Every word Southampton’s Martin said on Sunderland, Tella & transfers

How much business would you like to do before the deadline? Is signing Nathan Tella a priority?

“I think there will probably be quite a bit going on between now and Friday. I don’t know exactly what is going to go on because some of it will depend on people leaving.

“Some of it will be trying to replace people who have already left. We will have to wait and see, I’m open to anything really.

“There is time pressure now to get things done and I’m sure that we will. Replacing Nathan Tella is definitely high on the priority list.

“We have a few options there currently and we will have to wait and see which one lands.

“I couldn’t tell you what is going to happen between now and then, I guess that’s why people find it exciting.

“Before all of that, we have a game to focus on. We’ve had three really good days of training, which we are pleased with.

“The lads’ focus has been really good, even some of the guys who are maybe a bit uncertain about what the next few days bring really.

“The window should have been shut weeks ago, but it’s not. It’s going to be shut on Friday thankfully.”

Is Nathan Wood someone you’d really like to bring in?

“I don’t know. He’s a player that I really like and a person that I really like. He did brilliantly well for us (at Swansea).

“We would only bring players in that we’ve worked with before if we thought they could make us better and help us with their character.

“There’s something to be said about understanding the work and having lived it for a year the growth in his was incredible, but he’s not our player – he’s Swansea’s.

“He’s someone that I’ve stayed in touch with, as I have done with a few of their players.

“It’s not because I’m trying to sign them, it’s because they are brilliant human beings and the relationship we have will continue whether he ends up here or he doesn’t. “He’s a really good player. There are a lot of really good players that we are looking at and there are players in each position that we are looking at.

“We will see if we can add one or two before the weekend.”

Has the speculation around Che Adams distracted him?

“He’s trained really well. He trained separately from us for one day, which everyone knew about, unfortunately.

“He’s trained brilliantly this week and he’s a fantastic character as I’ve said to you so many times already.

“There are three scenarios really. One is that we keep Che, and everyone is happy. Another is that we lose Che, and we replace him. The other one is that we keep Che, and we may bring someone else in as well.

“Whatever happens we will be ok really. I can’t be any more open or transparent with that.

“I don’t think anything has advanced since we last spoke. The club that came in for him has gone away, maybe some other clubs will come in for him at another point.

“Until then he has trained really well, and it’s been nice having him. He’s really focused, if he is here then he will 100 per cent be involved on the weekend.”

So, the suggestion is someone will come in if Che leaves?

“If we lose Che we can’t not replace him – that would be madness.

“It has to be one of the three scenarios. If it’s not and a fourth scenario pops up from somewhere then we can talk about that at some point.

“I can’t see any other way that it plays out, to be honest apart from one of the three.

“We will honestly have to wait and see. We could end up signing three or four, we could end up doing one.

“It really depends on who comes and who goes. We want to strengthen – we wanted to strengthen before certain people left and injuries.

“Jack’s injury recently is nowhere near as bad as we first feared – which is brilliant news for us.

“Honestly, we will have to wait and see because I’m really ready and excited to see what happens.

“I’m not looking forward to all the chaos and noise that is going to go around for the next two days.

“The amount of work that and the ownership group, Jason, ourselves and the recruitment guys have to put in with the hope that something comes off it a lot.

“I’m looking forward to all of that going and really focusing on the group and the team.

“I think it will help settle everyone down.

“We have started really well amidst all the chaos in terms of results, but we have a long way to go in terms of performance.

“We will continue to improve and the players that we will bring in will definitely help us to do that."

Flynn Downes, Ryan Fraser and Mason Holgate are already through the door – could they start on Saturday?

“All three could potentially start the game. One of them I have worked with before, I think Flynn showed everyone on Saturday how when you understand what’s being asked of you then you can fit in straight away.

“He’d only really trained properly for a day or two and he was furious missed one pass out of 115. That shows you his mentality because he was genuinely annoyed about that.

“He will get better and he shouldn’t have played that long – he’s been really unwell. But the game dictated that he had to come at that point with Jack’s injury.

“Mason is a fantastic signing. He adds character and he’s flexible. He’s a good footballer and hopefully, we will give him a chance to really show us what he has got.

“It didn’t surprise me how well Ryan did when he came on – he’s a really good player.

“We went through the clips as a unit and he was involved in so much of the good stuff we did in the last half an hour.

“He probably shouldn’t have played as much as he did, but he was chomping at the bit to get on the pitch. He’s going to be a really excellent signing, as will all three of them.

“They’ve really added to the feel of the group this week with their noise. It’s still quite a quiet group and they are still finding their feet again after a lot of disappointment.

“Mason and Flynn are still at a peak age really. Ryan is a bit older but still at a peak age. They’ve helped us add a bit of experience and grit."

Sunderland on Saturday – tough test?

“Any time you go to the Stadium of Light it is a tough test. I really admire what Tony (Mowbray) has done there and in some difficult circumstances at times as well.

“He’s got a young team that are really brave with the ball. They really impressed me last season when we played against them.

“I got a feeling off Tony that he was really enjoying watching his team play.

