GORDON Strachan could be given more money to spend in pre-season than any other Saints boss in history.

And the speculation has already begun as to how he might splash the cash - or Spend it Like Strachan, to put it another way.

Saints chairman Rupert Lowe told the Daily Echo yesterday that money would be made available to Strachan as to attempts to plot success on four fronts next season.

For in addition to the Premiership, FA Cup and Worthington Cup, Saints are also preparing for their first UEFA Cup campaign for almost 20 years.

Of course it is pure guesswork as to how much Strachan will be able to spend.

The club's record signing remains the £4m spent on Republic of Ireland midfielder Rory Delap in 2001, and that's not much by today's Premiership standards.

In order to compete with the best - and Lowe, Strachan and the club's army of fans will now expect to at least match the standards set in 2002/03 next year - Saints must have the necessary financial clout in the transfer market.

And that might mean Strachan is able to bring in two or three big-money signings this summer, with a striker possibly topping his close-season shopping list.

Will he look abroad to add to his striking options, or will Strachan dip into the lower divisions like he did to sign Ormerod, David Prutton and Danny Higginbotham?

Will he go for tried and tested internationals, or youthful potential instead?

Though James Beattie fired 24 goals in all competitions last season, Saints found goals hard to come by elsewhere.

Ormerod, who had a fantastic season in many respects, was second top scorer with nine, and three of those came in a Worthington Cup tie against Tranmere.

Perhaps Strachan will look to bolster his midfield creativity options, bearing in mind Saints' entire midfield of Fabrice Fernandes, Chris Marsden, Rory Delap, Matt Oakley, Anders Svensson and David Prutton contributed only five Premiership goals in 2002/03?

Strachan could have £10m to spend in the transfer market given Lowe's assurances that Saints cannot afford to rest on their laurels.

That's a figure which could, and probably should, rise should Saints lose any of their prized three possessions - Beattie, England colleague Wayne Bridge and goalkeeper Antti Niemi.

Lowe has repeatedly stated Saints are under no financial pressures to cash in on any of their players, and having raked in around £24m through various prize monies, television sponsorship and gate receipts last season he is no doubt right.

He has also said there is no point keeping any player who is unhappy at St Mary's.

And while Saints can offer the current squad and any prospective newcomers the lure of UEFA Cup football next season, the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle and Chelsea can offer Champions League action and considerably higher salaries.

There is also the fact that every player has his price - even Manchester United have said that about David Beckham.

Should someone like Liverpool offer a 'silly' sum of money for someone like Beattie - say £15m - it could be a figure too high for Saints to turn down, especially if the player decides the Champions League is where he wants to prove himself.

It could be that Beattie's current market valuation, boosted by his 23 Premiership goals and subsequent England call-ups, is at its peak.

But 20-goal-a season Premiership strikers do not come cheap. In today's lucrative Premiership market they are worth their weight in gold.

After all, where would Saints be without Beattie's goals last season with each Premiership place worth £503,000?

Anders Svensson and Fabrice Fernandes would be worth millions if they decided they wanted to leave.

But, again, should they depart Strachan would have to buy to replace them.

Saints last season operated with one of the smallest first team squads in the Premiership, and Strachan's summer aim must be to add to the squad he has already got - not lose valued members of it.

In Friday's Echo: So who could Gordon sign? We look at the possible options on the Saints manager's summer shopping list.