This was undoubtably the busiest transfer deadline day in the history of Southampton FC since it was first introduced around 20 years ago, 4 signings came through the door and 7 went in the other direction.
After the window firmly shut Saints will surely be happy with the business they have done, it appears that they have signed the 4 players that they had targeted in the final day of the transfer window and they managed to get 7 players off the books, 2 of those on permanent deals.
The day started slowly and it was sad new for Saints supporters, Oriol Romeu left for his home country Spain & joined Girona in a permanent move, next up was a deal that had seemingly been completed the day before but wasn't officially announced to early evening and that was the departure of Jack Stephens on loan to Bournemouth.
It would be a few hours before the next announcements, but they would now come thick and fast, goalkeeper Matteuz Lis was going on loan to Troyes in France and Jake Vokins to Woking also on loan.
Next up was Dynel Simeu to Tranmere Rovers also on loan. By now we were in the final 2 1/2 hours of the window and 5 players had left the club on the day, but no incoming yet.
It would be around 9.15pm before the first signing was announced and now they would come thick and fast, first up was Ainsley Maitland-Niles on a season long loan with an option to buy and he was followed around 20 minutes later by the news that Samuel Edozie had been signed from Manchester City on a permanent deal.
10pm arrived with the news that Yan Valery had departed on a permanent transfer to Angers in France, so with an hour left in the window we had 6 out but only 2 in, some would be getting worried.
it would be 10.25pm before the next news and it was incoming again with Juan Larios arriving from Manchester City also a permanent deal, but with 35 minutes left in the window where was the central defender that we were after ?
News also appeared on Sky Sports around this time that Nathan Redmond was the subject of a late bid from Bournemouth for his services on loan, but the final hour was approaching.
The first glimmer of hope that all was well was when Aston Villa announced that they had Jan Bednarek on loan with the window about to shut, surely we would not let him go until we had secured our last target.
That proved to be the case when the 4th and final signing of the day central defender Duje Ćaleta-Car from Marseille was announced almost on the stroke of 11pm.
Thus ended a deadline day that had seen the club complete 11 transactions 4 in and 7 out, to make it a grand total for this transfer window of 10 signings made and 21 players leaving the club of which 7 were permanent departures and 14 were out on loan.
The full list is below.
Outgoings
Fraser Forster (Tottenham)
Shane Long (Reading)
Harry Lewis (Bradford)
Will Ferry (Cheltenham Town)
Kayne Ramsay (Harrogate Town)
Oriol Romeu (Girona)
Yan Valery (Angers)
Loans
Caleb Watts (Morecambe)
Kazeem Olaigbe (Ross County)
Dan N’Lundulu (Cheltenham Town)
Will Smallbone (Stoke City)
Kegs Chauke (Exeter City)
Thierry Small (Port Vale)
Jack Bycroft (Taunton Town)
Nathan Tella (Burnley)
Will Tizzard (Chippenham Town)
Mateusz Lis (Troyes)
Dynel Simeu (Tranmere Rovers)
Jack Stephens (AFC Bournemouth)
Jake Vokins (Woking)
Jan Bednarek (Aston Villa)
Incomings
Mateusz Lis (Altay SK)
Gavin Bazunu (Manchester City)
Armel Bella-Kotchap (Bochum)
Romeo Lavia (Manchester City)
Joe Aribo (Rangers)
Sekou Mara (Bordeaux)
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal - loan)
Samuel Edozie (Manchester City)
Juan Larios (Manchester City)
Duje Caleta-Car (Marseille)
So numerically Saints will have been very happy with these numbers, they will fee they have made 10 signings who Mateusz Lis aside are all in contention for a first team place, although 7 of them are promising youngster, there are also 3 experienced players in Joe Aribo, Ainsley Maitland- Miles and Duje Caleta-Car.
They will feel they have struck the right balance and improved the squad.
Of the 21 players that have left, only 5 perhaps 6 could have been said to have been truly in contention for a first team place and they will feel that all of those have been adequately replaced, Romeo Lavia has already shown he can replace Oriol Romeu for instance and Gavin Bazunu in for Fraser Forster, those two being the only first choice players who have gone.
But Ralph Hasenhuttl had seemed certain another striker would be coming in, I think that perhaps it was a little stalking horse, we did not seem to be really chasing any in the final days, I think that our strategy has evolved a little in the last few weeks, we are looking at playing with only a central striker and having him supported by two wide players, a little similar as to how Ronald Koeman set out his side.
That being the case, we have three strikers at the club who can play in either of these positions and we can utilise the likes of Naitland-NIles & Edozie in those wide positions, indeed Edozie has been deployed through the centre at Manchester City's youth teams.
Perhaps the club will feel the only downside of the day will be the failure to get Theo Walcott and Nathan Redmond out on loan, truth is neither were going to go permanently due to high wages, but we could have done with getting them off the books.
In the case of Walcott I'm not sure he will get into the squad, although I think Nathan Redmond could still do a job if needed.
All in all though the club will feel that they have got some wages both big & small off the wage bill to clear the path for the new signings.
So this was perhaps not only the busiest final day, but also the busiest transfer window since the process was started 20 years ago, even the biggest Saints sceptic about the club, cannot deny that we have had a good clear out and signed some decent additions to the squad, some of which have already shown their class.
As a squad we are in a far better shape than we were a year ago even before yesterday's dealings, even more so now.
The new owners have shown their commitment and made good on Martin Semmens claim back in January that they would be fine tuning the strategy already in place and giving us the ability to get things done more quickly.
So in many respects the doom & gloom of only a month ago has started to subside, so now is the time to back the club and manager to get things right, time to forget the past and not let it drag us down, time to judge everyone on what happens going forward not was has happened and can't be changed.