Gavin Bazunu G Standard Liege (loan from Southampton) b.2002

[tetsujin1979]

Starting for Southampton's U21 side against Fulham in the PL2 tonight
Good to see him back, at any level
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[liamoo11]

Starting for Southampton's U21 side against Fulham in the PL2 tonight
Good to see him back, at any level
1877777428694598006

Great fair play to him

[elatedscum]

Played 90 mins. Kept a clean sheet. Won 5-0. Joe O’Brien Whitmarsh played for Southampton. Fulham got a red card which probably contributed to the score. Tom Oylott played for Fulham.

[tetsujin1979]

Excellent save for Southampton's U21s earlier
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[Eirambler]

Wonder would he be fit enough for a deadline day loan somewhere to get him some games this season. Southampton are getting relegated, Ramsdale may not stay with them next season.

[rebelmusic]

Confirmed that he's being put up for a loan move. I wonder if Boro is a possibility now that the Travers deal has stalled

[Demesne Lad]

Confirmed that he's being put up for a loan move. I wonder if Boro is a possibility now that the Travers deal has stalled

Bazunu is in a serious relationship with a physio, who may not fancy moving north. Meanwhile, Portsmouth have conceded 51 goals in 28 Championship games. Some financial arrangement between the clubs could be worked out .

[Eirambler]

Bazunu is in a serious relationship with a physio

Must have come in handy the last few months!

[Rayzor]

Confirmed that he's being put up for a loan move. I wonder if Boro is a possibility now that the Travers deal has stalled

Leeds could be a decent move, Meslier is having a terrible season. Loan with an option to buy would be ideal.

[~YTM~]

Bazunu is in a serious relationship with a physio, who may not fancy moving north. Meanwhile, Portsmouth have conceded 51 goals in 28 Championship games. Some financial arrangement between the clubs could be worked out .

Should avoid going from one struggling club to another struggle club a division down. Also I doubt Southampton fans will want him going there and possibly saving them from relegation.

[Eirambler]

Linked with a loan move to Udinese. They must be having Irish player withdrawal symptoms with Ebosele and Abankwah at Watford at the moment.

[Olé Olé]

Linked with a loan move to Udinese. They must be having Irish player withdrawal symptoms with Ebosele and Abankwah at Watford at the moment.

Could we be seeing:
Bazunu to Udinese
Ferguson to Leverkusen

On top of Omobamidele to Strasbourg

[Eirambler]

That would give us a presence in four of the top five leagues for the second half of the season. And Parrott in the Eredivisie as well.

[pineapple stu]

Damn Finn and his badly timed transfer... :mad: :p

[Eirambler]

Given that Finn made a few La Liga appearances before he transferred we're very close to having had players in all of the top five leagues in the same season, I would imagine for the first time ever.

15 or so EPL players
Finn and Omobamidele in Ligue 1
Finn in La Liga
Abankwah in Serie A (and Bazunu if he goes there)
Just need a player in the Bundesliga and Ferguson has been linked to Leverkusen.

[tetsujin1979]

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[zero]

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pretty underwhelming! standard 7th in what is a mediocre league. he'll be playing at a worse standard (hey now) than travers or obviously kells (when he does play) but i suppose minutes are what count.

standard ok in the goals against column (23 conceded in 24 games), their problems appear to be up front where they've scored only 17 - the lowest in the whole league.

[John83]

It's probably more of a means to getting lowish pressure games to build fitness and confidence for next year than anything else. If he's fit and confident in the summer, all's well.

[Razors left peg]

It's probably more of a means to getting lowish pressure games to build fitness and confidence for next year than anything else. If he's fit and confident in the summer, all's well.


Dan Mc said exactly that further down in the thread

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[pineapple stu]

Presumably that means he's more or less ready to go into the first team (given he's played a couple of 21s games already)?

[John83]

The tepid reaction to this move reminds me of this:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fUqXbVsAeak

[Jd2793]

good he'll get minutes to get him upto speed. im honestly no sure what happens him in the summer, he was really poor for saints before his injury. will need to improve his shot stopping massively if hes going to push on.

[Razors left peg]

good he'll get minutes to get him upto speed. im honestly no sure what happens him in the summer, he was really poor for saints before his injury. will need to improve his shot stopping massively if hes going to push on.

I think it's fairly clear that Southamptons defense has been so bad that it's almost irrelevant who their keeper has been tbh. Its not like anyone can point to Ramsdale and show where he's been any better

[Jolly Red Giant]

he was really poor for saints before his injury
No he wasn't - he was actually playing very well

Now - this is a good move - he will be playing for a team 7th in the Belgian league and just outside the playoff places - and they don't have a goalie. To a degree he will be out of the limelight and will have an opportunity to rebuild his confidence. I am still concerned that he hasn't had enough rehab time - his injury was very serious and has a high level of reoccurrence without proper rehab - here is hoping that the Southampton medical staff are good at their job.

[~YTM~]

I am still concerned that he hasn't had enough rehab time - his injury was very serious and has a high level of reoccurrence without proper rehab - here is hoping that the Southampton medical staff are good at their job.

