But the whole Southampton model you're quoting relied on finding underpriced players... They lost Alderweireld and replaced him with VVD for like £12m which was way below market rates. Mane etc also cost them peanuts. You can't argue for the Southampton model and then also argue that you can't find cheap hidden gems. The issue is that we've not adopted a policy of buy low sell high for our whole PL stay - we've instead bought 'proven' (or allegedly proven in Benteke's case!) players in their prime and then sucked up their best years such that there is no resale market for them.

On another note, this is the tip of the iceberg from Southampton. You can add Alderweireld, Bale and Shaw to that list. If they could have kept them all they'd have a CL standard side...

The flawed assumptions here are:-

1) Thinking Southampton had much to do with these players leaving. VVD, Lallana, Lovren and Wanyama all forced their way out. As did the Ox to a lesser extent. The best you can do is have their contracts sewn up so that when they do leave you can get big money for them and then hope that when you roll the dice and reinvest, the scouting department continues to get more 'hits' than 'misses'.

Southampton's thrived despite the sales for a good few years because they swapped out the likes of Alderweireld for VVD and Lallana for Mane. The recent struggles are due to the new crop of reinvestments not panning out coupled with some questionable managerial choices.

Its swings and roundabouts - without owners who can pump in vast cash (a la Wolves and Everton) you either buy high on proven commodities and then sell low (which is what we've done to date) or you buy low and sell high. Neither is 100% sustainable. The former runs out of cash to keep going at that pace (ie, what's happened to us). The latter suffers from what happened to Southampton in getting too many misses in one crop.

2) The second flaw is in assuming that you can keep them all due to monetary and wage bill constraints. There is no way Southampton's infrastructure could support paying all the above listed players on what they are now all currently earning.

Hrolf in particular and a couple others on here think that we can, in some way, do what Southampton couldn't and blindly keep all these theoretically pissed off players that want to move onto bigger things, while increasing the wage bill to Man City levels and with a comparatively tinpot ground and investors.

FWIW, I don't actually think AWB or Wilf are at the stage of forcing their way out (yet). Nonetheless, we will be obliged to sell them eventually and in AWBs case I reckon sell high whilst his fee is at its absolute zenith.

Seconded!

Also agree a top-notch post. But there is one point I question - selling AWB at his zenith. When is that then? Selling now to Manure after one complete season? I personally think he'll improve this year - if he does then we could sell him to Barcelona for far more what the mancs are offering.

Has anybody read anywhere a direct quote from AWB saying he wishes to go to United? Or is it all 'reported' based on some spurious guesswork by the Sun? The only interview I've seen he says he will be here next year!

But the whole Southampton model you're quoting relied on finding underpriced players... They lost Alderweireld and replaced him with VVD for like £12m which was way below market rates. Mane etc also cost them peanuts. You can't argue for the Southampton model and then also argue that you can't find cheap hidden gems. The issue is that we've not adopted a policy of buy low sell high for our whole PL stay - we've instead bought 'proven' (or allegedly proven in Benteke's case!) players in their prime and then sucked up their best years such that there is no resale market for them.

On another note, this is the tip of the iceberg from Southampton. You can add Alderweireld, Bale and Shaw to that list. If they could have kept them all they'd have a CL standard side...

The flawed assumptions here are:-

1) Thinking Southampton had much to do with these players leaving. VVD, Lallana, Lovren and Wanyama all forced their way out. As did the Ox to a lesser extent. The best you can do is have their contracts sewn up so that when they do leave you can get big money for them and then hope that when you roll the dice and reinvest, the scouting department continues to get more 'hits' than 'misses'.

Southampton's thrived despite the sales for a good few years because they swapped out the likes of Alderweireld for VVD and Lallana for Mane. The recent struggles are due to the new crop of reinvestments not panning out coupled with some questionable managerial choices.

Its swings and roundabouts - without owners who can pump in vast cash (a la Wolves and Everton) you either buy high on proven commodities and then sell low (which is what we've done to date) or you buy low and sell high. Neither is 100% sustainable. The former runs out of cash to keep going at that pace (ie, what's happened to us). The latter suffers from what happened to Southampton in getting too many misses in one crop.

2) The second flaw is in assuming that you can keep them all due to monetary and wage bill constraints. There is no way Southampton's infrastructure could support paying all the above listed players on what they are now all currently earning.

Hrolf in particular and a couple others on here think that we can, in some way, do what Southampton couldn't and blindly keep all these theoretically pissed off players that want to move onto bigger things, while increasing the wage bill to Man City levels and with a comparatively tinpot ground and investors.

FWIW, I don't actually think AWB or Wilf are at the stage of forcing their way out (yet). Nonetheless, we will be obliged to sell them eventually and in AWBs case I reckon sell high whilst his fee is at its absolute zenith.