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Saints hopes of getting a fee from Feyenoord for Jordy Clasie nosedived this week with the midfielder clashing with his manager after being substituted.
Jordy Clasie looked set to take the Premier League by storm when he joined Saints in the summer of 2016, highly rated at Feyenoord it was no surprise that his former manager in Rotterdam Ronald Koeman went back and signed him for Saints.
Hid debut though would last barely an hour and he was forced off against Vitesse Arnhem with an injury that would delay his Premier League debut by almost three months.
He would then start to show just why Koeman had signed him becoming an integral part of the team that would storm to sixth place although his season would end as it started when he was injured in the penultimate game away at Spurs and he would miss the final fixture.
The departure of his mentor Koeman in the summer of 2016 would prove problematic to Clasie with new boss Claude Puel not seeming to fancy him as a player, in that second season he would start only 12 games plus another 4 as sub and he although he made the bench for most games he rarely seemed to see any action despite looking good in the rare games he featured notably Arsenal away in the EFL cup and at West Brom, both games where he scored spectacular goals.
Even a change of manager did not help his cause and at the start of last season he was loaned to Club Brugge in Belgium, however his stay would not be successful and he would struggle for game time as much as he had under Puel.
At the start of this season he headed back to Feyenoord and it was hoped that perhaps he could reignite his career and in doing so Saints could get a modest return on the £8 million they spent in 2015.
For much of this season it looked like they might with Clasie being a regular first choice in the side, but then this weekend after being substituted he threw a big temper tantrum, refusing to shake manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst's hand nad throwing kit around the bench.
This has resulted in a meeting with the club and a fine and it has cast doubts that his future will lie with Feyenoord next season.
One ray of hope is that next season Jaap Stam will be replacing Van Bronckhorst as manager and turning 28 in June he is entering the peak of his career, but against that the Dutch club have a raft of youngsters pushing for a place in the starting line up so may want to opt to look to them rather than older players.
This will severely damage Saints hopes of getting some fee for Clasie, at best they with Feyenoord at least they may be able to negotiate a free transfer deal that will get Clasie off the wage bill, but that looks the only real hope now of a permanent deal for the player.
But if Feyenoord are not interested then Clasie is at a real crossroads, if he stays at St Mary's he would be unlikely to get in the first team and therefore his career will stagnate at a crucial stage.
Saints would prefer a permanent transfer for even a small fee and I'm sure Clasie would also want that as for the first time in 3 years he could have some security in where he would be playing as well as how long he would be playing there for.
The likelihood is another loan deal for the player and that is not good for either Saints or Jordy Clasie.
It is a sad ending to what looked like a great signing back in 2015, his early injury meant that he never quite showed us his true talent, but it should be remembered that as we stormed up the League in his first season he was a vital member of that team starting virtually every game after he recovered from that initial injury, for Jordy Clasie and Saints it was a case of what might of and should of been and but for circumstance would have rather than a lack of quality and talent.
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He wouldn't be the first player to " lose his cool " after being substituted, but if he did so in a more open /public way ...or in the dressing room, then clubs tend to step on that sort of behaviour as an example to others.
I thought he DAJFU when at Saints. He was a Koeman player from the start, but never totally fit after injuries and spent time on the bench in favour of others who were performing better. By the time Puel arrived he found his chances limited even more.
I think he is a Haselhuttl type of "physical "player, but with one year left on his contract he really wants to know if he can return to Holland permanently?.or get a new contract with Ralph in charge and DAJFU for a few more seasons. He's still relatively young and we need experience in what has become "a very young squad" in Premiership terms.
As much as I would like Clasie, Boufal, Cedric, Carillo to return to prove themselves and show the money wasn't wasted/they deserve a second chance, unfortunately I don't think it will happen.
Ralph said the squad was too big when he got here and I would rather have him concentrate on what he's got and a few good recruits than get distracted on trying to right every wrong decision that he inherited.
There needs to be a clearing of the decks post season and a bit of an offload to free up some funds and wages. Unfortunately there is a limit to the time that can be spent on peripheral members of the squad without the eating into the time available to be spent on the key work that needs to be done.
Presumably all our players out on a season long loan will report back to base in June, this is after all where they are employed. It is unimaginable that Ralph will not look at them - what is to him - a new pool of players that he has not seen before that already 'belongs' to him.
Knowing Ralph he will give them a fair crack of the whip at impressing him before any decisions are made about there futures... and not a penny will need be spent! What's not to like.
In unintended irony we might even end up with a front three of Redmond, Carillo, Boufal popping them in for fun neat season.
Steven Davis is basically gone. Of all our players on loan Jake Hesketh is the only one I can see us interested in developing.
On that basis I can see Classie being given another shot. He will be in a position that he can either put himself in the shop window or earn a new deal. He work rate and attitude are much more in Keeping with RHs style so it may work out for him yet.
Clasie never performed for Saints. I just remember him being bypassed in midfield by the opposition, often with the ball bouncing over his head. He was played reluctantly by all managers and the sooner he is off the payroll the better.
I agree ace. We are well served in midfield and still have Lemina to hopefully blossom. We do NOT want another diminutive guy in a team which already struggles aerially.
Squad morale is a difficult thing to manage and it just takes one rotten apple. The Hass seems to be doing well and players are playing for him and showing him respect. Jordi had his chance with us, and I feel for him having to play for that mupet Puel, but you either knuckle down or you do one. He's done one and I don't want him back. Now Gabbi... There's an example of knuckling down when you're not in favour. I'd love to have him back. Reckon The Hass could utilise him effectively!
To Saint Paul VW... ..whilst I agree with most of your comments. Ralph owes it to himself (and the fans) to see the "loanees" in some pre-season action before sounding the death knell of their Saints careers and we ship them out - at a big financial loss.
I agree that (at present) it may seem that they are like square pegs, but IF Mark Hughes were still manager (!) ...than J.W.P and Bednarek would be watching from the stands every week and the likes of Cedric and Hoedt would be key members of a very "leaky" defence, and there would be a sad-looking Gabbiadini wandering around the pitch waiting for a goal chance - that he would probably miss.
YES - I'm sure there will be big " clear out " in the summer, but it might be a surprise to everyone when we see who ends up staying - and who eventually leaves.
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