It was a reasonably busy summer at The Amex on the pitch, in the dugout and for the club lawyers. That's reflected in the fact that no less than 11 players who had represented the first team at some point have left the club with 5 arriving. Not to mention a certain Oscar Garcia pitching up.

With all the shenanigans surrounding the managers position, we were left playing catch up in quite a big way what with Oscar not taking over until after the players had returned for pre-season training. It's therefore hardly surprising then that a lot of the clubs work in the market has been done on a temporary basis - that and, as Paul Barber constantly reminds us, the fact we need to comply with FFP.

When Oscar took the job, the list of former Barcelona youngsters and general flair players we were instantly linked with was ridiculous. Certainly not names like Keith Andrews or Stephen Ward - as Irish as they come.

Here's the list of the movers and shakers over the summer transfer window:

OUT:
	Wayne Bridge - Reading Frankly, it was a miracle we even had him last season - of course, paying a rumoured £10k of his £90k a week wages helped - and there was no way we were going to be able to compete with the likes of Reading. The best left back in the division was simply out of our price range.
	Vicente - None Spent more time in the treatment room than on the pitch but for many the best player they ever saw in the stripes. His comments after Poyet's dismissal that he'd been fit the whole second half of the season were intriguing - but surely we'd have had him back if that were the case?
	Dean Hammond - Leicester City Loaned from Southampton, he did enough during last season to remove the hate figure tag he'd gained for his celebrations at Withdean back in 2010. Surplus to requirements at St Marys and made available for transfer, he's now signed for Leicester suggesting we showed no interest in another return.
	Stephen Dobbie - Crystal Palace Whenever Gus complained about budget, it was easy to point out he'd wasted large chunks of it on people like Dobbie. Was he disinterested or just never really given a chance? Hard to tell, but his apparent astronomical wage meant he had to go really. And he helped Palace to promotion on the way.
	Ryan Harley - Swindon Town Whenever Gus complained about budget, it was easy to point out he'd wasted large chunks of it on people like Harley. One good free kick, one truly awful penalty could sum up the man we spent six months chasing and paid £250,000 for before paying his contract up.
	Gary Dicker - None Poyet was a huge fan of him, going as far as to describe him as one of the few players that knew how he wanted the game to played. In truth, he may have been tidy in possession but looked a little slow for the Championship. Played a key role in his five years - surprising he is still a free agent.
	Marcos Painter - Porstmouth Another player who was a class act in League One but struggled in the Championship. One of the key men in the final few years at Withdean, he was never going to be more than back up at this level and should prove a superb acquisition for Pompey. Let's hope he gets paid.
Others released - Torbjorn Agdestein (Inverness Caledonian Thistle), Anton Rodgers (Oldham), Yaser Kasim (Swindon Town), Roland Bergkamp (FC Emmen), Ben Sampayo (Chelmsford City)

 

IN:
	Matt Upson - Stoke City Arrival last season on-loan coincided with the Albion being the form team in the Championship, storming into the play-offs and looking rock solid. There was a worry that the Poyet mess would mean we missed out on him ala Bridge, but thankfully that wasn't the case as he signed a one year deal.
	Kemy Agustien - Swansea Dutch creative midfielder who is the latest in the long line of players to make the move from the Liberty Stadium to The Amex. Is an absolute beast of a man with a wonderful beard and 39 points on his driving licence. A Vicente replacement - not as good as the Dagger but a whole lot fitter.
	Keith Andrews - Bolton Wanderers From what we can gather, he was Bolton fan's very own Ryan Harley. Can play in either holding, central or attacking midfield roles and brings a wealth of experience with him. Only on loan, he is the man to take over the Dean Hammond role, hopefully with a spectacular own goal to boot.
	Stephen Ward - Wolverhampton Wanderers A victim of Kenny Jacket's desire to clear out all the high earners from Wolves after two consecutive relegations. A solid left back who looks like he knows how to defend and is exactly what we were crying out for in what could have been a problem position.
	Adam Chicksen - Milton Keynes Dons He is being seen as one of the future having been a semi-regular at MK Dons over the last few seasons. Had a pretty alarming game in his only Amex pre-season outing but will be given time to learn and develop as Ward's understudy. How it will turn out, nobody knows.

Positives:	Negatives:	Rating:
The problem position at left back has been addressed. Liam Bridcutt and Leonardo Ulloa are still Brighton players despite a lot of interest. A lot of the League One winning side not good enough for a promotion challenge are off the wage bill. Despite the Poyet shambles, Matt Upson put pen to paper. No expensive panic buys on the last day - see Stephen Dobbie.	This seasons squad is undoubtedley lacking the quality of last years - which is hardly surprising with Bridge and Vicente gone. No new striker - if Ulloa gets injured or banned we're screwed. Only one creative midfielder signed. We could do with another to break down sides at home. Just one permanent signing for first team duty. Is the budget really the same as last season?	6.8 /10