Saints have only been back in the Premier League for a matter of a few days and they are already being linked with alf a dozen players, the mill is turning and its not going to stop but get faster.

The first rumours of the week surfaced by Sunday evening barely 24hours after Saints had regained their Premier League place, and already the likes of Zat Knight and Matt Phillips have been mooted for a move to the South Coast.

The message board on the Ugly has long been a hot bed of gossip and although some might deny it, rumours are what makes the world of football so interesting and why the media spend so much time on them be it in the broadcasting sphere or written media both paper and online, so how true are these rumours ? should we pay any attention to them !

Rumours usually emanate from agents, its a way of generating interest in their clients, not just in getting them a new club, but improved contracts and indeed a bigger profile in the game that could lead to shock call ups to International squads etc, sometimes being the subject of a good rumour can help a player no end even though they may have no substance whatsoever, take last summer for instance, the imminent arrival of Steve De Ridder was heralded by rumours that some of Euro[pe's top clubs had been interested in him, almost certainly not true, but it gave the impression that he was a hot prospect, a case of using the rumour mill as an effective PR tool.

At this stage of the season, although Saints would have identified where they needed to strengthen the team, they could not do much till they knew what division they were playing in and therefore what the budget would be and therefore who would be likely targets, ie in the premiership means going big and staying in the championship budget buying, it would be strange if Saints already had made moves for Knight or Phillips so quickly after Saturday and indeed whilst theior respective clubs still had their seasons going.

So these rumours are clearly players agents getting it out in the market that their players are available early doors.

Rumours usually dont come to fruition, but that doesnt mean that they are without substance, neither clubs nor players want to show their hands, many times players will get to an advanced stage with a club only for their to be a late hitch and it not happening, the average supporter will think that, that rumour was complete rubbish, not always the case though, like an iceberg you only see the tip thats visible on the surface, most of it is out of sight below the water line, but just because you cant see it doesnt mean that its not there.

So be prepared for a month or so of heavy rumour, but little activity, now Saints are in the Premiership, hopefully they will be looking at a higher class of player, maybe ones who are playing in this summersEuro's meaning that negotiations wont be taking place to early July, in truth thats usually the case anyway apart from the really big transfers or when a player is out of contract, these are usually done early so the Club doesnt lose the player, but otherwise from the start of May till mid June is not a hub of activity, one reason is because players and managers have to go on holiday sometime and thats usualy straight after the season so that they have time after to get a little bit of fitness back before reporting back for pre season, fines are commonplace if you report back over a certain weight etc, so rumours in May are usually just that, no one is at their clubs they are all on beaches somewhere.

So expect plenty of speculation and little activity until the start of June at least and then Saints will probably be linked with just about every player who has played in the premiership or who fancies playing in it, the merry go round has started to turn and its going to get faster with every passing week.

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ElSanto added 12:19 - May 3 Matt Jarvis would be a nice addition!
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ItchenNorth added 13:16 - May 3 Wilfried Zaha from Palace would fit the bill. What we don't need is washed up (so called experienced) Premier journeymen !
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bstokesaint added 14:06 - May 3 Yeah, I echo those sentiements ItchenNorth in as much as it would be nice to get players on the way up who; a) Give us their best years b) If needs be have a sell on value c) Don't demand outrageous wages for a comfortable 'semi-retirement' We definitely need players with pace. I'd be a little concerned that a player like Zaha, who raised his profile massively last season, might come with a bit of an ego. I could be wrong. I'm sure there is quality in the Championship though after witnessing a season of it. It just takes a good scout to identify if they're good enough to step up a level.

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SingaporeSaint added 16:16 - May 3 They are both the right type of players although I'm not sure Knight is good enough.. I'd like a quicker centre half. More in the Distin mould. Matt Phillips is a good player for sure. I also wondered about Zaha too - probably Phillips is more of a team man, but Zaha could be great. We seem to be again linked with Gary Hooper - he seems very much like Billy Sharp to me and we already have Billy.. I'd like us to look for a very quick C Forward who can threaten in behind - we need a pace outlet for the premier league. Good points on the character needed - we need to sign the right type of men as much as the right type of player..

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sidsaint added 17:36 - May 3 Agree with everyone who says we need pace which is essential in the premiership. Also someone who will buy into the team philosophy at the club. No prima donnas or old pros looking for a comfy pay off on the south coast. Everytime I've seen Hooper he looks good, Jarvis as well. Hope Nigel has good contacts he can rely on.
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Dogbot added 10:53 - May 14 I was at St Marys on Saturday to watch my son play a game, I was chatting to someone who reacons Defoe and Berbatov were coming. hmm me thinks not.I wouldnt want either of them. Jarvis is a good shout.
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