Southampton: Saints chief rubbishes Ings/Bertrand contract reports

Southampton Chief Executive Martin Semmens has rubbished reports of contract agreements with Danny Ings and Ryan Bertrand.

A report from journalist Alex Crook via talkSPORT and the Daily Express had claimed that Ings was close to signing a deal to become the highest-paid player at the club and also stated that Ryan Bertrand was set to follow suit.

However, this news was denied by Semmens who explained that this source was not to be trusted to get everything right in terms of accurate reporting on Saints.

Speaking during Saints’ official Fans’ Forum on Thursday night, he said:

"“You have to look at Alex Crook on talkSPORT – he lives locally, he doesn’t have any information and the things he says aren’t real.“The fact that he would like Ralph to go to Manchester United because he is a Manchester United fan is his opinion – it is not journalism.“90% of what we see from these channels just isn’t real.”"

Semmens did go on to talk about how the club is in discussions with other players and that he expects to see more players signing fresh terms at St Mary’s, although he also hinted that some players could depart despite remaining confident in the club’s ability to find suitable replacements.

More from Saints Marching

• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 2: Arrivals
• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: Departures
• It’s time to talk about Gavin Bazunu
• Rain clouds on the horizon? Southampton beat Plymouth Argyle
• A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse

Overall, it seems that talks with Ings and other players like Bertrand and Stephens are still ongoing and far from finished. Semmens has been an open and honest presence at the club since his arrival and that will be no different in this situation.

It is a good sign that all options remain open and that the club remains in talks, but a lot may depend on the progress Saints make in terms of league position.

They sit fifth at the moment and have made great strides under Ralph Hasenhuttl, but perhaps European football will be the thing that sways the viewpoints of a number of players like Ings.

Some key men have chosen to commit their futures to the club of course. Hasenhuttl himself, captain and England international James Ward-Prowse, Oriol Romeu and Jan Bednarek were big announcements, whilst Will Smallbone, Nathan Tella and Jake Vokins are part of a longer term plan.

For Saints fans, things will not become slightly concerning given that they have seen so many big players move on to pastures new in the past.

However, there is still a chance that breakthroughs will be made if a successful future at St Mary’s is clear for the players mulling over contract offers.