Saints have warned their rivals that they will not be selling in January, a statement that will also be intended to make things clear to their own squad members.

What Saints will be keen to avoid in January is a repeat of the shenanigans that went on in the final week of the last transfer window. Back then the club and its campaign were disrupted by Tottenham Hotspur trying to force a move for Victor Wanyama through, by disturbing the player.

Although Wanyama missed a couple of crucial fixtures for the "stomach issue" Saints held firm and made it clear that they would not be messed around even under such unacceptable pressure being exerted on them from all directions.

So when Ronald Koeman states that no one will be sold in January, it is not just telling the World in general, it is sending a message to his own player and that message is "Don't even ask"

It’s not important rumours. We will sell nobody,” he said.

“You can ask again about Sadio about Man United, about Chelsea, and we sell nobody in January.”

“The player is developing himself with all the help from the technical staff and the rest of the players.

“It’s the reason why the team is growing, why the club is growing, and why we have 17 or 18 international players.

“They are showing their qualities and then of course big teams are interested.

“It’s the normal progress of players who are developing themselves.”

Koeman is right, one of the downsides of being a club who is competing for not only a top five place but other trophies as well, is that you players are going to be of a higher standard than mid table clubs and you will have more of them, it necessarily follows that big clubs will be interested.

But we have our strategy and although that does include developing players and moving them on at a profit, meaning we can further invest in the squad to a point where its not 17-18 Internationals, its 22-23, it means that we do it when is best for the club and not always the player.

“In my opinion it’s not about money,”

“It’s about ambition of players, of people.

“Of course, we don’t play Champions League, we don’t fight for the title, and it’s a normal ambition to reach the highest level possible.”

It is also about the Koeman Touch, that means the Dutch manager will be open and frank with the players and talk regularly with them about their ambitions , careers and even potential moves.

That is something that is rare within a football club, but Saints are a different proposition than they were 18 month ago, the players expectations are being managed and even encouraged. Of course there will always be the Tottenham's who think they can bully those they perceive as smaller, but they won't succeed and when they realise that they will perhaps not stop, but try and do things the right way.

It’s something which Koeman regularly does and which helps the squad know where they are.

“Daily contact to the player, you are not always talking about football or what happened today or this week,” he explained.

“You talk to players about future, what they think, what they like.

“We know, we are Southampton, and for some players it’s not the finish of the career as a player because they grow, they will be better, there will be interest in players and that’s normal.”

Photo: Action Images

SaintBrock added 10:25 - Nov 28 I'll buy into all of this if Koeman leads by example and signs a new contract for 5 years, what better signal to his players and coaches that there is a golden future here for them so they should do the same?
1

Queens Park Rangers Polls