Southampton have an intense summer ahead of them as they attempt to get their squad Premier League ready.
Having secured promotion via the play-offs, Russell Martin‘s side have had slightly less time to plan their summer business than the other clubs in the Premier League.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ season-long loan became permanent alongside promotion due to the terms of his loan from Manchester City, whilst Southampton are pushing to sign fellow loanees Flynn Downes and Ryan Fraser too.
Southampton have three senior players whose contracts are set to expire this summer.
One of those is Stuart Armstrong who the club have confirmed will leave but the other two are in discussions with the club.
- READ MORE: Three Stuart Armstrong replacements Russell Martin can target after Southampton exit confirmed
Che Adams and Alex McCarthy face uncertain future
Those two players are Che Adams and Alex McCarthy.
Both players played their part in promotion, with Adams scoring 15 Championship goals and McCarthy stepping in for the injured Gavin Bazunu for the last eight games of the campaign.
Southampton released their retained list on Tuesday in which they announced Armstrong’s departure, which explained: “Long-serving goalkeeper Alex McCarthy and striker Che Adams are also approaching the end of their contracts, with talks ongoing regarding potential new deals.”
Adams has been constantly linked with a move away from St Mary’s over the past two seasons, with Wolves the latest to be heavily linked with his signing.
Given he has had a contract offer on the table for most of the season, it seems highly unlikely that Adams will commit his future to the club.
Meanwhile, McCarthy spent the majority of the season not even in the match day squad but leapfrogged Joe Lumley to take the gloves when Bazunu pulled out of the Preston win in the warm up.
It would have seemed inconceivable he would get a new deal prior to that but now, after his play-off contribution, it seems Southampton are pushing to keep the 34-year-old who has been linked with Liverpool, Newcastle United and Celtic.
Southampton should move on from Adams and McCarthy
Whilst it is understandable that Southampton may want to tie down two of their more experienced players, you could argue that most fans would have preferred to see Armstrong extend his stay.
Adams has done little to stop the noise surrounding his future and, with transfer links seemingly every window, it may be time to cut ties.
With 25 goals in his 124 Premier League matches according to Transfermarkt, the Saints would need to sign an upgrade regardless of whether Adams stays and he is unlikely to want to stay without being the starting striker.
The same goes for McCarthy, with reports suggesting he is seeking guarantees around being first-choice.
However, Martin has put so much faith in Bazunu and it is highly unlikely he will see fit to be able to meet these demands given McCarthy’s shortfalls with the ball at his feet.
Bazunu being absent until well into next season with his achilles injury does complicate matters, but Southampton should be looking to sign a goalkeeper who is as comfortable as Bazunu at playing out from the back.
Any commitment to re-signing either Adams or McCarthy may hinder the club’s attempts to sign the necessary upgrades to the pair and therefore it may be time to thank them for their services and move on.