Nathaniel Clyne has stated he is happy at St Mary's, but that is a lot different to signing a new long term deal.

Clyne's words are an encouragement but they should not be read into too deeply, of course Clyne is enjoying life at St Mary's and he has seen his career blossom since arriving in the summer of 2012, however that does not make him immune from wanting to play on bigger and more lucrative stages, he like any good player will be ambitious and if the likes of Manchester United come knocking offering not only Champions League football but far more money that Saints could hope to pay, then it will of course be very tempting for any player let alone Clyne.

He told the Daily Echo: “I’m enjoying my football for Southampton, playing week-in, week-out and it’s an up-and-coming club, so, yeah, I’m happy playing for Southampton and happy to stay at Southampton as well.”

“My agent is negotiating, so I’ll just leave it with my agent and I’m just going to concentrate on playing my football,”

Fine words from Clyne who actually hits the nail on the head with his last sentence about what all parties should be doing.

These are the type of words that perhaps led Les Reed to publicly state that he thought the player might stay with the club and whilst proclamations like that do offer hope for supporters of a club, the reality is that they also create a big stick for the fans to beat over your head when the player leaves.

Better would have been to state that the club would entertain no offers or make any statements until the season was over, news of deadlines set, do nothing other than distract everyone from the real task between now and the end of the season and that is winning football matches.

The situation is a lot different from the Luke Shaw situation where there was a big argument that Shaw should have stayed at St Mary's at least another year and learnt his trade without the pressure that he has been under at Old Trafford, Shaw was a youngster with plenty to learn, Clyne is a player who did exactly what Shaw should have done, he learnt his trade at Crystal Palace then at 21 made the move into the Premier league. He will perhaps now feel that after 3 solid seasons in the top flight as well as England caps, at 24 with over 200 league appearances to his credit he is as ready as he ever will be for the step to the next level.

Not words that most Saints fans will want to read, but they are the reality of the modern game and spell out just what Saints strategy has to be by neccessity in the coming years.

So although the media will still speculate about one rumour or another, Saints would have been better to put out one simple statement and leave it at that and then get on and concentrate on the remaining games that will shape not only this season but next too.

Photo: Action Images

1962saint added 10:02 - May 5 It's been obvious for a while that he will leave in the summer. Players don't show loyalty when a top 4 club make moves for them. Clyne has learned from Lovren and Lallana and wants to leave on good terms with the fans.
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SaintBrock added 15:05 - May 5 What is missing from this is any indication that any of the top 4 actually want him. Everything about him has been built around press speculation. Maybe Spuds and Scousers are more attractive options but on the evidence of this season he is probably better off here as our natural first pick in the back four. Can he really trust Judas or Bodgers to use him as anything other than a squad player?

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SanMarco added 15:46 - May 5 Yes - the really fascinating thing this summer will be if a CL side does not come in for MS or NC. The former in particular would look very foolish if he ended up trooping off to Spurs. It would be good to have a major player reject a non-CL move and say they were as well off staying loyal to the Saints. We are in the same segment of the league as the likes of Spurs and Liverpool now - the only 'upward' aspect of a move to them is the wages...

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