Billy Sharp has returned to his native Yorkshire and is joining Leeds United for an undisclosed fee.
Billy Sharp is the forgotten hero of Southampton Football Club, joining in the January transfer window his goals came at a vital time for the club in the run in for promotion and Sharp outscored even Rickie Lambert and pushed Saints over the finish line to keep the fast improving West Ham at bay and firmly in the play offs.
Sharp's reward was to be ostracised by certain people within the club and he was not even allowed to stay and fight for his place, he was forced out on loan as someone tried to justify why we had paid £3.5 million for the unknown Mayuka.
Now finally he is being treated fairly and not as an outcast, he is being allowed to leave cheaply so he can kick start his career.
Saints fans should thank Sharp, some soon forgot him as the Premier league blinded their eyes, but most were very grateful for him and realise that without him we would probably have faltered in the run in, in the final 8 games of that campaign Billy hit 8 goals, including both goals in a 2-0 win against his old club Doncaster, both in the 2-2 draw with Pompey, another pair in a 3-1 win at Peterborough as well as the early opener in the final League game against Coventry to settle the jitters and enable Saints to coast to automatic promotion in an eventual 4-0 win.
Without those goals Saints would have been 5 points less and that would have seen West ham leapfrog over them to snatch the second automatic promotion spot.
Saints have a lot to thanks Billy Sharp for, sadly some have forgotten that or perhaps it isn't that they have forgot, it is just that they weren't there to see it in the first place.
Thank you Billy Sharp, your contribution was short and sweet but vital, it is just a pity that those who owe their reputations to you, saw fit to cast you adrift without even a word of thanks, now those in charge of the Club have righted that wrong and long may your career prosper.