Jack Schitt · @Mr_Schitt
1st Feb 2017 from TwitLonger
Some [unofficial] January Window Commentary...
Apparently some of you lot have been having a meltdown of monumental proportions over our transfer dealings this window,😉 so I have been requested to pass on a little unofficial information, by way of commentary on how certain things unfolded.
As I shared back in the summer regarding Jose Fonte, [which was mainly called 'bullshit' on the internets before the season began to unfold] -- our dearly beloved Captain came back from the Euros with an ego so overly inflated it struggled to fit through the dressing room doors at little old Southampton. The only thing keeping him from floating off into the clouds, was the "Winners Medal" around his neck, the weight of which just about kept him in fleeting touch with the ground.
His general "I am unbelievably wonderful, aren't I?!" attitude, whilst at first tolerated and to some degree indulged due to Jose's previously widespread popularity, began to rub quite a few players and staff at the Club up the wrong way, as it continued into the season, and showed no signs of abating. The fact he still had the support of some senior players due to their previously accrued respect for him, caused something of a split between some of the players. It was not particularly nasty or accrimonious, but certainly not the easiest atmosphere for the players and staff to work with at times. "Awkward" was a word that came up a lot to describe some of the working relationships at Staplewood.
The Club would have kept Jose until the summer [due to lack of available preferred options in Jan window], but it was Claude himself that decided he wanted to move him on now if we could, to resolve a lot of the underlying bad feeling which can lead to rifts. The Manager just wanted it sorted, so he could begin fostering the kind of team spirit he desires to build up again at our Club, everyone pulling in the same direction, with no distractions or divided loyalties.
Obviously Claude cannot say so himself publicly, but he found Jose to be "très difficile" to work with. Something of a "thorn in the side" of the way he likes to work on the training ground also, due to varying kinds of "interferences".
Whilst he is missed by some of the players who still liked and respected him -- already there is a vast improvement in the atmosphere around the Club now that the Ego has landed in pastures new.
It might not look like it to some from afar, but it really was in the Club's best interests that a relationship which was growing in toxicity was brought to a premature end. There are nothing like the hard feelings as when Lallana left throwing out toys and refusing to play; it was simply for the best that Jose [and we] moved on.
Ultimately, Jose left as that is what Claude Puel wanted.
Once it was clear that was to be the case and there would be no resolution found -- we pressed on with the matters of how to proceed.
Defensively speaking, our main target was Fabian Schär from Hoffenheim. We believed we had an understanding on a fee for him, but when Virgil got injured and the Fonte situation was becoming more public, the fee suddenly rose by more than £5m, 'allegedly' because Hoffenheim were being asked to up their bid for the player they wanted as a replacement.
We were not prepared to pay over our valuation, and moved on to our second target, who is playing at a top Portuguese side [I was asked not to say who for reasons pertaining to the Club in question]. We previously were of the understanding that the player would be keen to join us, and came to an agreement with his Club -- however, when it came to tying things up with the player's agent, we learnt that circumstances had changed, and the player did not want to move abroad until the summer, due to current personal circumstances / family reasons.
We moved onto our third target, Mamadou Sakho, but considered the required fee to be ridiculously inflated under the circumstances, and the wages asked for by the player to be extortionate for the level of ability on offer. So...
we moved onto the alternative plan of attempting to bring forward a potential deal we were looking into for the summer, namely Serdar Tasci from Spartak. His contract is set to expire in the summer, but we tried to bring him in on loan now with the view to offering a permanent contract at the end of the season if all went well.
We agreed a loan fee with the club, but felt the player's wage demands were unrealistic. We were still hopeful of coming to an agreement as the closing of the window loomed, but an injury to the player effectively ended our interest at this time.
We did have another "iron in the fire" even then, which we could have got over the line in time -- Claude was asked for his further input, but it was his decision to stick with what we have. Claude has been very impressed with Jack Stephens, and wants to give him further opportunities to improve. He has also been very pleased with the progress of Florin Gardos in training since returning from injury. He is very rusty from so long out, but Claude apparently sees a lot to work with in him, and said his return is already like having a new player. Full of "interesting possibilities" I should imagine. ;)
No truth to Jordy Amat rumours.
Virgil's injuries [plural] are complicated, but not as bad as we first feared. [Unofficially] - his achillies tendon was not ruptured [a very small tear which is already healing well], along with some minor ankle ligament damage, shallow hairline metatarsal fracture and heavy bruising of the foot. We won't be seeing him again for a few weeks, but he shouldn't be out for months as has been widely reported. If his recovery goes as well as we hope, Virgil could be back in training in around four to six weeks or so.
Message ends.