Saints fans are resigned to losing Dejan Lovren and are bracing themselves for Morgan Schneiderlin to go but news that talks are taking place between Saints and Arsenal about Callum Chambers could be a step too far.

In another summer the news that Arsenal are willing to pay around £16 million for a teenager who has barely played 20 games for the first team would perhaps be seen as a good deal, especially when you consider that the club have a very good player already playing in that man's position, however in the summer of 2014 it is a whole different ball game and if it goes thorough you have to ask questions about why it is happening.

On one hand this is not going to be a problem for the club and it does give them yet another big wedge to play with in the transfer market, but before we let any one else go we really need to start making signings ourselves to replace them.

There have been rumours coming out of the club about relationships being strained between the players and the person allegedly responsible for the contracts and the transfers Les Reed, certainly Reed does not appear to be a people person who the players look up to and under Nicola Cortese he was seen as the man who advised on a number of deals that have not turned out for the best, be it the big money signing of Osvaldo or the less expensive signings of Vegard Forren.

But it has been the transfer dealings this summer that have called into question who is calling the shots on when a succession of players seem to want away and are sold before we have signed the replacements. The PR work in these transfers has been lacking as has been the interaction between club and the players who want away, there seems to be a lack of clear understanding between both parties leading to the statements attributed to both Lallana and Lovren, this can all be avoided with strong firm leadership being shown by whoever is responsible for the player contracts etc.

ut perhaps what the fans most want to see is the club say "No" sometime, Lovren was only a year into a four year deal and now Chambers is seemingly away only a year after signing a four year contract, in short there is no reason for the club to sell either in terms of what players are worth now or the length of the contract remaining.

I am still confident that Ronald Koeman can rebuild the Saints squad and that ultimately we will still be in a far stronger position than most in the Premier league next season, however the club need to start showing the fans they are in the driving seat and to do this they need to start making a few new signings and they need to tell a few players that they will be going nowhere until replacements have been signed and that it is then in the best interests of the club itself.

There has been great upheaval in the boardroom at St Mary's and this has put the club in a far stronger position in commercial terms, but it seems in terms of player contracts and transfers it is still the same people in charge, if that is true then the worry is we will repeat the same mistakes we have previously made in the transfer market which has seen a great deal of money wasted.

Photo: Action Images

chalks82 added 09:48 - Jul 26 I was still pretty optimistic until last night. It's hard to keep a happy ship when some players have made it known they want to go (didn't see a single picture of Lovren on tour with a smile on his face). Saints can't compete with Liverhampton or Arsenal when it comes to wages...however, the potential sale of Chambers doesn't make sense. He seems a decent guy, so I can't see him sticking his head up and saying he wanted to go, which seems to me that this is a club decision rather than his. Nick is right by saying that any other summer we would snap Arsenals hand off for £16 million, but surely not this season when we have already lost so many. I'm still keeping some optimism but the proof will be this week, to see the quality of what we bring in with the cash we have received. (sales will be invested in signings??) Would be happy with Forster, Van Dijk, Rojo, Classie and De Vrij, but whoever comes in will take time to gel and get up to speed with the Premier League. I haven't given up hope yet but starting to get worried.

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Butty101 added 09:52 - Jul 26 Stop saying we are in a stronger position, man up and realise you backed the wrong guy! As for commercial deal, stripes etc when our team of journeymen get relegated next season it won't matter one iota!
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NewburySaint added 09:52 - Jul 26 Is this 1 step too far?! I have said this before but the domino effect started the moment Cortese was forced to leave to a lesser extent, but was really set in motion once we were told OUR club was going to be run by Liebherr and Krueger, great business and commercial minds but no clue in how to run a football club. Then this was compounded by the fact they then appointed Reed to the board to oversee everything football-we were f***ed from that moment onwards and we have been an absolute disaster since then. But i'm glad to see you are finally outspoken about Les Reed, Nick! Now maybe all of you that were convinced we were going to have at least as good a season as last and feel that we are maybe even in a better place than this time last year (admirably so) can now come and join those of us that have been predicting we are now back on the slippery slope and having our team, our club, ripped apart by clueless people (could use many stronger words here!) who are running it-some people have called us pessimists but i like to call us realists. And for those of you that feel we are going to replace these departures at least adequately, it hasn't happened so far, Tadic permitting maybe, and will not happen-however much money we have we won't be able to attract the quality of players we are losing not least because why are decent players going to want to come and play for a club being so poorly run and directed by those that are doing so??! Our only hope is that there are 3 worst teams or and 3 clubs that are more in turmoil and being run more poorly in the PL at the moment, but i'm looking and am struggling to come up with 3 at the moment...........

