No Saints fan wants to see Virgil Van Dijk leave St Mary's but the reality is that it will be a question of when and not if, but could the deal Chelsea are offering actually be the right thing for Saints to do.

Every summer at St Mary's a section of our support goes into meltdown and claims that the club has no ambition and is only interested in getting money in and what could have been if we had kept every player we have sold ?

The reality though is Saints cannot compete against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City and probably never will be able to do so as the top six clubs all have resources far bigger than Saints will ever have, that is not being negative, that is financial fact.

So if Saints are to keep competing as they have done over the past three seasons including this one, they have to keep doing what they do best and do better than any other club in the Premier League and that is buy emerging talent cheaply, nurture it, sell on and then repeat the process.

The fans don't like to see players depart, but there is no other way for Saints, even major investment will not change that because ultimately we cannot generate the incomes that the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool, City and United can, investment will help us do what we do now better, but it will not allow us to go head to head financially with any of the aforementioned clubs.

So the big question is "when" Virgil Van Dijk will leave St Mary's and not if, the good news is that we are in control of that situation with the Dutch defender on a long term deal.

So our job is to manage his departure to the best interests of Southampton Football Club.

A number of clubs are said to be interested, with a transfer fee of between £50 -70 million being touted, but as I have always said it is gong to be what happens next after a transfer that matters.

So money for Saints is not the issue it is about who we replace Van Dijk with and it seems Chelsea are willing to try and sweeten the deal by offering us a part exchange deal.

The name being mentioned is Andreas Christensen and he appears to be ideal for Saints, indeed you have to ask why Chelsea don't keep him instead of Van Dijk.

At just 21 he has been at Chelsea for 5 years, however like many in their youth system he has struggled to make an impact and so far only has a solitary substitute appearance to his name in the Premier League plus a couple of cup appearances.

He has spent the last two years at Borussia Monchengladbach where he has been a regular in their line up, also establishing himself in the Denmark full International squad.

Chelsea are said to be ready to offer Christensen to Saints as part of their offer for Virgil Van Dijk and it has to be said this could be a tempting offer for Saints.

He is just the right age with just the right experience to make him the ideal Saints target as was VanDijk, Alderweireld and Lovren before him and if Chelsea make this offer and Christensen is willing to come, it has to be said that Saints should look at it very seriously.

Chelsea would like to see Christensen valued at £20 million in the deal, although he is perhaps worth nearer £15 million so there is room for negotiation

Chelsea's fans on social media are not happy with the loss of Christensen, they see him as one for the future, but the trouble is that future rarely comes for Chelsea youth team products who have to move away from Stamford Bridge to prosper.

So for Saints although we would prefer to keep Van Dijk for another year, this could be very tempting and actually the right thing to do going forward, although the St Mary's faithful won't like to hear that.

If Chelsea are that desperate to sign Van Dijk then they could perhaps throw in Nathan Ake as well and solve Saints defensive issues in one transfer deal, for me if we were to get Christensen, Ake and say £25 million that would be a shrewd piece of business for Southampton Football Club, it is what we do and do well and is the only way we are going to keep ourselves competitive.

Photo: Action Images

SaintBrock added 09:27 - May 3 Nick, VVD is going nowhere this summer and Chelsea seem to be doing quite well without him.
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SaintNick added 09:34 - May 3 That isnt what the media are saying, of course I would like him to stay, but at some point we have to consider what is best in the longer term, this could be a good deal
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ThereIn76 added 09:54 - May 3 If he's as successful as our last two signings from Chelsea, Bertrand and Romeu, maybe it's worth considering. Better still, sign him anyway and don't sell VVD!
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REEDYREEDOREEDZ added 09:57 - May 3 Saints will do very well to hold on to Van Dyke this summer. Everyone is after him because he's the best defender outside of a top 6 club. His price could easily rise to £60m+ If we could get Ake and Christensen as part of the deal then that would be amazing. Two fantastic young defenders. The reality is we'd probably have to settle for just Christensen but this guy is massively rated. It wouldn't be the first time Chelsea have let a great youngster go. I think we would then need a more experienced, solid centre back next to him. One of the 5 or 6 defenders we tried to sign in January will do, they all seemed to be the right kind of targets.