“It was good – we had two good games against them last year. They’ve got some really good talent and it will be a tough game – as they all are in this division.

“It will be the biggest test for us to go there with that big crowd and try to be the team that we want to be.

“Regardless of the situation we have to finish this run of games strongly going into the international break. That will give us a nice feeling and prepare us for what’s going to come after."

How tough is it for the players to not know what’s happening until 11 PM on the Friday night and then to kick off at 12:30 the next day?

“We should maybe just shut the window on a Thursday. It’s really difficult. Maybe our team will change between now and Friday. We are travelling on Friday as well which isn’t ideal.

“It is what it is, and I will keep moaning about how it doesn’t get shut until this late – it’s pointless.

“It’s not ideal but we will deal with it in the best way that we can – and the players have been excellent. A huge amount of credit to them for how they have been with us because some of them are really uncertain.

“Some of them feel like they have really good opportunities elsewhere and yet they’ve given us everything they have got.

“The players who haven’t been like that have been training away from the group until they decide they want to come back in.

“That’s not a personal thing, it’s a purely professional thing about respect. The players understand that as well.”

Can you as a manager look forward to bringing some players in now that you’ve had so many out? How much say do you have?

“Me and Jason (Wilcox) obviously chat to the ownership group a lot. We will never sign a player I don’t like and we will never sign a player that Jason doesn’t like so we have to be really agreed on it.

“I think I’ve got the job because we both share a huge amount of similar values for what’s important on a football pitch.

“We will agree on a lot. We definitely challenge each other as well.

“By the time a player comes in we will both be really agreed on it – as will the coaching staff.

“We are really excited about what we can add to the group in the next few days. Also, a little bit worried about what we can lose as well.

“We started pre-season with 28 players in the group. We’ve lost 12 or 13 and brought in six.

“It’s been a lot of change, which can be messy, but I’m really pleased with how everyone here has navigated through that because it’s not been easy. I think everyone has navigated through it really well.

“I’m really excited about growing and developing the team individually and collectively.”

Romain Perraud and Lyanco have gone out on load – does that leave you thin on the left of defence?

“I think we have some backup for Ryan Manning already in the building in Juan (Larios). I know he’s had injury problems and it’s easy to forget about him, but we shouldn’t because he is a fantastic footballer.

“He’s back training full-time now. He’s tenacious and really technically gifted – we have really good competition there already.

“He’s a natural left-back but he can play both sides. Now he is pushing Ryan really hard and he knows that he is breathing down his neck.

“We need to get Juan some game time between now and over the international break.

“I’m not worried about that at all. I think it’s a really good move for Romain and a really good move for us.

“I think Romain is an excellent player, but the way we play is probably not suited to him. He’s going to go somewhere that he really suits because he is a good player.

“People suit different ways of doing things. He really suited the way Southampton played before but not so much now – not that I’m saying he couldn’t do it. But he wants to play.

“I’ve been really impressed with him as a character. Everyone said that before we came, and we’ve now seen it ourselves.

“I wish him nothing but the best of luck and I’m sure he will do really well.”

What’s the situation with Jack Stephens’ injury?

“Jack has hurt his calf and hopefully, he will be back and won’t miss a huge amount of games - hopefully, he will only miss seven or eight games and then he will be back in the fold.

“That might sound like a lot but we feared the worst on Saturday with how he did his injury.

“It’s bad news because he will be a big loss for us. He’s got leadership, courage on the pitch, a warrior mentality. He’s outstanding, I’ve been so impressed with him since I’ve been here.

“He will still influence things off the pitch in three dressing room for sure, but it’s about getting him right now and making sure that when he comes back he stays back (fit)."

Have you decided who will replace him as captain while he is out?

“Yeah, we have. You’ll find out on Saturday. I can’t give everything away.”

I can’t see anybody not asking you about Ross Stewart – is he still a player that interests you?

“I really like Ross. I tried to sign him at MK Dons. I really liked him then and he’s done brilliantly since he signed for Sunderland.

“He’s been out for a while, so I guess we are going to be linked with so many players – some of them are so far away.

“I don’t think some of them have even been discussed. I get given some names, some are close to the mark and I’m sure some we will end up bringing in. It shows that agents are doing their jobs.

“Ross is one of a number of players that we have been liked with. We will just have to wait and see.”

What do you expect from Sunderland?

“I have a huge amount of respect for Tony and what he’s done in the game.

“What we can expect is a team that will stick to their guns and their way of doing things. They are a team that has their supporters really behind them.

“They are a team full of young players that will be willing to express themselves. They are a team of good characters as well.

“I think the Sunderland fans would expect that they will work as hard as they can. They’ve got a bit of everything really – I like them a lot.

“We enjoyed watching and analysing them, but now we need to go there and make sure we turn the game into one that we want it to be.

“Every ounce of courage that I’ve spoken about from Sunderland is the same for us.

“The boys have to stay brave. They have to add some real tenacity and grit from the first half of our performance against QPR – they know that. The second half was much better.

“I’m really confident because this group learns really quickly and they are really willing to learn new things.

“I’ve really enjoyed the last few days of training and hopefully, they can transfer it onto the pitch on Sunday.”