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abingdonsaint added 09:55 - Jul 26 This is certainly a strange one as Chambers is not agitating to leave as far as we are aware, and regardless of the size of the fee, we don't exactly need the money! If he keeps developing, we could get more next summer anyway. We are sending out the wrong signals here, and rapidly reaching the point of needing 7 or 8 new players. Not easy to bed that many in!
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abingdonsaint added 09:59 - Jul 26 Still, I know a lot of Saints fans were confused by us being so good last season, so at least they will have the comfort of a good old-fashioned relegation battle. Personally, I quite enjoyed us being brilliant!!
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LostBoys added 10:01 - Jul 26 Potential England captain and centre half/full back. This is not a bright move.
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Ddobsy added 10:05 - Jul 26 Football is the only industry where the employee can't resign and work for somebody else. We all do it in our everyday lives. The reality of the modern Premierleague is that we can't pay the wages, and can't offer champions league football. One or either of those is enough to tempt any player. There is no loyalty or romance anymore. We all know that youth players go to Arsenal to sit in the reserves until they have learnt Wengers system (Walcott/Chamberlin) but it is still more attractive than playing 30 games for saints. Big Clubs, Big Money. This is how we took players from Italy and from Celtic last year. Money, why else would you walk away from champions league nights against Juventus at Celtic Park? Money, why else leave your boyhood club at Burnley to get to the Premierleague a season early?

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brady100 added 10:17 - Jul 26 Absolute disastrous, remember Les Reed saying that we would be keeping the whole squad together...lies. It now seems we have completely given up. Will need 5-8 players now and I can't see us bringing in the required quality. 16 mil could prove good business but it's what another sale like this stands for. Could have used Chambers at CB this season. We will reallu struggle now wifh a severe lack of quality, yes we have a good academy but the young players we have left are far short of premiership level.

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forest_saint added 10:21 - Jul 26 Absolutely dreadful situation. Liebherr and her cronies need to depart asap!
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LesVivian added 10:26 - Jul 26 Clyne is the best right back in the country and should play ahead of Chambers; however, Chambers will one day be an excellent centre-back for England but we don't need to sell him yet! We need to start recruiting players - another keeper, at least one centre-back, and another forward. Cork, Davis and Ward-Prowse along with Wanyama learning to pass, and the new guy should be a good midfield - if Schneiderlin stays this would be a real bonus, and the midfield could compete with most others in the Premier! Up front, maybe Mayuka and Sharp are catching the eye of the boss, while we wait for J-Rod! - as long as he isn't nicked as soon as he is fit!

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NorwegianSaint added 10:38 - Jul 26 I'm feeling numb... 4 definitely gone, probably another 4, possibly even more, a manager and a chairman... What the hell is going on?! We have the money (+£150M) we got 2 (good) players and a great manager in but a team needs to bond and we are running out of time. Just 10 weeks ago I was walking around proudly wearing my shirt, now people are feeling sorry for me... people here ask what is going on... I'm just speechless. Ralph and Les keeping quiet is not helping at all.

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thegeneral added 10:43 - Jul 26 Jack cork has an 86% pass rate, whats wrong with that? VW has 84% although most of them are backwards or sideways, i think the problem with those players is lack of goals and thats one of the reasons Koeman is changing the system. As for Chambers, every player at the club seems to be for sale with the strange hope that we can replace with better for less, i'll believe it when i see it… which of course i won't.