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LordDZLucan added 11:24 - May 3 The problem has not so much been the selling of players although I never like to see a good player leave. Rather we never fully invest the proceeds that we get back into the team.
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SaintNick added 12:07 - May 3 Lordzlucan, actually this season that hasnt been the case, we have reinvested literally all transfer proceeds back into the team, but what you also have to consider is that we also have to cover other costs like signing on fees and wages, we are trying to compete with the top six but we havent got the income they have through the gate and in other areas so we have to find the money for all these big wages from other areas and that includes transfer fees received. Perhaps if we sold out St Mary's week in week out with a waiting list for season tickets we could expand th stadium and increase the income, but fact is that too many people arent putting their hands in their pockets themselves but expect the owner to do so

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LordDZLucan added 12:35 - May 3 I have to disagree with you, Nick. I have done the maths and the post Cortese era is one of net disinvestment in the team at a time when we would have been expecting net investment into the team because of the Sky money. You can't moan about a centre back partnership of Yoshida and Stephens if we don't spend the money!
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SaintBrock added 12:39 - May 3 There is something wrong in your head Nick, selling our best players or any players for that matter is never a good deal. You really have bought into the "selling club" mentality, Les Scrooge must love you, has he offered you a cut?
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Jesus_02 added 13:09 - May 3 If we sell to Top 6 and get their cast offs in return we end up 8th (Max) VVD should be going to Barca direct rather than going via Liverpool or Spurs
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SanMarco added 13:23 - May 3 "Perhaps if we sold out St Mary's week in week out" 30,000 extra tickets max + pies would maybe make 1.5 - 2 million extra. It isn't really empty seats that's the problem here...
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halftimeorange added 17:15 - May 3 The selling of our best players to the biggest clubs in the EPL is generally dictated by the fact that they are amongst the few who have the resources to pay ridiculous prices. I can think of a number of expensive departures who have actually added nothing to the clubs they have joined - e.g., Clyne, Lovren, Shaw. I don't buy into the fact that we are lacking talent and that all our so-called cut-price replacements have been flops. Saints have largely paid reasonable amounts for the EPL which elsewhere in Europe wouldn't or couldn't be matched by local clubs. That our current squad isn't gelling on the pitch isn't to do with who has come in. It's more to do with how many people think they know best within the dressing-room, a misfiring playing style and a few bruised egos, amongst players and supporters alike. When it comes to Van Dijk, however, I would submit that we are talking about a potentially exceptional player and leader, who shouldn't be treated as a cash cow under any circumstances. If Saints offer him their very, very best and he says "no" then we simply have to take the best bid, whether that's cash or players but, I do think it's misguided to say that Saints are ready to snap the hands off of the big six/seven and accept mediocrity. Our club has climbed steadily into a top ten spot by making shrewd investments on the pitch and in management. Sure Les Reed et al don't always get it right but they've got it right enough times to raise our expectations to levels I would never have previously anticipated. If Van Dijk is sold there's a fair chance that his replacement will be more than competent. The way some people are talking you'd think we were on our way down.

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TeamCortese added 19:43 - May 3 Lo and behold Nick is yet again writing another article promoting the sale of our best player(s). Given the circumstances at the back and the continued lack of stability over the past few years, why are you writing this article? That's what baffles and confuses me most. Do you really want the best for the Southampton FC Nick? Because from recent articles and this one in particular I'm not getting that vibe atm... We should be trying to sign Christensen and promising him long-term defensive partnership where he'll learn from VVD. That's what this article should be about. Not a potential sway with cash. Christensen's in our price range after all. Why can't we hold onto our best players. Instead we're investing in average players like JWP from the academy.

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AmericanSaint added 20:22 - May 3 I like all of you do not want to sell VVD, but there is truth in the fact that he is an exceptional player and when one of the top teams comes calling with a 150,000/week salary, Saints do not want to match it. Also, they all want CL football. So, unless we are willing to stand our ground and bench him if he puts in a transfer request, then we need to be realistic and look at the best deal for us. I like the idea of Christiensen and Ake, but Christensen's agent (and dad) said he will not let his son play at Saints. So that is off the table. I am not sure where we go from here with VVD, but I actually even more worried that Cedric and Bertrand are going to leave. They are there in and out and have proven their worth over and over. Add the chatter that Romeu is being looked at by Barca and then we have real problems. Let's hope we can hold onto everyone, but if you ask me, I would rather hold all those other players and lose VVD, then hold VVD and lose them. Just two cents worth.

