The 2025-26 Championship season has not been anywhere near what was expected for Southampton – instead of flying high in an automatic promotion battle, they are languishing in the middle of the park.
At the beginning of the campaign, they landed exciting young coach Will Still and looked to be setting off on a new adventure, hopefully back into the Premier League.
Still lasted just five months in the job, and now under Tonda Eckert, the Saints now find themselves in a chase for the play-offs, alongside a whole host of other clubs who are above them in the table.
A shuffling of the deck may be needed in some areas at St Mary’s Stadium before the transfer window closes on February 2, while others may feel the club is heading away from where they see themselves.
Here, Football League World looks at two players who must surely be considering a late January exit…
Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Just this past summer, Taylor Harwood-Bellis was being chased by Premier League outfit West Ham United in a £20 million loan-to-buy deal, according to Alan Nixon, via his Patreon.
It followed news from Nixon earlier in the same summer of a bid from Portuguese giants Porto, for the same amount, who are playing in this season’s Europa League.
That interest came after the 23-year-old centre-back was part of Southampton’s relegated Premier League side, a year after he signed on the dotted line permanently from Man City for £20 million after a successful loan stint.
He has been one of Southampton’s top performers this term in what has been a difficult season so far, which, at his age, along with the past interest in him, is making it abundantly clear he is above the level that the Saints can currently offer.
It is almost certain at this point that promotion will not be on the cards for Southampton this season, and Harwood-Bellis is unlikely to want to stagnate at such an important point in his career.
Should any offers of a similar level come in for him at the back end of this January transfer window, he will surely not want to miss another chance at moving to a higher level and playing in bigger competitions, as he’s unlikely to get that at St Mary’s, and such offers will not flow in forever.
Joe Aribo
At the other end of the scale, central midfielder Joe Aribo has almost entirely slipped off the radar at St Mary’s.
He’s not started a single Championship game this season, reduced to just seven cameos off the bench, and has not made a matchday squad since last month.
Asked about Aribo’s situation by The Daily Echo, as quoted by the Daily Record, boss Tonda Eckert said: “In general, I was very happy with the players we had available for matchdays, and that’s where the situation is at the moment.
“The transfer window goes for another two weeks. Then we see what happens and, in general, I think the squad needs to become a bit lighter.”
Without naming him directly, it is about as close as the head coach could have come to showing Aribo the door.
The Daily Record note interest from Turkish sides Goztepe and Trabzonspor, but also nod to the fact that Rangers are in the market for a midfielder.
With his path at Southampton seemingly blocked, and still with a lot to offer at 29 years old, if Aribo is attracting interest from elsewhere, he’d be wise to get away and get back to playing regular football.
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