RALPH Hasenhuttl admits Saints might not complete any outgoings before the season starts but insisted the window is long and it is a "problem” to look at afterwards.
Only Fraser Forster and Shane Long have exited Hasenhuttl’s first-team group on a permanent basis this summer, following the expiry of their contracts.
Will Smallbone has completed a loan move to Championship side Stoke City, but Saints have added six by way of new signings with more to come.
The Austrian had already built what he described as a large squad to cope with the adverse effects of COVID testing and disrupted pre-seasons for the 2021-22 campaign.
With more additions to come in Sport Republic’s first summer of ownership, it leaves Saints with a slightly bloated squad in areas – some group members will struggle for gametime.
The club would be open to offloading a couple of players if they receive the right offers, but Hasenhuttl has admitted it might not happen before they visit Spurs next Saturday.
“Before the season not necessarily because the transfer window is very long open,” the boss said. “But we will see what we are doing.
“We will have to have a look because for some players maybe it’s tough for them to get enough game time. This is the problem we can look at afterwards.”
Theo Walcott, 33, did not feature at all during pre-season with the club citing an injury and fitness reasons for his absence. He is reportedly one the club would be open to offers for.
Others included the likes of Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo, but the latter has had a resurgence in Hasenhuttl’s new shape and could be in line for a start on Saturday, August 6.
Saints managed to record only one win from their five pre-season matches, but looked much more comfortable in the new system in the final two – despite eventual 2-1 defeat to Villarreal.
What did you make of pre-season? Who are your top performers, what’s to be excited by and what needs improving? #SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/PxG9o0Jxn3
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) July 30, 2022
Asked how ready he feels his side is for the new Premier League campaign to kick off, Hasenhuttl admitted: “It’s tough to say to be honest.
“We’ve had fantastic pre-seasons where we’ve smashed every opponent and then we the first game we were not ready.
“An away game is always difficult, an away game in the Premier League is always a big challenge mentally and physically, so you can never say. But we will give our best to be ready for the season.”
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