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.

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schatfield added 09:52 - Nov 26 The 1 reason why I disagree with this article, is that almost certainly Paul Mitchell would likely have had to sign an agreement upon leaving the club stipulating that if any of the researched players somehow end up at Spurs, then he may be liable for providing sensitive information....or something along those lines due to the nature of his work. Of course, these kind of clauses would be hard to prove in a court of law, should Spurs get 1 anyway (they argue that they were looking all along), but more plays on the integrity of Mr Mitchell. If he is honest enough, he will honour that clause.... Anyway, just my thoughts..

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Consigliere added 09:58 - Nov 26 It would be very interesting to know whether there are any restrictive covenants in his contract of employment. It sounds as though there is nothing to prevent him from going straight to a competitor but even then, he would not be allowed to reveal "trade secrets" as a matter of common law. Unfortunately, I suspect that this would not extend to his knowledge of target players because you can't restrain a person from carrying out the skills of his trade - once you have trained a man to be a lathe turner you can't stop him lathe turning for someone else. In Mr Mitchell's case he is going to carry a lot of that information in his head, so whilst he would not be allowed to walk out with a confidential list of target players (a trade secret) he can't really be prevented from using the knowledge in his head. Thus Nick's point is well-made. Saints have to compete in the market place, which in the case if a football club means winning on the pitch.

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SaintNick added 10:16 - Nov 26 Schatfield I see your point, but as you point out that would almost be impossibele to either prove or enforce, by nature of the job Saints will have looked at not just dozens of players but hundreds by nature Mitchell would be unable to ply his trade elsewhere if a coventant of that nature was enforcible. Perhaps we have to look at when managers leave as a precedent, you cant stop them coming back for your own players let alone any one else's, so i think my article is spot on, Mitchell has all this information in his head we cant do anything about it, the only good thing is that by the summer all of it will start to be out of date

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1970 added 10:59 - Nov 26 Now we know how the spuds are going to operate as well,we have a number of targets for most positions as far as i know,now the spuds have to workout who we are going for, so effectively we could waste there money by pretending our 3rd choice is now a top priority and so on,have they got the coaches to blend in a bunch of Saints targets i don't think so,i don't think they have the money to waste either,now he's gone he knows nothing coyr.

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SaintNick added 11:14 - Nov 26 Dont underestimae what Mitchell knows
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Zambucco added 11:22 - Nov 26 I think one thing recent transactions have taught us, trust the board! So far only Chambers has performed anywhere near his fee, the three at Liverpool are struggling and shaw is injured (yet again!) Poch is struggling too. Do you think the board knew more than we ever gave them credit for? Were these players and managers already playing at their peaks and their sell by date was about to expire? It proves we are bigger than one man. So if recent history repeats itself, Spurs will now buy some duff players, sorry more duff players. After all I would Imagine that if Paul Mitchell was as omnipotent as he's being portrayed, he would have been directly responsible for some of our top signings, Osvaldo, Ramirez, Mayuka, Yoshida, Foren? Of course he will have a list of top players, of course they will somehow come to the attention of Spurs recruitment team. As it has been mentioned it would be impossible to prove. It is also very feasible, that every team in the Premier league has notes on all the same players, We just happen to have much more detailed notes! Plus the players we have highlighted will not necessarily fit into Spurs playing style (do they have one?) #wemarchon #COYR

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SaintDownUnder added 11:52 - Nov 26 im not so concerned. What's right for saints might not be right for Spurs. Apparently players were analysed on the basis of them fitting a statistical profile that fits with or complements the other first team players at saints. Apparently this system was specifically built for saints under Mitchell's guidance, this would take months to replicate at Spurs which would protect us in January.

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SaintNick added 13:22 - Nov 26 My worry would be that Spurs arent expecting to get it right in a day, as you say it will take months, but they will start to try to put pieces in place ready for next season
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Stephen added 13:26 - Nov 26 Nick you either have a grammar issue or an ethics issue. It is not naive to believe that someone is ethical. Being ethical is a core part of the Southampton Way. Of course you might have simply left out the word 'could' or'might' or 'may'. I will give you the benefit of the doubt. COYS!!! Onward with the Southampton Way.
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BoondockSaint added 13:39 - Nov 26 Except for wages (which is I know is major) I don't see players finding Spurs more attractive. We have a manager who has a great rep as both a player and a manager, an owner who is stable financially and mentally. We're playing well in the top of the league, have loyal supporters, and good relations with the rest of the league. I'm still waiting for Spurs or Scousehampton to bring in Cortese!

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BoondockSaint added 14:30 - Nov 26 For your reading pleasure: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/brendan-rodgers-quotes-southampton-now-468
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darthvader added 15:37 - Nov 26 It was indeed a pleasure reading that
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BaselSaint added 16:00 - Nov 26 I honestly think that when these other clubs covet our employees or players they are a bit obsessed with the Southampton brand (which is building up nicely) but then when the individual is in the new environment they realise they haven't bought or hired a piece of Southampton - It`s just one guy who is now in a completely different environment. What is at Southampton isn't fleeting or overnight - it is visceral and is not transferable.

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fubsy added 20:26 - Nov 26 've thought for a while that Brenda should play all 3 ex-Saints at the same time. They would bring more to the team ....... It just seems sensible.
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landsdownsaint added 08:15 - Nov 27 So what players was he responsible for getting us?
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