Southampton boss Russell Martin is putting together a swoop to land one of his former players in a deal that could see the pair reunite on the South Coast, according to reports.
What’s the latest transfer news at Southampton?
Saints have taken a quality over quantity approach to this transfer window despite losing key stars such as James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia, and have managed to bring in four signings in the form of Joe Lumley, Flynn Downes, Shea Charles and Ryan Manning, as per Transfermarkt.
High-profile departures have been a common theme at St Mary’s Stadium this window and it looks as if Southampton could be about to suffer a body blow by losing star striker Che Adams, who is reportedly on the verge of moving to Premier League side Everton, according to Football Insider.
An agreement in principle has been reached between the Scotland international and Everton regarding a move to Goodison Park and all that is left now is for both clubs to iron out the structure of a deal and for Adams to travel to Merseyside for medical tests.
The same outlet report that Southampton midfielder Joe Aribo is being eyed by Serie A outfit Hellas Verona, who are keen to take the Nigeria international to the continent on a loan deal with an option-to-buy.
Aribo has fallen down the pecking order at the club and is looking to reignite his career fortunes after enduring a frustrating time of things on the South Coast since joining from Rangers in 2022.
On the flip side, Saints fans could be set for some positive news as journalist Alan Nixon has revealed on Patreon that Sunderland winger Patrick Roberts is being lined up as a target by boss Martin.
Nevertheless, Scottish champions Celtic are also keen on the 26-year-old, who spent two-and-a-half seasons at Parkhead and enjoys a positive rapport with their manager Brendan Rodgers.
What about defenders?
According to The Daily Mail, Southampton are readying a bid to sign Swansea City defender Nathan Wood, who is valued at around the £12 million mark by his current employers.
Saints are willing to pay in the region of £10 million for his services despite Swansea City holding out for around £12 million. If a fee is agreed, Martin and Wood would reunite at St Mary’s Stadium, as the former Scotland international previously worked with the 22-year-old at the Swansea.com Stadium having signed him from Middlesbrough last year.
Since joining the Jacks, 6 foot 2 Wood, who has previously been dubbed as “athletic” by former Crewe Alexandra boss David Artell, has been ever-present in the backline for the Sky Bet Championship outfit, featuring 47 times in all competitions, registering one goal and a solitary assist in the process, as per Transfermarkt.
As per FBRef, Wood has also fared extremely well in comparison to his positional peers across Europe’s next eight leagues below the top five divisions on the continent in the art of pass completion, having maintained a pass success rate per 90 minutes of 91.9% over the last 365 days, putting him in the 99th percentile for this metric.
If Martin can get a deal over the line for Wood before the end of the window, he will certainly land himself a player capable of aiding Southampton’s promotion push in the coming months.