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IanRC added 11:13 - Jul 26 In answer to your headline, yes it would. But there again apart from the unprincipled hacks in the mail and mirror saying Arsenal are interested in bidding for him is there anything from the player or club that gives any indication that this is the case ? I am hopeful that Schmeiderlin will be persuaded to stay too as he appears to be a principled guy. With regard to your wider point I am at least partly in agreement Nick. Something is clearly not right, it could well be Reed and Kruger needs to act or he too will be seen as inadequate. I still believe we can emerge stronger and show the Liverpool bunch how mistaken they are but I agree too that time is fast running out and we need to make some sensible signings quickly so they can gel and we can wallop Liverpool.

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saintmark1976 added 11:28 - Jul 26 This now appears to be turning into what is known in business as a "fire sale".My conclusion is that the only person who can make such a decision is the owner of the business, certainly not Les Reed or our apparently now invisible chairman. If we accept that it is a fire sale then the next question is why? I would suggest the following;- 1. The only clubs which have a chance of winning the Premier league or gaining a place in the Champions league are realistically the top five or six teams most of which have massive debt (Man United) or mega rich owners (Man City). 2. What is left for the remainder of the clubs? Quite simply nothing but survival for another season of substantial, some would say obscene, Sky money. Little chance of a good cup run as these clubs do not want their chances of survival in the Premiership risked by injury to their better players. 3. My opinion is that our owner has post Cortese woken up and either may not have the funds to risk at a chance of becoming a top six team or perhaps more likely does not want to take such a risk. In all honesty why should she when the Saints run within their means can provide a further income stream for her many other business interests world wide? 4. Can we as fans blame her if what I suggest in my opinion may be correct? I personally can see exactly where she may be coming from. It is not her fault but just a reflection of the way society and football, which is a reflection of that society has become. On a not unconnected note you can get odds of 13/2 against Saints being relegated. As things stand, whilst I have never bet against my own team these odds look very generous to me.

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davepid added 11:39 - Jul 26 A mass exodus was to be expected once Foxs loan to Forest was made permanent and Guly left !! Norwegian Saint said he feels numb. Spot on. I feel the same. A tipping point may have been reached now and all our above decent players go off , Jrod is being touted by the BBC for spurs. Slynch and Cheltenham Saint, what do make of it all?
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bstokesaint added 11:45 - Jul 26 Definitely the straw that broke the camel's back as far as I'm concerned.. Been optimistic still up until now but we're heading towards barely having a first team player left. I felt sure the club would take a hard line after Lovren. Now their statements mean nothing. We are in serious danger of not being able to field a squad next season without making it up with kids. I'm actually beginning to feel less and less passionate than I have done previously and just a bitter resentment towards the top clubs who rely on clubs like us and without us would be nothing. All I hear is money, money, money. Sad times.

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landsdownsaint added 11:46 - Jul 26 You've May have judged this all wrong Nick? Ms Liebherr has no interest in football ,NC loved his club and the project ,will wil rue the day he went.
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montecristo added 12:01 - Jul 26 I warned you boys weeks ago that this would happen. No one listened. We have been systematically lied to, treated with contempt and I suspect the players have had a dose of similar medicine. The club is in turmoil thanks to the inept leadership of Krueger (where is he and what does he do?) and the inimitable Les Reed, a jumped up football development coach. and not the kind of man you would normally put in charge of your business deals. This to me adds up to one thing alone Liebherr means to get out, sell the club, I hope I have got this right also, good riddance. On a brighter note, wouldnt it be fun if Cortese came back having orchestrated a take over. Id be made up...its not likely though as the players would sit tight and wait for things to happen they loved the man. Still I do wonder as he has not accepted another job in football and I am sure he would have had plenty of offers. Im no big fan of the English system of club ownership, it creates instability, our history is witness to that, and if an owner dies no guarantee his heir is going to play ball and continue as before...doh

