Southampton may be in desperate need of a new defender before the window closes.
Southampton could push to sign a new defender before the deadline after a significant injury in Russell Martin’s squad, and talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has provided an update on their pursuit of Swansea City’s Nathan Wood, while speaking to GIVEMESPORT.
There’s been a bit of a fire sale at St Mary’s Stadium this summer, and there’s no doubt they need further reinforcements.
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It’s been a tricky window for the Saints’ recruitment team, having to try and find adequate replacements for the likes of Romeo Lavia, James Ward-Prowse, Tino Livramento, and most recently, Nathan Tella. Last week, the south coast club announced the loan signings of Mason Holgate and Ryan Fraser, who will certainly help with squad depth for the remainder of the season. However, with respect to the Southampton duo, fans might be slightly disappointed at the lack of money spent.
One area which could now be a cause for concern, despite the arrival of Holgate, could be at the back. Mohammed Salisu also completed his departure this summer, Armel Bella-Kotchap is being targeted by Bayern Munich, and Lyanco is closing in on a move to Al Gharafa. To make matters worse, newly appointed captain Jack Stephens has been ruled out for a while through injury, with manager Russell Martin recently confirming he is ‘fearing the worst’.
As per MailOnline, the Saints have made an offer of £10m for Swansea City defender Wood, after seeing an £8m bid rejected earlier in the window. Now, talkSPORT reporter Crook has provided an update on their pursuit.
What has Crook said about Southampton and Wood?
Crook has suggested that he expects manager Martin to be really pushing for this deal to happen now after Stephens’ injury. The talkSPORT reporter adds that he was told, however, that it would cost a lot more than £10m to prise the Swansea defender away this summer.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Yeah, I think Jack Stephens is going to be out for a while, which is a blow for him. Obviously just signed a new deal and got the captain’s armband after James Ward-Prowse was sold. Russell Martin was really keen on Nathan Wood anyway, but I was told it was going to take a lot more than £10m, which is the bid that Southampton have made to get him, but I’d imagine that Martin will really be pushing for that now.”
| Southampton summer departures | Fee |
| Romeo Lavia (Chelsea) | £58m |
| James Ward-Prowse (West Ham United) | £30m |
| Tino Livramento (Newcastle United) | £32m |
| Mohammed Salisu (Monaco) | £17.2m |
| Kegs Chauke (Burton Albion) | Undisc. |
| Ibrahima Diallo (Al-Duhail) | Undisc. |
| Dan Nlundulu (Bolton Wanderers) | Undisc. |
| Mislav Orsic (Trabzonspor) | Undisc. |
| Mohamed Elyounoussi (Copenhagen) | Free |
| Sam Bellis (Barrow) | Free |
| Nico Lawrence (Colchester United) | Loan |
| Mateusz Lis (Goztepe) | Loan |
| Duje Caleta-Car (Lyon) | Loan |
| Caleb Watts | Released |
| Theo Walcott | Retired |
| Willy Caballero | Retired |
What’s next for Southampton?
The Saints may have to prepare for life without striker Che Adams this summer, as journalist Dean Jones confirms to GIVEMESPORT that the Scotland international is in demand. Jones adds that Southampton are eyeing his replacement and have Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland lined up in case Adams departs. Jones has also urged the Saints to make a move for Sunderland winger Patrick Roberts, who could be the ideal replacement for Tella.
The Championship side will undoubtedly struggle to replace the stars who have departed with similar level players, but Southampton fans may be expecting some of the cash to be spent on new signings between now and the end of the window.