Whilst Saints have struggled for goals this season netting just 13 in the Premier League, one of their players has scored over half that total whilst out on loan, should Nathan Jones activate the recall option from for Nathan Tella from Burnley in January.
Saints have once again been struggling for goals this season and if there is one hope for the second half of the season, it is that if Nathan Jones can get the team scoring it should not be too long until we are out of trouble.
But whilst we have only scored a meagre 13 goals and only three of our players have scored more than a single goal, Nathan Tella loaned out to Burnley has been if fine form for the Lancashire club and has hit 7 goals in 17 starts plus another 3 off the bench.
This has led to some Saints supporters demanding his return to the club in January when we as his parent club have a recall option in place.
Tella was sent out on loan to give him experience and confidence, there was a good reason that he was sent out to Burnley and the truth is that his form at St Mary's had meant that he was nowhere near being a first choice at the start of this season.
That is not to say he didn't have the talent to succeed both at St Mary's and at Premier League level, he had had some decent games for the club, but the problem was he had never been able to produce that form with anything like the consistency needed.
That was not entirely down to the player himself, whenever he seemed to be able to get a good game or two under his belt he seemed to get injured, last season at Crystal Palace was a case in kind, he was superb that night as Saints came back for a draw, but he missed the next game through contracting Covid and after that fixture a win against West Ham on Boxing day he was on the bench for the draw with Spurs, a return to the side saw two decent performances for Nathan, but then came a groin injury that kept him out for over two months.
The previous season to that saw a similar pattern emerge, he just couldn't seem to get a run of games under his belt.
He had shown he had the talent, but he was continually picking up niggles that saw him missing games.
That was why he went to Burnley and he has shown at Turf Moor that he can play a run of games without getting injured, he has played in all 20 of the games in the Championship since he joined Burnley and scored 7 goals.
But is that enough to cause Saints to recall him, yes his goal to games ratio is good, but the brutal truth is that the Championship is far from being the Premier League, the standard is a lot less and goals easier to come by, look at Adam Armstrong, he got 28 goals for Blackburn in 40 games in the season before Saints signed him and it should be noted that his goals to game ratio at St Mary's is also better than Tella's.
The issue for me with Nathan Tella is just where his best position is, even Burnley themselves are not quite sure, he has played as a left winger, a right winger and attacking midfielder and also a centre forward and that was part of the problem in the past two seasons, is he better as a winger or as a forward.
So the question for Nathan Jones is whether Nathan Tella is better than anything that we already have at St Mary's or indeed anything that we are likely to have if we make some of the rumoured signings in the January window.
It us easy to say recall him, but the club have to take into account the whole picture, it is no use just making the squad bigger just for the sake of it, if he is to come back as a winger, is he better than the likes of Sam Edozie, Stuart Armstrong, Mohamed Elyounoussi, Moussa Djenepo and even Che Adams all of whom have been deployed in wide positions.
Even Sekou Mara who has not had two much chance to shine yet.
I would think that if Saints do press the recall button they will do so later in the Transfer window when they have had a chance to assess where the squad will be by the end of it.
My heart says recall him we need every man with his hands at the pump, but my head says that there is a bigger picture and that it might not be the best move for either player or club, if Tella comes back and things don't work out then it might put back his progress even more, whereas if he stays at Turf Moor and has a decent second half of the season then he might be back here and truly ready to make himself a genuine first choice in the side.
So what is your opinion, give it here and also vote in our online poll using the link below.
https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/southampton/members//polls/2872/should-sa