saga.
