Southampton entertain Stoke CIty on Saturday
Mark Robins wants signings and said so out loud. Swansea won at the bet365 Stadium last weekend, and Robins told BBC Radio Stoke afterwards that his squad needed reinforcements.
He brings that squad to St Mary's on Saturday. George Hirst and Ben Johnson are both still to be registered, and Stoke are racing against the clock.
Stoke's summer has been busy without being coherent. Ben Pearson, Ethan Galbraith, Svante Ingelsson, Djibril Soumare and Tomas Rigo give Robins five new central midfielders.
Comber defends Saints under fire captain
Jack Stephens carried the blame for Watford. His mis-hit clearance let Iker Bravo open the scoring.
EFL pundit Tom Garratt said Southampton must be pulling their hair out at the sight of it. Not everyone agreed, and Saints writer Alex Comber called the reaction unfair on the captain.
Southampton team news
Caspar Jander remains the worry. He limped out of the Eastleigh friendly and has not played a competitive minute since.
Wednesday's session went ahead without him. Cameron Bragg took his place at Vicarage Road and set up the Cyle Larin goal.
Bragg did well. Handing an academy midfielder that job in August was never the plan, though Eckert had little choice.
Finn Azaz and Divin Mubama are both pushing for starts, so Kuryu Matsuki and Lewis Dobbin look the likeliest to drop out.
Legends evenings rile Sainst fans
Supporters have found something else to be annoyed about. St Mary's will host a Tottenham legends evening in February 2027, even though nobody at the club seems to have asked how that would land.
Glenn Hoddle is one of the billed guests. He walked out on Saints for Tottenham and plenty around here have not forgiven him.
Steve Perryman, Chris Waddle and Ossie Ardiles are on the bill too. A Liverpool night follows three months after that.
Cheapest tickets are £41.50. One supporter called the whole thing a misstep by the promoter.
Transfer news
When Aston Villa bid £18m plus add-ons for Taylor Harwood-Bellis on Thursday, Southampton turned it down within hours.
Villa need a centre back because Ezri Konsa is off to Arsenal. Saints want closer to £30m.
Anel Ahmedhodzic is joining Burnley, not Southampton. Saints had chased the Bosnia centre back for weeks, but a medical at Turf Moor was booked once Burnley moved for him on Wednesday night.
Antef Tsoungui has emerged as the newer name. Estoril want between €5m and €6m for the defensive midfielder, but Rangers are asking after him as well.
Saints Marching called it a live enquiry and nothing firmer. That reads about right.
George Hirst could face Saints on his Stoke debut. Ipswich accepted an offer that could reach £10m and the paperwork is being pushed through for Saturday.
He has never scored against Southampton in five attempts.
Will Smallbone might follow Hirst to Stoke, two months after Southampton let him go.
Saints Marching opinion
Southampton have held on to nearly everyone this summer. Shea Charles went to Fulham and the selling looked finished there.
Villa change the calculation. Champions League football turns a head, as does a chance to play in the Premier League, as Southampton have already learned.
Losing Ahmedhodzic is what makes this awkward. If Harwood-Bellis goes now, Eckert has Stephens, a thin bench and under a fortnight to find a centre back nobody else wants to sell.
Stephens will start on Saturday, in all likelihood. Watford saw the worst version of him and he is better than that afternoon, but he cannot be the whole plan.
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