The media North of the border are suggesting that Saints are about to cross Hadrian's Wall and make bids for central defenders from the Old Firm, will they go for both or just one from Ibrox or Parkhead.

With rumours of either Tottenham Hotspur or Leicester City about to make a bid for the rejuvenated Jannik Vestergaard, it is not unnatural for Saints to be linked for a replacement, or in this case two, although it should be said that last summer with Vestergaard having dropped to fourth in the pecking order after the arrival of Mohammed Salisu, that they might feel that the Dane's replacement is already at the club, albeit as an understudy to Bednarek and Salisu.

The Scottish media though are claiming that Saints are casting eyes at both Celtic and Rangers to replace Vestergaard should he leave.

Saints fans will raise an eyebrow though as neither Kyle Mcclelland or Leo Hjelde have yet to reach the age of 20 nor are they regulars in either of the Old Firms first teams.

Indeed both are out on loan at present, Mcclelland who turned 19 in February is out on loan at Falkirk in Scottish League One whom he joined at the start of March he is yet to play a League game for the club but has featured in the Scottish Cup.

Leo Hjelde is Norwegain but he won't turn 18 until August, he is out on loan at Scottish Premier League side Ross County and he is getting game time there since joining them in January.

He has slotted straight into the side and aside from there game against his parent club Celtic is a regular starter.

That perhaps means that Saints have more of an idea about Hjelde's ability than Mcclelland's.

Either way Saints would consider them both ones for the future rather than slotting straight into the side.

As mentioned last summer Saints signed Mohammed Salisu as the replacement for Vestergaard who had fallen to 3rd in the pecking order, behind both Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens and at the start of this season he looked to be going down to 4th choice with the arrival of Salisu.

But in football things can change quickly , Vestergaard has suddenly found the form he had never really sown in the last two years and is considered the senior man in the central defence, Salisu has come in and shown that he has talent and is now 3rd choice and Jack Stephens has dropped right out of the picture to 4th.

If Vestrgaard goes Saints will have money to replace him, but with Salisu stepping up and Stephens unlikely to go anywhere due to his high wages, the likelihood is that if we sign a central defender it will be one with potential rather than experience.

Photo: Action Images

Centurion added 10:19 - Apr 7 Ideally we should try and keep Vestergaard for another season. This is a crucial position and I am not sure about Salisu at the moment.. Stpehens is ok as a back up but he often buckles over time and when under pressure. Bednerack is also due a rest.
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Boris1977 added 11:36 - Apr 7 Hopefully with the lack of money available to spend for all teams (this is the impression I get from listening and reading sports reporting) we should be able to keep the players we want to keep. I'm fed up with being a selling club. I'm not talking about a team who sells the odd player each season I'm talking in terms of once a players head is turned they go - with very few exceptions. We need to build a team, which we are in the process of doing. We cannot sell players that are beginning to fulfil their potential otherwise we are priming ourselves for a constant relegation battle. We need to learn from the past or keep repeating the mistakes of the past. I want to support a Saints team who can bloody noses and be in with a shout of achieving something in the game rather than a Saints team who get patronised by pundits and act as a crèche for our competitors. Together as one

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SonicBoom added 11:37 - Apr 7 Salisu still looks extremely raw and has a lot to learn. We should definitely keep Vestergaard unless we get a crazy offer and I say that as someone who thought JV was utter crap. He certainly has improved massively.
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A1079 added 12:20 - Apr 7 For some while it would be unimaginable that I would say what I am about to say, as there was a time that I saw Vestergaard about as effective as turning an oil tanker on a sixpence and I used dread his name being on the teamsheet. BUT, if hypocrisy was a virtue then on this player I have it aplenty and now I see him as invaluable to the team not just as a defender but also as a leader, a fighter and an inspiration. What we have got is one good season out of him. We have needed experience in the back for a number of seasons and it would be blind madness to let him go this summer and bring in some more raw talent which may or may not make the grade but either way we would have to wait it for them to do so. Salisu shows promise but he is not there yet and Stephens is useful as a back up but not as an automatic choice (something that the author of this thread has stated numerous times). This team needs to move forward, not just keep surviving and for that we need to gain and grow the experience and quality in the team. We will never achieve that if we keep letting players go as soon as they show a modicum of ability and quality to the team. I don't think there are many Saints fans who would see any logic in selling Vestergaard this summer even if it was a good offer. Money in the bank does not win you points or trophies, but lack of quality and experience on the field can make it all the more difficult to gain them.

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EvertonSaint added 13:56 - Apr 7 Tierney is the player we need. A born leader who will shake the defence up and organise it.
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KohSamuiSaints added 17:45 - Apr 7 Vestergaard has improved 100% and I think that if we really want to improve our position of looking like a lower league position we should show some balls and not sell him yet ... Salisu is starting to look the part ... And we have Wesley Coming back from his loan although he will probably go straight out again ... Tiernay would be a great signing but he’s just put pen to paper at Rangers ... If Southampton FC want to improve it has to start at the top first and sort out this crazy ownership out first ... Either Katrina should honour her great fathers wishes and get Geo out and throw some money in to the club rather than wanting to keep selling the majority of her shares .... surely after the cruelest of April fools jokes go there must be someone out their that wants a great football club and sees its potential like the great Marcus did ‘God Bless Him ‘

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underweststand added 09:02 - Apr 9 The "silly season" has started already and I'm not degrading the youngsters Nick wrote about, but on my count they are just two of over a dozen names already mooted on some sites just during the last month. Half of them are teenage talents with " an eye to the future ", and the rest intended to be "potential replacements" in the first team. Several years ago, I made a list of "potential close season signings" mentioned in media outlets. By the end of the July it was past 25 names, but Saints didn't sign any of them. So where do these "stories " come from? . To say that Saints "have been watching " a certain player may well be true.. that's what scouts do ..every day of the week, but anyone worth their salt will want to be 100% certain of the player before going back to the club and "recommends " who we should sign. Saints admitted a few years ago that they had watched a certain player .... 40 times ..before eventually signing him. The other " stories " may merely be a player's agent who wants to get his player moved in order to make / or / save his career, and that's their job, but it's by no means certain that the individual will seamlessly fit into a Hasenhuttl Saints' side. Still 8 games to go ..a summer break .....and a lot more rumours to come.

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