Earlier in the week we were talking about media speculation linking Carlos Alcaraz with Newcastle United, that sparked more speculation that Brentford were also tracking the Argentinian attacker, now Saints have mad a statement of intent.
When the stories in the media started about Newcastle tracking Charly Alcatraz started, most would not take these too seriously, after all there are still three months left until the January transfer window opens.
However as we have seen in the past, some of the Big 7 clubs like to get unsettling of a player in early, a few well placed stories by journalists friendly to the club, can go a long way towards creating a situation where the player himself becomes unsettled and wants the move.
The buying club can then try to use this to force the selling club to take a lower price to get rid of a player who clearly wants to go.
But as Newcastle saw back in the summer, we were in no mood to sell Tino Livramento to them at their bidding, their derisory initial offer of around £12 million was dismissed out of hand and we made it quite clear that we were not going to be taken advantage of.
But it still came as a surprise on Friday evening when Southampton announced that Alcaraz had signed a new 5 year deal at St Mary's. after all he had only signed his initial contract 10 months ago when joining the club.
This was a statement of intent from Saints that they are taking this promotion push seriously and are looking to hang on to their best players.
There will be some that will perhaps say that the club have only done this to make sure they get a bigger fee for Alcaraz in January or indeed next summer, but the truth in this deal is that the headline is bigger than the reality.
Alcaraz's original contract was to the summer of 2027, this deal extends it only by another year, if Southampton were bent on selling the player there was really no need to extend his contract.
So why did they ? The answer is that they want to keep the player, but recognise that he is on a lower wage than his worth to the team merits and of course what the likes of Newcastle are dangling in his direction.
This is about looking after the player first and foremost, recognising his worth, if Saints were going to take a big offer for him in January, there would be no point in spending good money on paying him more for a few months.
They have shown Alcaraz and indeed the rest of the squad that they are serious about getting promotion and keeping the key players who will be the foundation for rebuilding the squad if we return to the Premier League next season.
Charly Alcatraz said:
"I’m very happy to renew my contract with this great club that opened the doors for me to play here in Europe. It’s been really nice because I’ve learned so many things.
"I’ve become very fond of the people of Southampton because, from the day that I arrived, they showed me that they wanted me here. I’m very happy because they show me that they care and that I’m important for the team, and that makes me want to play even more.”
Director of Football Jason Wilcox said:
"We are all delighted Charly has signed his new contract and we are really pleased he has committed his future to our fantastic football club.
"This coincides with his full international call-up and we are all very proud of him. Charly has displayed so much potential since his arrival and has already made a huge impact despite his young age.
"He has the ability to score goals from midfield and we look forward to seeing him showcase his talent here at St Mary’s and beyond.”