With the Championship regular season due to end on Saturday 3rd May, one question being asked is whether Saints players out on loan, could return and play in the final matches of the Premier League season.
When the regular Championship season ends on 3rd May, Southampton will still have 3 Premier League matches left to play and to be blunt they could do with the likes of Adam Armstrong, Shea Charles & Ronnie Edwards all out on loan to Championship clubs who will not be involved in the play offs, they will be effectively leaving their respective clubs after their final game on 3rd May.
Given our lack of firepower up front, getting Adam Armstrong back would perhaps be the priority, although it would good to give a run out to the other two.
Saints do have form in this, looking back to 2004/05 season, there are many parallels to be drawn, firstly we had 3 managers, Paul Sturrock was sacked barely into the season to be replaced by Steve Wigley who himself was sacked in December with Harry Redknapp being the 3rd incumbent, secondly we ended up getting relegated and thirdly Redknapp loaned out one of our strikers in the January of the season who we could have done with as we sank to relegation.
That man was Brett Ormerod, he like Adam Armstrong this season was seen as a good workmanlike striker, who was perhaps too good for the Championship, but not quite good enough for the Premier League, although he had played a big part in our 2022/23 season both in getting us to 8th place and also the FA Cup final.
But he was surplus to requirements in this season, firstly he was loaned to Leeds United in the September of 2023 in the pre transfer window days for a couple of months and then when he returned he was soon surplus to Redknapp who loaned him to Wigan Athletic in January..
When the Championship season ended Ormerod returned to the club just in time for the final do or die match against Manchester United at St Mary's, by now Redknapp was desperate, he dithered about his starting line up and could not decide on who would play up front, he considered Marion Pahars who had been out injured all season but was just about fit, but he decided against that, in the end he left Kevin Phillips on the bench and went for Henri Camara and Brett Ormerod who had not played for the club since January and who hadn't exactly set the World alight at Wigan.
It did not end well as we all know.
So the big question is whether the trio of Armstrong, Charles & Edwards can play in the 3 remaining matches after their season and therefore their loan effectively ends or whether they will have to sit and watch from the stands.
To be honest I don't know the answer, googling it doesn't come up with much except that the loan would be to "the end of the season" but is that the regular season or including the play offs ?
Personally I hope that we are able to play the trio, Adam Armstrong may not be a top notch Premier League striker, but he is better than anyone else we have up front in his overall play, we could use him for the last few games.
We don't need Shea Charles or Ronnie Edwards so much, but it would be good to re integrate them in the squad and show they are wanted for next season, perhaps even give them some minutes in the Premier League.
All three could play a big part in our promotion push for next season, we need to start the rebuild of the squad now, we need to make sure that those who will be staying know they are wanted.