Southampton were on the brink of signing Cody Gakpo in summer 2022.
Then at PSV, Gakpo was fresh off the back of a season in which he had registered 25 goal contributions in the Eredivisie and looked set for a big summer move.
Manchester United were interested but opted against making a concrete offer for the Dutchman due to Financial Fair Play concerns.
Therefore, it looked a straight shootout between Southampton and Leeds United – coincidentally recent play-off final opponents – for Gakpo’s signature.
As it happened, Gakpo made a U-turn on his future and decided to stay at PSV that summer, before securing a move to Liverpool the following January.
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Cody Gakpo reveals why he didn’t sign for Southampton
There was real excitement around Southampton when it appeared that the club would wrap up a deal for the forward in the last few days of August.
This was a player who looked to be the marquee signing fans crave and a player of such quality could have been the genuine difference between Southampton being relegated and staying up.
However, he did not sign and Southampton struggled for goals, scoring just 36 in 38 league games.
In the build-up to this summer’s European Championships, ESPN have linked up with the Netherlands squad to release a short documentary on each player in the Dutch squad and it was on Gakpo’s episode where he revealed the bizarre reason he did not sign for the Saints.
ESPN explains: “Gakpo is left with three concrete options: a transfer to Southampton, playing for Leeds United or staying at PSV.
“The World Cup star has difficulty making a choice and says the following in his documentary: “You have a difficult decision to make, and then you go to prayer to talk to God and ask for wisdom. I got that.”
“The Eindhoven resident initially remains secretive about how he made his choice, but then opens up: “People might think I’m strange. I could go to Southampton, Leeds came into the race and PSV wanted me to stay.
“I presented the three options I had to God. If I scored once, I would go to Southampton. If I scored twice I would go to Leeds and if I scored three I would stay at PSV.”
Gakpo hat-trick prevented Southampton move
Gakpo was referring to PSV’s fixture against Volendam on 31st August 2022.
To put such a monumental career decision down to how many goals you score in one game is certainly an interesting way to choose and – unfortunately for Southampton – Gakpo scored the first hat-trick of his career that night in a 7-1 win.
Those goals meant Gakpo committed his immediate future to the Dutch club, but after 21 goal contributions in just 14 league games and an impressive winter World Cup in Qatar Liverpool swooped in to sign the now 25-year-old.
Whilst he has struggled at times at Liverpool to really make a mark on a regular basis, Gakpo would have been head and shoulders above the rest of Southampton’s attacking players in a season in which they finished bottom of the league.
Instead, Southampton missed out due to fate and just four months later he pitched up at Anfield where has remained since.