This week Matt takes a look at a potential transfer target for Saints and ponders that he could transform Saints into a team that could make a serious challenge for a top 6 place going forward.
The transfer market and rumour mill is in full flow, as you would expect in the close season, and there will no doubt be many a misleading report among the hundreds of moves touted.
There is one, however, that has taken my fancy and that is Liverpool winger and former Bournemouth loanee Harry Wilson’s link to a possible switch to St Mary’s.
The 23-year-old Welsh wizard is attracting the attention of Leeds United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United, with Saints among the latest to express an interest.
With the champions prepared to let the promising prospect go for £20 million, I believe any Premier League team outside of the top six - and possibly in the elite European leagues - would have an eye on developments surrounding this talent.
It is believed Liverpool are torn when it comes to parting with the youngster, having signed him at the age of eight and taken him on full-time at 15.
He has also enjoyed successful load spells at Hull City (13 games, seven goals), Derby County (40 games, 15 goals) and, most recently, the Cherries (31 games, seven goals) where he endured a tough season which ended in the side’s relegation.
He has become known as a player able to deliver something special and, for that reason, the choice to move him on is a difficult one for manager Jurgen Klopp given that he may yet still flourish in the Premier League - but not at Anfield.
The question it seems, it not a matter of if Wilson can find a suitable location to develop his creativity further, but when and with who. To me, there seems no better place than at St Mary’s under a manager in Ralph Hasenhüttl who is likened to the Reds boss and is developing his own special project on the south coast.
Wilson has no doubt demonstrated he has the ability to not only compete in the top flight but to be that player who can create and execute a moment of individual brilliance - and, at his age, has many years to nurture that talent.
Although very different circumstances, Danny Ings has transitioned with perfection since his move to St Mary’s from Liverpool, and I have no doubt Wilson would also find his feet quickly under Hasenhüttl given the manager’s style of play and man management skills.
Given the strong finish to the season, Saints are an attractive option to quality Premier League players looking to reignite their careers in a high-intensity, high-performing team.
For me, if the club was to make an approach and subsequently secure the services of Wilson, it would be a signal of intent for what they hope to achieve over the course of the next few years.
Although I stated in my column two weeks ago how the first team almost picks itself and could quite possibly go into next season off of the momentum built up at the tail end of the last, quality signings at a reasonable price are always welcome as we look to build a squad to continue moving forwards.
With full-back Kyle Walker-Peters confirmed and the imminent announcement of centre-back Mohamed Salisu, Wilson would make that a very solid and cost-efficient trio of signings which would make a statement of that Saints are aiming to once again challenge immediately outside of the top six.