One good thing is a championship loan was never in question.

Dan McDonnell tweeted
"Should stress that while this move may seem a little left field, the Championship wasn’t viewed as a good fit for player coming back from his injury.

All the options being explored were in Europe with game time and a schedule suited to his situation the priority."

[Jd2793]

No he wasn't - he was actually playing very well

Now - this is a good move - he will be playing for a team 7th in the Belgian league and just outside the playoff places - and they don't have a goalie. To a degree he will be out of the limelight and will have an opportunity to rebuild his confidence. I am still concerned that he hasn't had enough rehab time - his injury was very serious and has a high level of reoccurrence without proper rehab - here is hoping that the Southampton medical staff are good at their job.


oh youre back. back to ignoring every bit of available evidence with bazunu. why is it hard for you to admit he had a terrible season with saints before his injury?
good that he'll be playing all the time, big summer coming up for him.

[pineapple stu]

FWIW -

Bazunu (https://fbref.com/en/squads/33c895d4/2022-2023/Southampton-Stats) 22/23 (Prem): -16.9 PSxG (-0.53/game)
Bazunu (https://fbref.com/en/squads/33c895d4/2023-2024/Southampton-Stats) 23/24 (Champ): -11.9 PSxG (-0.29/game)
Ramsdale (https://fbref.com/en/squads/33c895d4/Southampton-Stats) 24/25 (Prem): -2.2 PSxG (-0.14/game)

But there's none so blind as those that will not see unfortunately...

(Cue "Stats don't matter" despite the millions and millions clubs spend on the likes of this)

Anyway, best of luck to him. They're pushing for the title play-offs, so plenty to play for, which is good.

[Jolly Red Giant]

oh youre back. back to ignoring every bit of available evidence with bazunu. why is it hard for you to admit he had a terrible season with saints before his injury?
good that he'll be playing all the time, big summer coming up for him.
The problem is that he wasn't having a terrible season - he was playing well.

We have been through this before - Russell Martin didn't know how to play defence - his approach constantly left the goalkeeper exposed and any goalkeeper would have sh*te stat with him. Last season Southampton had a very poor run for the first 8 games before Martin tightened things up a bit at the back. They conceded 63 goals last season - 16 of them in those first eight games - and then another another 10 goals in the last 4 games when Bazunu was injured. In the remaining 33 games that Bazunu played they conceded 37 goals and that was still with a leaking defence.

In the PL Southampton were always going to be exposed - particularly with Martin in charge - and no goalkeeper should be judged by what they have been doing at Southampton (and Ramsdale is a good goalkeeper but remember he is four years older and has more experience playing in good teams).

Now - what will happen Bazunu - I suspect that depends on what type of contract Ramsdale has with Southampton - does he have a release clause in the event of Southamton getting relegated - if he does Bazunu likely will be back in goal for Southampton next season in the Championship. If he doesn't have a release clause Ramsdale may still be sold because he will command a high fee - but if he isn't Bazunu will be shipped out because of the balance sheet at Southampton.

[Snapshot]

No. In such circumstances, Bazunu would be shipped out because he’s not good enough.

[Jolly Red Giant]

No. In such circumstances, Bazunu would be shipped out because he’s not good enough.
Southampton paid £25m for Ramsdale and he has a four-year contract taking him to 2028 - Bazunu's contract is up in 2026. Balance sheet considerations will come into this - next season Bazunu is going into the last year of his contract and Southampton will want a return.

Now Ramsdale is a good goalkeeper - but it is debatable whether he is better than Bazunu and that doesn't even take into account the fact that he is he is four years older than Bazunu (massive gap in terms of the maturity of a goalkeeper).

[elatedscum]

If/when they get relegated, Ramsdale won’t want to play in the championship and he’s very likely to get a move back to the Premier League either on loan or a transfer - then Gavin goes back in nets, unless the contract situation is an issue

[Acornvilla]

If/when they get relegated, Ramsdale won’t want to play in the championship and he’s very likely to get a move back to the Premier League either on loan or a transfer - then Gavin goes back in nets, unless the contract situation is an issue
That's my assumption too, I imagine Gav will get a new contract if he proves his fitness and plays well on loan, they'll sell Ramsdale, get promoted via the playoffs and then in 2027 we'll still be discussing whether Bazunu letting in 6 goals a game is good enough, or whether Travers or Kelleher need to go be a first choice keeper somewhere yet, and I'll be calling for Max O' Leary to get his first cap.

[liamoo11]

If/when they get relegated, Ramsdale won’t want to play in the championship and he’s very likely to get a move back to the Premier League either on loan or a transfer - then Gavin goes back in nets, unless the contract situation is an issue

I don't see much upside for Gav signing a contract . Let it run down and sign a pre contract with some European side next January nice signing on fee and go in as number 1in summer 2026. Southampton is a nothing club likely to yo yo between Premier league and championship

[Acornvilla]

Coming off an ACL he's not in an incredibly strong bargaining position until he proves how good he can be, between that and his own temperament, he might feel loyalty to the club if they stick with him and make him #1 next season.

