Southampton have just under a fortnight until they kick off the new campaign with a trip to Newcastle United on August 17.
It has been a busy summer at Southampton, with Russell Martin welcoming eight first-team additions to his ranks ahead of the Premier League.
However, the Saints cannot afford to stop their spending there, with further recruits needed to give Martin the best chance possible of maintaining a spot in the top tier.
The likes of Yukinari Sugawara and Ben Brereton Diaz look to be decent signings, whilst the permanent captures of Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Flynn Downes were vital, but Martin still has holes to fill in his squad.
With just two of the eight summer signings attack-minded players – and one of those 36-year-old Adam Lallana who is yet to feature in pre-season – it is clear Southampton need more firepower.
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Russell Martin knows he needs to add wingers to Southampton squad
With the departures of attacking midfielder Stuart Armstrong and striker Che Adams upon the expirations of their contract this summer, Southampton were already on the back foot regarding the forward areas.
This has been compounded further by the fact wingers Ryan Fraser and David Brooks both returned to their parent clubs after helping the Southampton promotion bid on loan last season.
Fraser is expected to join but a deal is proving more complicate than anticipated, whilst Brooks did not impress enough to warrant Southampton pursuing a permanent move.
To add to this, Martin has now confirmed that Kamaldeen Sulemana will miss the start of the season through an injury sustained in the 2-0 defeat to Oxford United on Wednesday, leaving just Samuel Edozie and 18-year-old Sam Amo-Ameyaw as natural wingers in the squad.
Even before Sulemana’s prognosis, Martin had made it clear he wanted at least one winger to come in this summer, telling the Daily Echo when asked about adding more forwards: “I think it is pretty evident and obvious that it is an area we will definitely highlight.”
Southampton must now reignite interest in Jack Clarke
Whilst Amo-Ameyaw has been impressive in pre-season, it would be a huge risk to entrust him with a starting role on a weekly basis in the top flight.
Adam Armstrong played his best football from the wing last season, and the arrival of Brereton Diaz should mean he can reprise that role, but more quality is still needed on the flanks.
To resolve this issue, Southampton should reignite their long-standing interest in Sunderland winger Jack Clarke.
Clarke has been one of the best players in the Championship for the past two seasons and new Sunderland signing Romain Mundle – who was also with Clarke at Tottenham – has been full of praise for the 23-year-old recently.
Mundle said: “I’ve always been looking up to Jack. We love each other and he’s an unbelievable player, a player that I watch in training every day. He’s a perfect attacker to look up to and learn from.”
Having cooled their interest earlier in the summer after being put off by Sunderland’s £18 million valuation of the England under-21 star, the Saints may now be left with little choice but to stump up a large fee for a player who will resolve a problem position ahead of the Premier League.
With Southampton playing potential relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and Brentford before the end of the transfer window, they cannot afford to wait until the end of August to address their issues out wide.