When Saints talk of the departure of Head Of player recruitment Paul Mitchell leaving as not a major problem they are right, however in the short term it could lead to issues.
Paul Mitchell is only a cog in the wheel of the big machine that is Southampton Football Club and his departure will not cause any major problems, the player recruitment department will still go on and function without him.
But the real issue will be that Mitchell leaves knowing every transfer target we have in mind for the January transfer window and if he is plotting up at Tottenham Hotspur then it would be naive to think that he will not impart that knowledge to his new employers, indeed even though he may now be on gardening leave at St Mary's and unable to join any new club till after that notice period has expired in the New Year it would be just as naive to think that he is not already meeting with his new employers to "discuss" future plans.
The downside for Saints here is that in the January transfer window we are likely to be in competition with the North London Soccer Chickens for virtually every player that we are in for.
That is why it is perhaps crucial that we have a successful season so that we are able to present ourselves as a far better proposition to a player than Spurs, the truth is that if we finish above them and perhaps qualify for Europe whilst they don't then that will help us attract players as well as the fact that Tottenham are now seen as a club in turmoil on and off the pitch, the prospect of having to play at Milton Keynes for a couple of years will mean that although Spurs will be an attractive proposition in a few years time with a new ground and they hope an new infrastructure of which Mitchell will be a big part, in the short term the only thing that will help them attract players is money.
Another issue is that it will not just be a question of rivaling Spurs for players, there is the question of our possible targets being linked to the press, yesterday the name Jesus Corona emerged into the daylight as a transfer target in January, given that Corona has not yet established himself in Twente's first team in Holland, it is very strange that suddenly the paper's should be so certain of our interest in him.
Someone told the media and it was almost certainly not Saints, I am not suggesting it was Paul Mitchell either, I am sure he is an honourable man, however we have seen just how his new employers operate since they poached Glenn Hoddle from us in an underhand way some 14 years ago and that method seemed to have changed little judging by the way Mauricio Pochettino left Saints and pitched up at White Hart Lane so quickly.
So in the long term the departure of Mitchell makes little difference to Saints, as long as we replace him well, but in the short term our strategy is exposed and in certain respects it can be likened to an ex girlfriend telling the World about you on Facebook, we will as the slogan goes "March On" but this January will not be as smooth as it might have been if Mitchell had not been tempted away.