I'd hope Southampton will ultimately only be a footnote in his career too and he goes on to much better and more interesting things, but he has some work to do first.

[elatedscum]

Coming off an ACL he's not in an incredibly strong bargaining position until he proves how good he can be, between that and his own temperament, he might feel loyalty to the club if they stick with him and make him #1 next season.

I'd hope Southampton will ultimately only be a footnote in his career too and he goes on to much better and more interesting things, but he has some work to do first.

FWIW it wasn’t an ACL, he ruptured his Achilles

[Acornvilla]

Thank you doc :D

[seanfhear]

Thank you doc :DI don't think that he was being a heel about it !

[Jolly Red Giant]

FWIW it wasn’t an ACL, he ruptured his Achilles
And for a goalkeeper a much more serious injury

[pineapple stu]

Starts tonight - first senior game since April.

Liege are 2-1 down at halftime away to relegation-threatened Westerlo though

[Trequartista20]

Shipped four in the end, to a side that I think we're thirteenth of sixteen in the league prior to the match.

Still good to see him back out there playing again, though.

[Drummerboy2]

Reports I heard is that the second goal was Gavin's fault. Did not get great reviews on social media from so called fans.

[John83]

One game doesn't make a season. Let's see how he's doing in a few weeks.

[Snapshot]

And for a goalkeeper a much more serious injury

You say on the Josh Keeley thread that “Man City were so impressed with the job that Brian Barry Murphy did with Bazunu, that they gave him a job running their elite development squad on the back of it.”
Is that true, partly true or just you?

[Jolly Red Giant]

You say on the Josh Keeley thread that “Man City were so impressed with the job that Brian Barry Murphy did with Bazunu, that they gave him a job running their elite development squad on the back of it.”
Is that true, partly true or just you?
It was in the media at the time -

This is what Barry-Murphy said about Bazunu while he was at Rochdale - “We signed Haydon Roberts and Gavin Bazunu on-loan from Brighton and Manchester City and they have been excellent since joining and both have very bright futures. Bazunu is the best young player I’ve ever worked with. His attitude and work-rate are incredible, and he is obsessed with the game. He is always looking to improve and has made great progress. Teams think because of his age and being such a young goalkeeper that they can target him by putting balls on top of him, but he is well capable of dealing with those situations."

When he joined Man City the Times reported -

"City, when they loaned out promising young talent such as the Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and Yeboah Amankwaah, found them in safe hands at Rochdale, where Barry-Murphy was a player and then coach, before being made manager when Keith Hill was sacked in 2019. Barry-Murphy enjoyed success while playing out from the back and with one of the smallest budgets in League One, though eventually the club was relegated. It was at Rochdale under Barry-Murphy that Bazunu honed his passing game, which was clearly an understanding when he made the move there on loan from City."

And from the Examiner

"It is understood Barry-Murphy is highly regarded by City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain, especially for his record of nurturing young talent. The club [Man City] were delighted with the progress made by two players, Irish goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and defender Yeboah Amankwah, during their loan spells at Spotland last season."

[Snapshot]

I remain sceptical Barry-Murphy’s recruitment was based solely or even predominantly on his work with Bazunu, but thanks for your extensive trademark response.

[CraftyToePoke]

I remain sceptical Barry-Murphy’s recruitment was based solely or even predominantly on his work with Bazunu, but thanks for your extensive trademark response.

I'm inclined to agree with you. It doesn't say anywhere in what he put that it was & one can put anything they like in inverted commas and type away, after all. Where are the links ?

BBM is under severe brú these days at Leicester with RVN.
That much alone is sure.

[tetsujin1979]

According to this, Brian Barry Murphy was interested in the role himself
From https://www.the42.ie/brian-barry-murphy-2-5482995-Jul2021/

It is understood Barry-Murphy has expressed an interest in the U23s job at City and is in contention to take the role, though nothing has yet been finalised.
The work he did with Bazunu, and other city players they took on loan, probably helped his case, but they also send players out on loan across Europe every year without hiring the relevant club manager

[Jolly Red Giant]

Where are the links ?

Oh for feck sake - google is your friend

https://www.echolive.ie/corksport/arid-40219475.html

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/arid-40326791.html

https://www.thetimes.com/article/brian-barry-murphy-joins-manchester-citys-production-queue-qzhs0kpv9

[Jolly Red Giant]

According to this, Brian Barry Murphy was interested in the role himself
From https://www.the42.ie/brian-barry-murphy-2-5482995-Jul2021/

The work he did with Bazunu, and other city players they took on loan, probably helped his case, but they also send players out on loan across Europe every year without hiring the relevant club manager
Relevant point

Of course he was 'interested' in the role - he had signed a two year contract extension a couple of months earlier with Rochdale despite they being rooted to the bottom of League One - and at the time of this interview he had resigned as Rochdale manager (and they didn't want him to leave) - he wouldn't have done that unless all that was left was to sort out his contract with Man City.

[Jolly Red Giant]

brief highlights from Bazunu's first game in Belgium


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfaWFPtKDjY