Southampton have secured the loan signing of Bournemouth midfielder Joe Rothwell until the end of the season.
Journalist Mark McAdam confirmed on ‘X’ that the 29-year-old has agreed to join Southampton for the rest of the campaign and the deal is a straight loan with no option or obligation to buy included.
The deal has come somewhat out of the blue – with McAdam announcing that Rothwell is undergoing his Southampton medical on Sunday morning – and is a surprise given that Russell Martin said on Friday that Southampton are primarily targeting a right winger to replace Nathan Tella who departed in the summer.
Rothwell will also be Southampton’s fifth loan signing of the season, meaning they cannot sign any other players on loan. This likely means the pursuit of targets such as Burnley’s Manuel Benson and Bournemouth’s David Brooks is over as neither are likely to be allowed to leave their clubs permanently this month.
Mason Holgate is one of the five loanees at the Saints and it is possible that the defender could be recalled by parent club Everton due to lack of game time.
Who is Southampton signing Joe Rothwell?
Rothwell is primarily a defensive midfield player which was not considered an area Southampton were targeting this window as they have Flynn Downes and Shea Charles in that position.
Downes has shown his quality and really endeared himself to Southampton fans, but Rothwell’s loan may be partially down the Downes’ ongoing health issues which have seen him miss games on more than one occasion this season.
Rothwell has featured 11 times in the Premier League for Bournemouth this season and started the first three games of the season but has since fallen down the pecking order under Andoni Iraola. He is a combative midfielder who is tidy in possession and should come in and give the Saints midfield a more solid look without compromising any quality in possession.
Rothwell’s experience at this level will also be a real asset, with 152 games Championship games under his belt for Blackburn Rovers before moving to the Cherries in summer 2022 on a free.
It will interesting to see if the Manchester United academy product will play alongside Downes in the midfield three or rotate with the West Ham United loanee but it is unlikely Rothwell would have joined without assurances from Martin about his role.
Martin said ahead of the 4-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday that the club are looking to sign “one or two” players. With Rothwell through the door, Southampton fans should expect a relatively quiet rest of the window, however getting the right signing at right wing will be key to their promotion hopes.