GASTON RAMIREZ?? OH NO!!! HERE WE GO AGAIN......

It appears as if this may happen after all:

HusseinMarhoon: #Bologna agreed to sell Gastón Ramírez for €14m to Southampton. Announcement expected soon (via: @carlolaudisa) #SaintsFC

Although it's not done until it's on the OS, as far as I'm concerned!

Until its on OS I wont be getting to excited, even if we agree terms presume medical still to be done.

Will just wait and see waht happens

An announcement must be imminent as Nigel Adkins himself has said today that it's almost complete.

At last on the OS that completed, Longest running transfer saga?? Hope now the wait has been worth it.

What was that you were saying Lawro? Something along the lines of 'he'll never sign for Southampton'?

They were discussing the transfer on 5Live tonight and they were saying it was doubtful whether GR would have the pace to succeed in the Premiership, I thought he was supposed to be speedy??

SaintMike wrote:They were discussing the transfer on 5Live tonight and they were saying it was doubtful whether GR would have the pace to succeed in the Premiership, I thought he was supposed to be speedy??

There is a lot of resentment and jealousy from people who are not Saints fans, I feel. From Lawro the Dinosaur to Liverpool fans who are pissed off he didn't sign for them.

SaintMike wrote:They were discussing the transfer on 5Live tonight and they were saying it was doubtful whether GR would have the pace to succeed in the Premiership, I thought he was supposed to be speedy??

I listened to the "Colin Murray Show" and to Doton Adebayo's overnight World Football Phone-in, expecting to hear Tim Vickery give an expert opinion.

Scuse me if this is de trop, but I took everything down (almost) verbatim, it's mostly the same thing repeated:

Early evening programme.

Tim Vickery on Gaston Ramirez:

He rattled the bar and the post during World Cup.

WONDERFUL left foot! BUT long-legged and slow to get into his stride. I'm worried that the pace of the Premier League will be too much for him. That's the doubt. He'll be good for set pieces, but can Southampton afford to carry him as a luxury player? It's a big worry with them being newly promoted.

Colin Murray: "It's a very refreshing signing". I think he meant with Ramirez being young and still developing, or maybe that Ramirez didn't go for one of the BIG clubs :-?

Tim: Saints also bid for Gonzalo Bueno but the bid was rejected. It shows good intent that they bid for him to keep Gaston company so's he would have someone to talk to (highly paraphrased by me, they were talking over each other at that stage).

David Pleat (butting in in a doomful tone) with Colin and Tim all talking at once: What about his access to UK? They won't be paying anything for him if he is refused entry. Colin: These people have multiple nationality thru parents.

I was shocked that Pleat raised it, as if Saints (Cortese/Adkins) wouldn't have thought that thru. I'd be amazed if there was a problem.


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World Football Phone-in

Doton: This is the second most asked about footballer after transfer deadline.

Q's from - Rich, exiled Saint in Republic of East London, Hackney in particular: "Is he any good or have Saints thrown away £11m? " Peter of Manchester United: "I was at old Trafford where he scored a wonder for Uruguay, can we expect to see more in Premier League?"

It's a risk for Saints because, as a newly promoted club, your margin for error isn't great. Now Ramirez (as above re left foot) scored great free kick against UAE and rattled the bar/post against GB. That (left foot) is a beautiful weapon, a very fine weapon indeed, BUT if you saw the Olympics you would also see the defects in his game. He's a tall figure, a long-legged figure, takes him a little bit of a while to get into his stride, and I've never really seen the Premiership [sic] as the natural place for him at this stage in his career. Liverpool were chasing him for some time before Saints got him, so I've been asked a lot about him over the last few months and my answer has always been the same. My worry about him in the Premiership is whether he's going to be hustled out of the game. He's been in and around the Uruguay senior squad for ? years now, they've tried him out at senior level and he's never been convincing, he's always a little bit off the pace. I think for set pieces he will do very well for Southampton because that left foot is a wonderful weapon, but I do worry him in open play, he might find the Premiership a little bit hectic, especially at first. So it's a risk from his point of view and a risk from Southampton's point of view because, as a newly promoted club, if you are going to make a huge signing, you really can't afford a failure, you need someone who's going to produce almost from the off. This is going to be one to watch, there's great potential but I just wonder if the Premiership is going to be a little bit too fast and furious for him.

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Reading those comments, I have a feeling he could be pretty Le Tissier-esque.

Well if he turns out like Le tiss I would be more than happy. Le Tiss never had pace yet teams couldnt stop him scoring when he was on song. Just needs to be used properly, remember Bally saying how he got the team in a circle, put Le Tiss in the middle and told them the only tactics were pass to the guy in the middle!

Just wish he could play centre half!