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SanMarco added 12:09 - Jul 26 Good post saintmark1976. Although I would say that the prices we are getting are not 'fire sale' ones (Walcott to Arsenal was a classic fire sale). I think we all need to live with the fact that the owners of the club have decided to live in a 'real' rather than 'NC fantasy' world. NC departing was not the cause of all this but a symptom. Butty's 'backed the wrong guy' totally misses the point. NC had to go because he created the mess. That said it does look very concerning now. The point for supporters like myself is not to be as blind as the NC fantasists. Just because NC is largely to blame doesn't mean we don't have a big problem. I think we have a big problem in that until NC left the club had a 'direction' (very fast and heading towards a wall) now we seem directionless. I hate words like 'vision' and 'project' and most of all 'five year plan' (the phrase that has come back to bite us) but we do need someone at the top of the club to give some sensible direction. Are we going to buy some good players or not? Hooveld at centre-half at Anfield seems to be the way we MIGHT be heading. We need to learn from NC's mistake of two years ago and not let that happen. We don't need another Cortese but we need someone at the top far better than what we've got. There is still time for Kreuger and Reed to prove us wrong but it is fast running out. And to finally answer the question: yes any sales now are a sale too far until replacements are brought in...

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SanMarco added 12:16 - Jul 26 montecristo: "I warned you boys weeks ago that this would happen. No one listened." We all knew that players would go and that NC could not have kept them. Sadly you do seem to be right about Kreuger and co though. I fully understand the emotional need for worship of a god/king 'over the water', untainted by the current rulers and you even have some resurrection imagery... What's happening now doesn't prove you are right but is does show that something seems to be wrong.

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spitfiresaint added 12:17 - Jul 26 In the 48 years I have followed this club, this is the most depressed I have ever felt. I was much happier when we were bottom of Division 1 on minus 10 points. A happy ship and beautiful team (in fact, the most promising outlook I've ever known) completely destroyed within a few short months. THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE RESPONSIBLE!!
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Fordy added 12:19 - Jul 26 This is the most disappointing one for me as well. Partly because it seems so senseless. Surely we could have talked to Chambers and persuaded him that the best thing would be for him to have another season with a good number of games under his belt even if it means moving Clyne over to the left. I was trying to remain optimistic but I think the only way I will get that optimism back now is if we see 4 or 5 quality signings in the next couple of weeks.

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abingdonsaint added 12:21 - Jul 26 NC was far from perfect, but at least we had some drive and ambition. It seems now we have basically given up. All this stuff about sale proceeds bring reinvested in the squad is complete nonsense. We will get £100m plus, and I doubt we will spend even half that, not least because anyone with any nous will see us as a sinking ship! I hope I am wrong, but it would not surprise me in the least if Koeman resigned in the near future. He cannot have expected this surely? As for NC's 'dream', if we were so far from the top sides, how come they want all our players, and we appear to have (had!) a £150m squad? Depressing!

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SaintDownUnder added 12:22 - Jul 26 Taking each deal in isolation and they all make reasonable sense, as you say nick $16mil for chambers is silly money despite his ability and potential. Ordinarily the sale would make sense just not in the context of selling the rest of our first team. I think at heart of this is mistrust, as fans we've been told one thing but are seeing another. We've been told we'll reinvest but so far that's been limited. Whilst there is mistrust I don't think Markus's daughter would asset strip the club firstly there is an emotional obligation to her late farther but more importantly financially it doesn't make sense to devalue the club by selling it's best players and risking relegation. Bear in mind we made so far we've generated $60mil in player sales but we'll get $80mil from sky just for being in the EPL. I truly believe the plan is to strengthen but until we see it we're having to act on faith and that's starting to get real thin.

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halftimeorange added 12:27 - Jul 26 Panic, panic, panic! Does nobody hear what RK has said. Suitable replacements have to be identified and negotiated for. It takes time. The two new guys showed their class against Bournemouth - Pelle looks like a mean replacement for an already failing Rickie and Lallana was well over-priced and I think he will flop at Liverpool. Also, Targett was ahead of Shaw until injury. There is nothing to suggest he won't be better at defending as Shaw was frequently caught upfield. We do need two new centre backs and Gazziniga is certainly not the real deal (see his mad dash out of his goal at Swindon for evidence) but who says that Mayuka won't develop, Isgrove isn't ready, Gallagher hasn't matured, Reed isn't a midfield dynamo? They all look the part to me and they have the brains of last season around to guide them in Davis, Cork and, if he stays, Schneiderlin. We won't be relegated. Mid-table, yes but something needs to change in how the premier league operates because many fans around the country will have thought to themselves "what's the point". I hope KL doesn't feel similarly however, the appointment of RK suggests not. No panic, no bottom three.

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