Southampton look set to have a relatively quiet January transfer window, with tweaks to the squad expected rather than significant overhaul on the agenda.
However, that does not mean Russell Martin and the Southampton board will not be assessing the market to see if there is value to be had and whether there is the potential to bring in quality that can help with their promotion bid.
Southampton‘s transfer market may be determined by potential outgoings which could then lead to replacements being signed. Che Adams faces a very uncertain month with his contract expiring in the summer, and it is widely accepted that if Southampton receive a suitable offer then they will cash in on the striker rather than lose him for free in the summer.
Mason Holgate has struggled for game time since joining on loan in the summer and could return to parent club Everton, leaving another whole in the squad to be filled.
Sam Edozie has been ruled out until February with the injury he sustained against Norwich City on New Year’s Day, but even before the news of his absence Southampton were targeting a winger this month.
Earlier in the window, Southampton were linked with Manchester United’s Amad Diallo who enjoyed a successful loan spell at fellow Championship side Sunderland last season. However, it appears that the Saints have now turned their attention to another right winger, with Bournemouth’s David Brooks linked with a loan switch.
What is the latest on David Brooks?
Brooks signed for Bournemouth from Sheffield United for a fee believed to be around £12 million in 2018 as a 20-year-old, with his career going from strength to strength until he was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin Lymphoma in October 2021.
The Welsh international made a heroic return in March 2023, 536 days after his diagnosis, having been declared cancer free the previous May on the same day that Bournemouth had secured Championship promotion.
Now, with Brooks having only started two Premier League games for Bournemouth this season, it looks likely that the 26-year-old will be able to leave the Cherries on loan this month. Journalist Nick Mashiter confirmed that Southampton are one of the clubs interested in Brooks, as he posted on ‘X’: “Southampton pushing to complete a loan deal, until the end of the season, for Bournemouth’s David Brooks”.
Given Brooks’ ability, it is no surprise that they are not alone in their desire to sign Brooks until the summer, with journalist Alex Crooks confirming at the end of December that fellow Championship promotion chasers Leeds United are also very much interested in the Bournemouth man.
Ultimately, it may come down to who the player himself would prefer to sign for, but Southampton will be pushing hard to get Brooks through the door in the next couple of weeks.
What should Southampton expect from Brooks?
Last time Brooks was in the Championship he registered 12 goal contributions, scoring five and assisting seven in 34 league games in the 2020/21 season.
Capped 26 times by Wales, Brooks has not only shown he can deliver at Championship level, but in the Premier League too. In the 2018/19 season, Brooks scored seven top flight goals and provided five assists and it was this kind of form that saw the winger linked with a £35 million move to Liverpool in 2020.
Eddie Howe was the manager that signed Brooks for Bournemouth and the now Newcastle United manager was very complimentary when speaking on the player in 2018 as he said: “He is a player that can do a little bit of everything, he is very good offensively, is creative, turns well with the ball and is very intelligent.”
Similarly to Diallo – who Southampton were previously linked with – Brooks is a left-footed wide man who prefers to play on the right so that he can cut in and utilise his stronger foot. He is not as fast and direct as Diallo, but is arguably a more technically gifted player who is very creative. Given his ability to navigate tight spaces and create, Brooks is also very astute playing centrally as an attacking midfield player and it is this flexibility in forward areas that will likely have piqued the club’s interest.
It looks as though Southampton are set to miss out on another loan target who can play in a number of attacking areas in Fabio Carvalho, with the Liverpool youngster set to join Hull City instead. This means the Saints should focus their attention more intently on securing the services of Brooks.
There is no doubt that if a Championship club can get Brooks back to his best and playing regularly that it will greatly improve their chances of promotion. Southampton will just hope that is for them and not one of their promotion rivals.