Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that Saints will be looking to make signings in the January transfer window, something that will be music to Saints fans ears.

Saints will be looking to be active in the January transfer window as Ralph Hasenhuttl revealed the positions that he will be looking at, thus casting doubts on the future of several members of his squad.

Speaking about the importance of the January window he said.

"Absolutely important. We must see that we get some new players in. We know this. The summer window was not perfect for us."

"It is absolutely clear that we must do something with the full-back positions. This is definitely a position we're looking at for the moment and we will do something."

"We have enough quality to score, we score nearly always, but the defence is definitely something we must improve and do something in the transfer market."

The Saints boss also spoke of how his relationship with those that runs the club is strong and remains focused.

"[The relationship] has not changed from the first day I was here, this relationship is important for working together, for developing the club and going through all the periods you go through."

"Sometimes more successful, sometimes more difficult. We are a special club here and we have had that relationship from the first day."

This is good news for Saints fans as it shows that Saints are well aware of the problem positions and that they did try to deal with the situation in the summer but missed out on targets.

But it also suggests that several of the squad do not feature in his plans going forward, doubt must be cast on Yan Valery who seems to spend a lot of time with mystery illnesses and injuries, the manager seems reluctant to play him and it suggests that the problems are more to do with off the field than on it.

Kevin Danso is another who has not featured and is often missing from the squad, he has rarely been played by Hasenhuttl and then usually out of position, if Danso can't be given a chance in the centre of defence even in it's shambolic state currently, then it appears he has little future here going forward.

Lasstly Ralph mention full back positions in the plural, suggesting he is not happy with Ryan Bertrand, certainly the left back has little motivation since being dropped by England ahead of the 2018 World Cup aligned with the fact that he seem to have finally realised that his chance of a move to a big club has now passed him buy.

So it seems that January will be a time of change for Saints and personally I would like the business to be done quickly so we can maximise the opportunity to get points on the board.

In the meantime the job is to keep touch with the clubs currently above us to give us a fighting chance in the new Year to pull clear of relegation.

Photo: Action Images

zonehead added 23:05 - Dec 19 No mention of centre halves then or am I stating the bleeding obvious!
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Saintsforeverj added 23:18 - Dec 19 What about a centre back? Why do we need 2 full backs when we already have Valery, Bertrand and Cedric? Surely it's the centre back position which is most pressing.
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vanmans added 23:29 - Dec 19 We have not got a good central defender in the last 6 transfer windows so why should we hold out any hope now. They let Gary Cahill go probably because his wages were to high. We need a proven premier league standard centre halve. We also need a creative midfielder to replace Prowse.
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Billeewithers added 03:27 - Dec 20 Could be that the problems on the far post on both flanks would cut half the goals conceded. Plus the ability to go forward effectively and to tuck in making the defence more compact and reliable will give the current CBs’ and better chance of defending to good effect. Getting an experienced CB currently may be awkward. We have seen what buying at this time can lead to.

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saintmark1976 added 09:03 - Dec 20 The only transfer I would like to see is the manager out of the club. He should have been gone the day after the Leicester fiasco.His method of play,team selection and substitutions are beyond comprehension.Any self respecting well run club would terminate his contract on the basis of his track record alone. Four wins from the last twenty two Premiership games.
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LoisDeem added 09:07 - Dec 20 Of course, central defenders, but I'm ever hopeful that we've got a big target there, and don't want to alert others, given our market track record for this department. Vanmans: If you're looking to improve The Team, then you better add another goalscorer to your list, as James Ward Scapegoat is our second highest, and always appreciated by his team mates, particularly when in a good team with 'joined up' performances. Overall, think he's less of a passenger than most.

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perazi added 09:12 - Dec 20 If Ralph and co don't address the CM/DM situation in January, the game is definitely up. PEH/JWP as a midfield is a certain route to relegation - Rpmeu must play and the midfield must be strengthened. CB and FB are more obvious areas of weakness.
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wessexman added 09:46 - Dec 20 We have read endless reports about numerous players being linked with us. I am very sceptical and I'll believe it when I see it. Fact remains, the criminal disregard in previous transfer windows concerning our substandard defense is now there for all to see and will get us relegated. We have 4 games until the 2nd of January and if the West Ham game is anything to go by, we could be well adrift in the battle to stay up. On current form, only Ings and McCarthy justify their place in the squad. The worst thing is the complete lack of fight in the squad. If we are to go down....at least go down fighting. The utter lack of leadership on and off the field is more than worrying. If the hierarchy think this squad is capable of mounting a successful campaign to get back in the prem, should the worst happen, it is very much deluded. Many of us have been warning about the impending car crash ever since Koeman was hounded out, only to be shouted down viciously. The club are a shambles and as usual in football, the main culprits have done a runner but the owners must take most of the blame for allowing to let it get to this.

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DeargDoom added 10:30 - Dec 20 The most pressing area we need new blood is in Centre Mid. Not mentioned by Ralph, so we will continue with the hopeless PEH and JWP running around like headless chickens (or in JWP's case plodding around). Stuff CBs, this is the area that is costing us wins at the moment, we should be able to cope with conceding one goal.
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saintmark1976 added 13:31 - Dec 20 Superb post wessexman. In particular your comment about being continually shouted down by the " happy clapper " brigade, some off whom wouldn't know a decent footballer if it bit them on the posterior.
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underweststand added 14:03 - Dec 20 quite alot of truth in your post "wessxman" ..but was Koeman really "hounded out " ? I can recall several occasions when Les reed kept trying to re-assure everyone that we were ready to get RK to sign for alonger stretch ..I always thought that it was Everton's offer of £6 million a year that was the primary reason for his leaving. Right up until the last day it looked like he would stay.. that hardly qualifies for being hounded out - does it ?

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BoondockSaint added 15:08 - Dec 20 Well this is no surprise to any of us. Posters have been crying out for 2CBs and a FB since back in the Koeman days, But the club never does anything. We should be in the market for a SD (Sugar Daddy) .
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KriSaint added 15:39 - Dec 25 It makes me sad to read the (repeated) criticism of PEH. How much potential do You have if You play 102 minutes of the German cup final for Bayern Münich vs Dortmund when at the age of 18 + a couple of days? LOTS. I know, he is still not the finished article, and maybe the captaincy is too much of a responsibility , putting too much weight on his (still) young shoulders. I am 99 % certain that I can assure You, that - with the right support and guidance - he will come VERY GOOD in his current number 6 role and even more in a number 8 position. I, primarily, see him as a box-to-box player. Yes, he has certainly had a qouple of questionable games this season, but I don´t understand, if You wanna get rid of this 23-year old player who loves Saints, and who has still less than 100 PL games under his belt - and let him step up and develope fully in another club???

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