Saints are being reported as ready to try and land two long term targets when the transfer window opens again in the next two weeks.

The first is Genk right back Joakim Maehle, a year ago Saints tried to buy him but Genk still in the Europa League were not keen to sell. After they were knocked out Maehle subsequently admitted he was interested in moving to St Mary's, stating "it was a nice proposal from a big club in a big competition"

Ralph Hasenhuttl seems to have lost faith in Jan Valery and with Cedric out of contract at the end of the season, Saints may be willing to sell him cheaply to get his wages off the books and bring in new blood and Maehle who can also play in right midfield fits the bill.

The 22 year old Dane is valued at around £8 million according to various footballing data bases.

Another that Saints have been tracking for a while is Marin Pongracic a central defender at Red Bull Salzburg, he has struggled with injury in the first half of the season and has struggled to regain his place in the team and Saints are ready to step in, however at 22 it is questionable whether he has the experience needed to steady and organise our defence.

However he could be another cheap option at around the £5 million mark and we could acquire both of these players and still have room to bring in an experienced central defender.

Whilst Saints are reported as having to sell before they can buy, they do have funds available and with Cedric, Shane Long and Yoshida all out of contract in the summer, they will shed a fair amount of income off the wage bill and can afford to overspend in this department for a short period.

Sources report that Hasenhuttl is looking in trying to bring in at least three players in January with the emphasis on defence but also looking at the midfield.

The January window will be crucial for the club, the reality is that if we sign the right defenders we have a very good chance of survival, if we fail to do so then it would be difficult.

Photo: Action Images

dirk_doone added 18:31 - Dec 18 "another cheap option at around the £5 million mark " I think you've got your finger on the pulse of the club's transfer policy there, although loanees who'll cost nothing will probably be their first choice.
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aceofthebase added 19:22 - Dec 18 Valery out of favour? Are you disputing RH who states he has a virus?
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codge added 20:30 - Dec 18 Who will want to come to a team in disarray as Saints are at the moment,hope I'm wrong but it will be hard to get a quality player right now.
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saintmark1976 added 20:36 - Dec 18 Frankly Nick I don't think that what happens in the window is that relevant at the moment. If we don't get at least six points from our four games between now and close of play on January the first then we are as good as relegated in my opinion. Should that be the case then we may as well just keep all of our existing players ( less Ings ) because we already have a readymade Championship squad.

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underweststand added 10:50 - Dec 19 I also heard RH say that Valery has a virus and not recovered. (quote: ace of base above). We are talking about someone who needs a fully-fit body in order to play football at the highest level-and that's not the same as going back to work after you've had the 'flu. Almost everyone in the squad has had good / bad games this season, and Valery is no exception, but he is surely first choice. The fact that Cedric has been around to cover for him will only go to strengthen our bargaining position when we sell him in January.. for however much ..if he stays on he can walk away for nothing in June. Valery will improve in time, but we need two reliable players available for each position, and the likes of Maehle would seem like a good deal. Dirk Doone (above) is another fan who seems to liken a cheap price to a bad deal. Many of the low-end price deals who have been with the club in the past have proven themselves as good as / better than the "highly-price flops" that we are continually loaning out ...to whoever can be persuaded to take them.

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aceofthebase added 11:28 - Dec 19 A question to RH. Has Valery been training and for how long? Virus or no virus is he fit to play?
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BoondockSaint added 14:32 - Dec 19 "it was a nice proposal from a big club in a big competition"? He must have confused us with someone else! As saintmark1976 points out, we could be destined for relegation in a few weeks, so it it is doubtful that any decent players will want to come here.
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Burlers added 16:50 - Dec 19 Great that we are going for a centre back about time! Question Ralphs view on Valery, he`s one of the brightest talents we have coming through - can he not see this?
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underweststand added 14:57 - Dec 20 to ace of base..I recall the words from Alan Shearer who once said on TV .... ..there's a lot of difference between being "match-fit" ..and being " fit enough to play" getting over a bad virus infection can take time even for the average person, let alone a Prem. player who has be run around and be physically involved and last for 90 mins. I'm sure Valery would be back in the squad if RH thought he could last the game out.

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