It was a busy summer period for Southampton following their relegation from the Premier League.
Southampton were relegated from the top flight after an 11-year stay, then undergoing a managerial change and an exodus of players.
Russell Martin came in and soon lost his best players to the Premier League. But the Saints spent their share of money and appear to have recruited smartly, with Southampton really starting to come together.
The club sits in 4th place of the Championship table after an impressive 2-1 win over West Brom last time out; a win which really summed up recent improvement from the Saints who are now eight unbeaten.
January could yet be crucial in deciding which division they’re playing in next season, with signings and maybe a few sales expected too.
Here we look at three players who could leave Southampton in January…
Alex McCarthy
Veteran goalkeeper Alex McCarthy was the subject of Premier League interest in the summer, but he remains at St Mary’s where he’s no.2 to Gavin Bazunu.
A goalkeeper with his kind of experience will always be attractive to Premier League teams who are perhaps in need of an emergency signing or a back-up goalkeeper, so McCarthy could once again be of interest to teams in January.
If Southampton want to clear some space on the wage bill and in the first-team, McCarthy could be moved in, with Joe Lumley available as back up.
Joe Aribo
The 2022 signing is yet to really kick on with the Saints.
Aribo arrived from Rangers but last season he managed just two goals in 21 Premier League outings, and in 11 appearances in the Championship this season, he’s yet to record a single goal contribution.
He’s steadily fallen out of favour under Martin who’s handed Aribo just one substitute appearance in the last five outings and just one start in the Championship all season.
Again, if the Saints need to free up some space in the side then Aribo could be one they look to move on, with the 27-year-old still likely to capture a fairly decent transfer fee.
Che Adams
Che Adams has been a very loyal and very good servant for the Saints. But he’s perhaps not played as much as anyone would’ve expected this season, with the Scot having largely been used as an impact substitute.
He started the campaign in prolific form scoring three goals early on. But the 27-year-old hasn’t scored since August now, and with the return of Ross Stewart pending and Adam Armstrong in scoring form, Adams looks like he could be falling down the pecking order at St Mary’s.
There was plenty of interest in him in the summer and there could be Premier League or even Championship teams after him in January, which could be a good time to cash in, with his contract out next summer.