Things had gone quiet on the McKennie front since reports that Saints had made a £20mil bid, until today when news of his likely transfer to Juve unfolded today.
Today's Juve drama - minute by minute, how it happened.
1:28pm - @RGonzalezCBS (on Twitter) claims we have exited McKennie's race.
1:34pm - @RGonzalezCBS (on Twitter), on behalf of CBS, announces that the 21-year-old American is set to leave Schalke.
1:37pm - @FabrizioRomano & @DiMarzio (on Twitter) claim Juventus is close to signing McKennie: he is set to leave for £3mil (loan) + £18mil (option to buy him permanently at the end of the loan spell).
DRAMA!
There is no need to panic, Saints fans! I'm sure we will find a replacement for P-EH before the end of the transfer window (5th October), we just need to be patient.
Now, there are some interesting options we have in front of us which we have been linked with recently...
> OPTION NO.1 - Olivier Ntcham
Now that the chances of signing McKennie are extremely low, I see the Celtic midfielder as the signing that is the most likely to happen. We've been linked with the Frenchman since the start of the transfer window, and I believe he could be what we need. Reports claim we are not the only team interested in signing him, with Everton and West Ham said to be the two clubs willing to rival us in the race for Ntcham.
His stats look pretty impressive:
Age: 24
Nationality: French
Position: CM
Current club: Celtic FC (Scottish Premiership)
Price: £20mil (Latest enquiry)
2019/20 Scottish Premiership stats: 23 apps | 4 goals | 2 assists
All time stats: 223 apps | 32 goals | 22 assists
International team stats: 18 caps | 1 goal
[Stats reported by Transfermarkt]
> OPTION NO.2 - Ronaldo Vieira
He is my favourite player amongst all these options, because I think he could be a very good signing for us, considering he is young and has experienced Serie A and EFL Championship football. The Englishman currently plays alongside former Saints players Maya Yoshida, Gastòn Ramìrez and Manolo Gabbiadini. He could fit in the Ralph Project perfectly. Sources also suggest that Burnley, Everton, Newcastle, West Ham and his former club Leeds are interested in completing the signing of Vieira.
His stats:
Age: 22
Nationality: English
Position: DM
Current club: Sampdoria (Serie A)
Price: ~£10mil (could be more)
2019/20 Serie A stats: 27 apps | 0 goals | 1 assist
All time stats: 116 apps | 2 goals | 7 assists
International team stats: 3 caps | 1 goal
[Stats reported by Transfermarkt]
> OPTION NO.3 - Orel Mangala
We have been linked with the player since early August, and he could be the player we are looking for after all. He played in Belgium during his early career, then, since 2016 he has played in Germany for Dortmund, Hamburg and Stuttgart (his current team). However I think that any interest in this player is not in as a replacement for P-EH, but rather as a back-up to Romeo. I don't think he's 100% ready to be playing in the starting XI for a Premier League team and so might be brought in as a player to develop.
If you're curious and want to know more about the player, here are some stats.
Age: 22
Nationality: Belgian
Position: DM
Current club: VfB Stuttgart (2. Bundesliga)
Price: ~£6mil (could be more)
2019/20 2. Bundesliga stats: 29 apps | 1 goal | 3 assists
All time stats: 127 apps | 6 goals | 15 assists
[Stats reported by Transfermarkt]
So Saints fans, who do you think could be the best replacement for P-EH?
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