It is looking increasingly unlikely that Che Adams will sign a new contract at Southampton and, with his current deal set to expire in the summer, the Saints will have to strongly consider any January transfer offer to avoid losing him for free.
Adams joined Southampton from Birmingham City in the summer of 2019 and has had periods of being an important player for the club despite never being prolific.
The Scotland international has been almost constantly linked with a move elsewhere over the past two seasons – with Wolves persistently showing interest – and has recently found himself out of favour; although the 27-year-old started in the 2-0 win over Cardiff City last time out.
Southampton have options up front, with Adam Armstrong and Carlos Alcaraz both impressing in attack this season and Sékou Mara also an option. The club also spent £10 million to bring Ross Stewart to the club in the summer but the striker has suffered an injury setback.
Russell Martin may feel he has sufficient firepower even if Adams were to leave, so should a club pay Adams’ estimated transfer value of between £5.3 to £8.8 million the club may decide this money is better spent strengthening other areas.
With that in mind, here are three players who Southampton could spend any money they receive for Adams on.
Adams money could be used to strengthen midfield
Southampton may look to reinvest any money from the potential sale of Adams in a midfield player with an eye for goal. With attacking midfielder Alcaraz often operating as a striker in Martin’s system, this leaves Stuart Armstrong and Will Smallbone with the job of creating and scoring goals from midfield, with the less influential Joe Aribo a potential option too.
With Armstrong 31 and with a history of muscle injuries, it could be that Southampton consider themselves a little shallow in the role of the most advanced midfielder in their usual three man midfield.
One player who Southampton should consider is Millwall’s Zian Flemming. The Dutchman only joined in the summer of 2022 but has scored an impressive 19 goals in his 64 appearances for Millwall, also registering five assists. Flemming has done this primarily from an attacking midfield position but his flexibility makes him an attractive proposition given that he can also play wide, up front, or slightly deeper.
The upper end of the 25-year-old’s current market valuation is around £3.7 million, meaning that Southampton could likely spend any fee they receive for Adams and still have funds left over to address any other deficiencies in the squad.
Adams’ replacement could be current Brentford powerhouse
Flynn Downes has been superb recently and has the midfield anchor role nailed down, but should he be absent for whatever reason Shea Charles is the only natural option to step into this role.
With Charles impressing ahead of Smallbone when asked to play slightly further forward, it could mean Martin and the Southampton decision makers feel they need an extra midfield player who could cover both the anchor and box-to-box role.
One such player is Shandon Baptiste. The Grenada international has played 49 Premier League games for Brentford but has found starts becoming increasingly rare, although he did suffered from a shoulder injury early on this campaign.
Whilst he is a solid squad player for Brentford, he could be tempted by the opportunity to be a regular starter at St Mary’s and his tough tackling and energy would be very welcome to give Southampton more midfield steel.
It would represent a show of ambition from the Saints were they to secure the 25-year-old’s signature, but he could be attainable with the Adams funds.
Could versatile full-back join Southampton?
Another position which Southampton may look to bolster their ranks in is full-back. Currently, Martin has Kyle Walker-Peters, James Bree and summer recruit Ryan Manning at his disposal, with young left-back Juan Larios struggling to overcome his injury issues.
Bree has impressed in a less natural left-back role over the past couple of months and, whilst Southampton may ideally want to sign a left-footed full-back, another versatile defender could be their best bet.
Ben Johnson has fallen out of favour at West Ham United and could be a sensible option given he has experience of playing both on the left and right of a back four, but has also shown he can fill in as a central defender.
Johnson is a product of the Hammers’ youth academy but is 23 now and, having not played a single minute of Premier League football this season, must be considering his future. Southampton could be a very attractive option for the young defender and with his contract expiring in summer 2024 he could be attainable at a decent price.