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bstokesaint added 20:31 - May 3 Cortese, I think the point you're missing is if a player and his agent, or even just an agent want a move enough there is very little a club like ours can do about it. We can't just double or treble their wages and guarantee them trophies and Champions League football. What Nick is saying is just a fact of life at Southampton FC. I love this club too and want us to be ambitious, but clubs are at the mercy of players these days. Contacts mean naff all. If Virgil says I want out, his heart isn't in it and his value of £70m starts plummeting towards £20m, do you honestly give yourself a pat on the back for being a great enforcer of an ambitious club, when you could have picked up a Romeu and Bertrand with £40m+ still to spend? It's an obvious business decision. I really hope the big man stays, but I remain pragmatic on this situation. Don't get me wrong if ousting the management or investing in more quality mean he feels he wants to stay and consequently others do too, then I'm all for it, but that's all we can do.

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BoondockSaint added 21:06 - May 3 If he goes to Chelski, fine, because they are not our rivals (at the moment), or ManCity or Arsenal, but don't be stupid enough to strengthen the clubs that are around us on the table. Any money lost in sliding down the table subtracts from the amount of money we got for the player.
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TeamCortese added 07:03 - May 4 bstokesaint I see where you're coming from but my main issue is simply that other clubs above and in even some below us are able to keep hold of their key players while we sell every summer and it really doesn't feel like it's completely out of our hands. Surely by your logic Tottenham should have lost Alli, Kane, Rose, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Dier, Lloris and Eriksen last summer? Surely those players would want bigger pay packets from Man Utd, City, dare I say Arsenal, Chelsea and possibly Liverpool? Even Everton have been able to hold onto Lukaku and Barkley. They might leave this summer but it's been highlighted in newspaper that Everton offered Lukaku 140K per week. If our board did that and the player rejected then I'd say cash in and good riddance. But the truth is we're not even attempting to be competitive because of KL. Moreover, if you look at summer 2014 Morgan wasn't allowed to leave despite Shaw, Lambert, Lallana and Chambers going? Why wasn't Wanyama allowed to leave in summer 2015 or January 2016? Instead he left for less than what we brought him for. The board can put their foot down if they really want to. I'm not saying they have complete control but they most definitely can influence a player's desire to leave. As far as I'm concerned it has become acceptable in this fanzine for Southampton FC to lose key players every summer without their being any uproar because of our small club mentality. The board have not been held accountable and I’m getting sick of this! Why doesn't anyone ask for straight answers and make their lives more difficult. Instead we want the head of a bogus manager from Monaco that came about as result of incompetence from the board's handling of his predecessors.

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SaintBrock added 14:37 - May 4 The new super long contracts that VVD and many others signed recently were aimed at putting us and not the agents in the driving seat on player movements but our resolve has not been tested yet so this summer window will be a big test of the board in the eyes of fans. Many fans including Nick are almost wishing VVD away through their repeated mantra of selling him if we get a bid north of £50M and sadly this may be the green light that makes them think they can get away with it. Stop advertising our players through careless chatter.

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bstokesaint added 19:11 - May 4 Cortese, I can see your point too, but I think Spurs are back well and truly in the league above us again now and not a comparison like they were in danger of becoming pre Poch. They challenged for the title last season and will again this one. It pains me to say it but they have some great young talent, the promise of a new super stadium and a bigger (more plastic and fickle admittedly) fanbase. Everton are more of a valid comparison, although I'm not sure they are really going to benefit from holding on to wantaway players. I think they'll struggle to break into the group above them and that will test the resolve of the players, especially if they crash out of Europe early. Bigger wages are great but trophies and top European football count too. I get that the latest contracts may favour us the club more, but ultimately players and agents still have the biggest say and I can't see that changing any time soon. And if we really wanted to do a Leicester we wouldn't be looking to spend heavy, but instead just find a tight group of journeymen players who want to play for each other and not get above their stations. Oh yeah, and just hope ALL the big sides are below par for a whole season.

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petedoors1 added 20:12 - May 4 Nick, When are we going to have a poll to see if its Puel in or out?
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legineloc added 22:58 - May 10 As I see it players are coming here and using us as a stepping stone, knowing that if they play well for a season or two then they can get the move they wanted, what we get is a talented player the big boys wasn't sure of and didn't want to take a risk on and some exciting football, wether it was the players we acquired or the manager it hasn't gone quite to plan this time, players have all the power now days as we saw at West Ham and payet, VVD will want to play champions league games and however much I would want that to be with saints I can't say that's likely as we've gone slightly backwards this season and when he signed the long contract we had Koeman and we're going forward, has he lost faith that we can make the step up under this regime as has some of the fans, if he does go then Christensen and 40mil would soften the blow, but hopefully he will stay and still get Christensen

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