ARRIVEDERCI, DANI..

So, Dani Osvaldo, Saints record £15million signing of just a few short months ago, has been shunted off to Juventus on loan for the rest of the season with every prospect of the move becoming permanent.

It`s a good move for all concerned but especially for Southampton who have largely based their rise from League One obscurity to, well, Premier League obscurity on the extraordinary succession of accomplished young players emerging from their Academy - there were five of them featuring in Tuesday`s 2-2 draw against Arsenal.   The other main factor has been the team spirit amongst virtually all of the players in the squad, which is a priceless asset in any competitive environment.

So when Signor Osvaldo began to invite trouble onto himself by being suspended for a touchline fracas at Newcastle and followed that up by being suspended again for allegedly head butting Saints` defender Jose Fonte in an training ground incident, that precious team spirit seemed to be under threat.   So whilst it`s good to see a club putting its toe in the water of `marquee signings,` when it becomes obvious that that can be a disruptive policy, it`s time to step back, assess the situation and go back to relying on the largely home grown talent and the long standing principles which have served the club so well in recent years.

We have hopefully learned the lesson that if you have a fly in the ointment it`s best to get it out as soon as possible.   I shed no tears for Osvaldo`s departure, especially as the three goals he scored cost £5million each along with a weekly wage that of itself could have caused yet more unrest.  Arrivederci, Dani - although I suspect it will be doubtful that we ever meet again.